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India says Omicron may be less severe due to vaccination, prior infections

A health worker collects a swab sample from a man during a rapid antigen testing campaign for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mumbai

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's health ministry said on Friday the severity of the COVID-19 disease from the Omicron variant in the country could be low because of vaccination and high exposure to the Delta variant.

"Given the fast pace of vaccination in India and high exposure to Delta variant as evidenced by high seropositivity, the severity of the disease is anticipated to be low," it said in a statement. "However, scientific evidence is still evolving."

(Reporting by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)