The first case of Omicron in Himachal Pradesh was reported in Mandi district a few days ago, state health secretary Amitabh Avasthi said Sunday. A 45-year-old woman tested positive for the new Covid-19 variant on December 12. Her RT-PCR test was conducted at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital.
Meanwhile, Karnataka government decided to ban New Year parties and gatherings in public places, and impose “night curfew” for 10 days from December 28, between 10 pm to 5 am.
India reported 6,987 new Covid-19 cases and 162 deaths in the last 24 hours. The country has 76,766 active cases, while over 141 crore vaccine doses have been administered.
A total of 422 cases of the Omicron variant have been reported across 17 states and Union Territories, of which 130 people have recovered.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday that vaccination against COVID-19 for children between 15-18 years will start from January 3, while “precaution dose” for healthcare and frontline workers would be administered from January 10, decisions that come amid rising Covid cases linked to the Omicron variant of the virus.
In an address to the nation, he said the precaution dose will also be available for citizens above 60 years of age and with comorbidities on the advice of their doctor from January 10 next year as well.
Tripura has 6,64,319 Covid-19 vaccines in stock and is ready to commence vaccination for individuals between 15-18 years of age from January 3 along with the rest of the country, Tripura Information and Cultural Affairs (ICA) Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters at the state secretariat in Agartala, the minister said the overall Covid situation in Tripura is “under control” and satisfactory. Read More
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Gujarat reported 394 Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, its highest single-day addition since June 14 when the figure was 405, raising the state's tally to 8,29,957, an official said. The last time the number of cases crossed 300 was on June 15, when 352 people were detected with the infection, he pointed out.
So far 8,18,422 people have been discharged post recovery, including 59 during the day, leaving the state with 1,420 active cases, of which 16 patients are critical, he said. One death took the toll in the state to 10,115, he added.
Of the new cases, Ahmedabad city accounted for 178, followed by Surat with 52, Rajkot 35, and Vadodara 34 cases, among others. (PTI)
Karnataka recorded 356 new cases of Covid on Tuesday of which, 269 were from Bengaluru Urban, which a day earlier had seen 172 cases.
The state health department also informed about two deaths, one each in Bengaluru and Hassan. The total active cases in the state now stands at 7,456 of which 6,122 are in Bengaluru Urban. The day also saw 347 recoveries. Read More
Today's Covid numbers: Delhi (496 cases), Mumbai (1377 cases), Kolkata (217 cases), Bengaluru (269 cases), Chennai (194 cases)
Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 2,172 new Covid-19 cases with 1,377 fresh infection from Mumbai alone.
Night curfew imposed at Jawaharlal Nehru University from December 27 between 11 pm to 5 am, until further orders; no restrictions on the movement of emergency services, like medical emergency & supply of goods: JNU Administration
Delhi on Tuesday reported 496 new Covid-19 cases with a test positivity rate of 0.89 per cent. The national capital also recorded one related death. With this, the active coronavirus infection rose to 1,612.
With seven more people testing positive for Omicron in Kerala, the total number of infections by the new variant of Covid-19 in the state has reached 64, the Health Department said on Tuesday. Of the seven cases, four were detected in Pathanamthitta, two in Alappuzha and one in Thiruvananthapuram, the department said in a release.
Of these, two persons had returned from the UAE and one each from Ireland, Qatar, Italy and Tanzania, while one person got infected via contact, it said. The state government, which had put in place night restrictions -- between 10 pm to 5 am -- from December 30 to January 2, said that in view of the possible increase in spread of Omicron, theaters have been asked not to screen films after 10 pm. (PTI)
Personnel to be deployed on election duty in the five poll-bound states will be included in the category of frontline workers and would be entitled to the precaution dose of Covid-19 vaccine, amid growing indications that the elections may be held on time. The Election Commission is likely to announce the dates of assembly elections for Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur early next month.
In a letter to states and UTs, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said on Tuesday that personnel to be deployed in election duty in the poll-bound states will be included in the category of frontline workers. "As a matter of abundant precaution, for those healthcare workers and frontline workers who have received two doses, another dose of Covid-19 vaccine would be provided from January 10, 2022. The prioritisation and sequencing of this precaution dose would be based on the completion of nine months i.e. 39 weeks from the date of administration of the second dose," he said in the letter.
Separately, the Union health ministry issued a statement later on Monday, saying the Centre has reviewed public health response measures and vaccination status with the poll-bound states. The ministry has advised ramping up vaccination of all eligible population through a district-wise weekly plan with daily review, according to the statement. The health ministry statement said testing is to be "exponentially accelerated" to curb the sudden surge of COVID cases. "While Uttarakhand and Goa have reported vaccination coverage for the first and second doses higher than the national average, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur have COVID-19 vaccination coverage numbers below the national average," it said. (PTI)
Kerala recorded 2,474 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, according to the data shared by the health department. Along with 38 more Covid-related deaths, the health department also reported 206 deaths that are newly certified as Covid-19 deaths based on the revised rules. With this, the death toll in the state climbed to 47,066.
A total of 60,597 samples were tested in the last 24 hours. The test positivity rate was jumped to 4.08 per cent.
Meanwhile, 3,052 recoveries were also reported in the state.
The Gujarat government will set up camps at schools to inoculate as many as 35 lakh children in the 15 to 18 years age group, a senior official said here on Tuesday. Online registration for vaccination will start from January 1.
As per the guidelines issued by the Union Health Ministry, children in this age group will receive only Covaxin doses. "Online registration will begin from January 1, but on-site registration is also available. We will approach schools in coordination with the education department to cover an estimated 34-35 lakh beneficiaries," said Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Manoj Aggarwal. (PTI)
Samples of two persons returned positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in Puducherry on Tuesday. The health department said that one of the patients is an 80-year-old elderly person, whereas the other is a 20-year-old woman.
Speaking to indianexpress.com, G Sriramulu, the director of the Department of Health, said special teams have been formed to trace the contacts of the infected persons. He added that the infected persons don’t seem to have any travel history as per initial reports. Read More
All persons aged 60yrs&above with co-morbidities will not be required to produce/submit any certificate from the doctor, at the time of administration of precaution dose, Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday. However, it recommended such persons to obtain the advice of their doctor before deciding to avail of precaution dose.
Covid-19 vaccine for aged 15-18 years | Appointments can be booked online or onsite (walk-in). Services in the on-site (walk-in) mode will be available subject to the availability of vaccination slots: Union Health Ministry
Biological E. Limited plans to complete production at a rate of 75 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine Corbevax per month, anticipating over 100 million doses per month from February 2022 which will enable the city-based company to deliver 300 Million doses as promised to the Centre, BE said on Tuesday.
Corbevax, India's first indigenously developed protein sub-unit vaccine against the virus, received the approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) today, it said.
According to a press release issued by the vaccine maker soon, the company plans to deliver more than one billion additional doses globally. (PTI)
Vaccine major Serum Institute of India (SII) on Tuesday said the approval for the COVID-19 vaccine 'Covovax' would strengthen immunization initiatives across India and various lower and middle income countries (LMICs) across the world.
'The approval of Covovax by DCGI is a significant milestone in strengthening our immunization efforts across India and LMICs. We are proud to deliver a highly-effective protein-based COVID-19 vaccine of more than 90 per cent efficacy rate, based on clinical data demonstrating a favorable safety profile. 'We are certain that as the repertoire of the COVID-19 vaccine increases, we will be poised strongly to save the lives of millions of people against the pandemic,' SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said in a statement.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that due to rising Omicron cases, a Yellow alert for Covid-19 will be implemented and more restrictions will be imposed.
Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad on Tuesday said she has tested positive for coronavirus. The minister, who contracted the viral infection last year also, had been attending the ongoing winter session of the state Legislature and replied to various questions pertaining to her ministry in the state Legislative Council on Monday.
TMC MP Dereck O'Brien tested positive for covid-19, he informed on Tuesday. "Have tested positive for covid. Moderate symptoms. Isolating at home. If you have come into contact with me in the last three days, and have symptoms, please seek medical advice," he said on Twitter.
Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on Tuesday gave emergency use authorization approval to Covovax and Corbevax covid vaccines and Anti-viral drug Molnupiravir in a single day, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said. “All these approvals will further strengthen the global fight against the pandemic,” he added.
The Odisha government is gearing up for vaccinating over 25 lakh children in the age group of 15-18 years against COVID-19, a senior official said.
Director of Family Welfare and state vaccination in-charge Dr Bijay Panigrahi said registration for 25.53 lakh children will soon begin on the COWIN portal, and camps will be held in schools and colleges for the vaccination drive.
"We are yet to receive the guidelines on the type of vaccine and number of doses to be administered to them. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted emergency use authorisation to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Zydus Cadila's ZyCoViD for children above 12 years," he said.
Delhi recorded 331 fresh Covid cases, which is the highest single-day spike since June 9, and one death in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate is at 0.68 per cent. The death toll due to the coronavirus infection in Delhi rose to 25,106.
Children aged between 15 and 18 years would be able to register on the CoWIN portal from January 1 and the vaccine option for them would only be Covaxin, officials said on Monday as preparations are underway to start inoculating children against COVID-19 from January 3. "Children aged between 15 and 18 years would be able to register on the CoWIN portal from January 1," CoWIN chief Dr RS Sharma said on Monday.
The vaccine option for those in the 15-18 age group would only be Covaxin, according to the "Guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination of children between 15-18 years and precaution dose to HCWs, FLWs and 60+ population with comorbidities" issued by the Union health ministry on Monday.
An experts' committee on COVID-19 set up by the Goa government on Monday suggested some restrictions in the coastal state to curb the pandemic, including night curfew if the numbers rise. The experts' committee is headed by acting Dean of Goa Medical College and Hospital Dr J P Tiwari.
"We have recommended restrictions be imposed. Since the emergence of omicron variant, it was recommended if the positivity rate crosses 3.5 per cent, then night curfew should be imposed," Dr Dhanesh Volvoikar, a member of the committee told PTI.
Mumbai has become the major contributor to the state’s Covid-19 tally, accounting for over 55 per cent of the cases reported on Monday. Maharashtra on Monday registered 1,426 cases, of which Mumbai contributed 788 cases.
On December 26, the state reported 1,648 Covid-19 cases of which 896 were from Mumbai. Similarly, on December 27, out of the 1,426 cases reported in the state, Mumbai reported 809. “The cases are high in Mumbai because of stringent scrutiny at the Mumbai airport to identify Covid-19 patients. Then we are running hundreds of tests to find their close contacts,” said Suresh Kakani, Additional Commissioner, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)
“As of December 8, we had 6,200 active cases which has now surged to over 10,000. The overall active cases have increased by 50% in the last 20 days. The positivity rate has gone up to 1.06%. We are expecting a further surge in the next 20 days,” said Dr Pradeep Vyas, Additional Chief Secretary.
As many as 52 of the 63 cases of infection with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus detected in Delhi on Monday are in individuals who have reported no history of international travel or contact with an international traveller, officials from the Delhi government told The Indian Express.
“District surveillance teams will now trace these cases and re-confirm whether they have any history of travel or history of coming in contact with any foreign travellers,” a senior health department official said. The upending of this ratio in cases that were detected on Monday — only 11 out of 63 have a known history of foreign travel or contact — could potentially indicate a wider community spread of the new variant. (Read more here)
Delhi Cheif Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday will hold a high-level review meeting on the Omicron situation in the capital. A call on implementing restrictions under the yellow alert under the Graded Response Action Plan will be taken in the meeting.
India’s Omicron cases went up to 653 on Tuesday, with the highest being reported from Maharashtra at 167, followed by Delhi with 165 cases, Kerala 57, Telangana 55 and Gujarat at 49.
India recorded 6,358 new covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours. Active cases currently stand at 75,456 while the recovery rate is at 98.90 per cent.
Twelve more Omicron cases have been reported in Telangana, taking the total number of cases of the new coronavirus variant in the state to 55, the Health department said on Monday. Of the 12 cases, 10 were passengers who arrived at the international airport from countries other than those declared "at risk" by the Centre, while two were contacts of patients who tested positive for the variant earlier, it said in a bulletin.
According to the bulletin, 10 among the 55 have recovered from the infection. It said 19 samples are awaited with regard to their Omicron status. Meanwhile, Telangana on Monday reported 182 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 6,80,844, while the death toll rose to 4,023 with one more fatality.
With Omicron threat looming over the festive season, Kerala has restricted movement from 10 pm to 5 pm starting from December 30 till January 2.
Amid the increasing COVID-19 cases in Gujarat, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel paid a surprise visit to the Gandhinagar civil hospital on Monday morning and inquired about the facilities there and treatment provided to patients. The state has so far reported 49 cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, and the daily COVID-19 cases are also increasing in the state since the last week. "Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited Gandhinagar civil hospital this morning. During the surprise visit he interacted with indoor patients, hospital staff and inquired about treatment, cleanliness and availability of medicines," a note from the CM's office said. --PTI
s Omicron cases keep surging across the country, states have come up with various restrictions, including travel curbs, to control the spread of the new Covid-19 strain.
The total number of Omicron cases in India rose to 578 on Monday as the country witnessed its highest spike. The 578 cases have been detected across 19 states and UTs with Delhi recording the maximum number of 142 cases followed by Maharashtra at 141, Kerala 57, Gujarat 49, Rajasthan 43 and Telangana 41.
From Delhi to Maharashtra, we take a look at the travel rules imposed by the various state governments in view of the Covid-19 threat. Full list here
As many as 25,000 families who lost their loved ones to Covid-19 in the state have been paid Rs 50,000 for each death by the state government. Officials said over Rs 100 crore has been disburbed so far by the government to families which lost one or more members to Covid-19.
“As of Saturday, between 25,000 to 30,000 families have received the ex-gratia amount of Rs 50,000 for each death of a member. So far, we have been able to disburse a collective amount of over Rs 100 crore,” Assem Gupta, Principal Secretary, Relief and Rehabilitation told The Indian Express on Monday.
Maharashtra has seen over 1,42,000 deaths due to Covid-19 including 19,000 in Pune district. Read more.
Children in the 15-18 age group will be able to register on CoWIN from January 1, Dr RS Sharma, the chief of the platform, told ANI. "We've added an additional (10th) ID card for registration - the student ID card because some might not have Aadhaar or other identity cards," he said.
As many as 35 people, including police personnel and government employees, tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 2 days during the Winter Session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, officials told ANI.
Pune district reported 277 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday while 247 patients recovered completely and were discharged. Three deaths took place during the day due to the virus, two from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and one from Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Out of the new patients, Pune rural reported the lone Omicron case in the district. Read more.
Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is likely to be the only COVID-19 vaccine available, for now, for children in the age group of 15-18 years, who will be inoculated from January 3, official sources said.
Also, healthcare and frontline workers and citizens above 60 years of age with comorbidities would be administered the third dose of the same vaccine they had been given before. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a televised address to the nation on Saturday night, announced that vaccination against COVID-19 for children between 15-18 years will start from January 3, while "precaution dose" for healthcare and frontline workers would be administered from January 10. (PTI)
India saw the highest single day rise of Omicron infections with 156 fresh cases, taking the total tally of such cases to 578, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. The ministry said 151 out of the 578 people who contracted the infection have recovered or migrated. The 578 cases have been detected across 19 states and UTs with Delhi recording the maximum number of 142 cases followed by Maharashtra at 141, Kerala 57, Gujarat 49, Rajasthan 43 and Telangana 41. (PTI)
The total number of cases of the Omicron variant in India rose to 578 on Monday, according to data released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Meanwhile, 6,531 new cases and 7,141 recoveries were reported in the last 24 hours. The active caseload currently stands at 75,841, while the recovery rate stands at 98.40 per cent.
With 290 Covid cases and a positivity rate of 0.55 per cent recorded Sunday, the Delhi government has announced a night curfew between 11 pm and 5 am starting Monday.
“It was decided in a high-level meeting today that a night curfew needs to be reinstated in the city to stop the spread of Covid. This will come into force on Monday night between 11 pm and 5 am,” said an official. A detailed order listing the exemptions and other conditions is awaited. Read more.
When the “precautionary” dose of the coronavirus vaccine begins to be administered on January 10, the first recipients will likely be those older than 60 years with associated comorbidities, and those who got their second dose nine months previously, The Indian Express has learnt.
The decision to keep the interval between the second and third doses at nine months has been based on the findings of five scientific studies carried out by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, top government sources who were part of the deliberations, told The Indian Express. Read more.
With the Covid positivity rate crossing the 0.5 per cent mark on Sunday, the Delhi government announced a night curfew in the city.
The city reported 290 cases at a positivity rate of 0.55 per cent on Sunday. One death was also reported.
“It was decided in a high level meeting today that a night curfew needs to be reinstated in the city to stop the spread of Covid. This will come into force on Monday night between 11 pm and 5 am,” said an official. Read more
Mumbai on Sunday reported 922 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths, taking the cumulative infection count to 771,112 and death toll to 16,370. A total of 326 patients were discharged, pushing the number of recoveries so far to 74,7864.
The overall recovery rate in the financial capital so far is 97% while the number of active cases stands at 4,295.
According to the data released by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the cases in the city are doubling in 1,139 days now.
Even as the number of containment zones has come down to zero, the total number of sealed buildings in the city is 22. Read more
The first case of Omicron in Himachal Pradesh was reported in Mandi district a few days ago, state health secretary Amitabh Avasthi said Sunday. A 45-year-old woman was tested positive for the new Covid-19variant on December 12. Her RT-PCR test was conducted at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital.
Karnataka government Sunday decided to ban New Year parties and gatherings in public places, and impose “night curfew” for 10 days from December 28, between 10 pm to 5 am.
The number of coronavirus cases at the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district has gone up to 51, including 48 students, according to PTI.
A few days ago, 19 students from the residential school in Parner tehsil had tested positive for the viral infection. The school has over 400 students across classes 5 to 12
The school, part of the Navodaya Vidyalaya network which comes under the Union education ministry, is located at Takali Dhokeshwar village in Ahmednagar district.
Andhra Pradesh reported two more cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, taking the tally to six. The two new cases were reported from Anantapuram and Prakasam districts, and both persons arrived from foreign countries, the Director of Public Health said in a statement.
A 48 year-old male who recently came from South Africa to Hyderabad and then to Ongole on December 16 tested COVID-19 positive on December 20. In the other case, a 51 year-old man came from UK and landed in Bangaluru on December 18. His samples were collected and sent to the CCMB after he tested positive for COVID-19.
Four people who returned to Odisha from foreign countries were found to be infected with the omicron variant, Two of the new patients returned from Nigeria, while the other two came back from UAE, said Director of Health Service (DHS) Bijay Mohapatra. With this, the state's omicron tally rose to eight.
Eight cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus have been found at Indore in Madhya Pradesh, state Home Narottam Mishra said. This is the first time that the MP government has reported cases of the new virus variant in the state.
The gap between the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine and the third, which is being called a "precaution dose", is likely to be nine to 12 months, official sources told PTI.
The nitty-gritty of the gaps for the vaccines currently being used in India's inoculation programme - Covishield and Covaxin - is being worked out, and a final decision over this will be taken soon, they said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned against the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 during his monthly radio programme 'Mann ki Baat', adding that the country's collective strength lies in self-discipline and self awareness, which will eventually defeat the virus.
"It is because of everyone's effort that India could fight the biggest pandemic in a 100 years. We stood by each other like a family in every difficult moment. To help someone in one’s locality or city. Everyone tried to do more than what one could have done. If we compare the vaccination figures of the world today with those of India, it feels that the country has handled such an unprecedented task...how big a goal has been achieved," he said.
Referring to the Omicron variant, Modi said, "We also have to keep in mind that a new variant has already knocked at the door. Our experience of the last two years is that our own effort as a citizen is very important to defeat this global pandemic. Our scientists are continuously studying this new Omicron variant. They are getting new data everyday, their suggestions are being worked upon. In such a situation, self-awareness, self-discipline is in itself the country’s strength in fighting against this variant of corona. It is this very collective strength of ours that will defeat Corona; with this very sense of responsibility we have to enter into 2022," he added.
China has reported 206 new COVID-19 cases, including 158 domestically transmitted ones, in a sudden spike ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics which will be held in February next year, the country's health commission said.
Of the new local cases of coronavirus, 157 were reported in Shaanxi and one in Guangxi provinces, besides 48 imported cases, the National Health Commission said.
The spike in cases ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics has sparked concerns in the country as officials scampered to arrest the spread. (PTI)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the Centre has "accepted my suggestion" to allow the administration of booster doses of Covid vaccine and asserted that the protection of vaccines and booster shots has to be provided to every citizen of the country.
His remarks came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that "precaution dose" for healthcare and frontline workers would be administered from January 10.
The daily rise in coronavirus infections has remained below 15,000 for the last 59 days now. The number of active COVID-19 cases declined to 76,766, comprising 0.22 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020.
A decrease of 266 cases has been recorded in the active caseload in a span of 24 hours. The national COVID-19 recovery rate stands at 98.40 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.74 per cent. It has remained below 2 per cent for the last 83 days. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 0.62 per cent. It has remained below 1 per cent for the last 42 days, according to the health ministry.
The Karnataka government has decided to impose "night curfew" for 10 days from December 28, between 10 pm to 5 am, Health Minister K Sudhakar said.
The government has also announced certain restrictions for New Year related parties and gatherings, amid fresh COVID-19 concerns with new clusters emerging and increasing threat of the new Omicron variant of Coronavirus.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, "There will be no functions, parties in the external premises, especially for those celebrating with DJs and large gatherings. They have been completely banned in Karnataka.”
The Minister also said that in places like eateries, hotels, pubs and restaurants can have 50 percent of the seating capacity of the premises. (PTI)
Airlines continued to cancel hundreds of flights because of staffing issues tied to COVID-19, disrupting holiday celebrations during one of the busiest travel times of the year.
FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, noted nearly 1,000 cancelled flights entering, leaving or inside the US Saturday, up from 690 flights scrapped on Friday. Over 250 more flights were already cancelled for Sunday. FlightAware does not say why flights are cancelled.
Delta, United and JetBlue had all said Friday that the omicron variant was causing staffing problems leading to flight cancellations. (AP)
India reported 6,987 new Covid-19 cases and 162 deaths in the last 24 hours. The country has 76,766 active cases, while over 141 crore vaccine doses have been administered.
A total of 422 cases of the Omicron variant have been reported across 17 states and Union Territories, of which 130 people have recovered.