Healthcare workers gear up for the vaccination drive for children, at Thane district hospital (Express photo by Deepak Joshi)Covid-19 Omicron Cases and Deaths in India Highlights: To tackle a possible surge in COVID-19 cases, the Centre advised all states and Union territories to initiate the process of setting up makeshift hospitals and to constitute special teams to monitor patients in home isolation.
In a letter to all chief secretaries, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said it is imperative to re-emphasise the significance of timely and swift upgradation of health infrastructure in all states and UTs. “This becomes all the more important since with the sudden increase in cases, we may start seeing a stressed health infrastructure,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Haryana government closed cinema halls, sports complexes, swimming pools and entertainment parks in Gurugram, Faridabad and three other districts. Government and private offices will function with 50% staff attendance, the government said. The restrictions will remain in effect till January 12.
The sharp spike in Covid-19 cases across cities continued on Saturday, with 6,347 fresh cases being reported in Mumbai, 2,716 in Delhi, 2,398 in Kolkata, 810 in Bengaluru and 682 in Chennai. India’s Omicron tally on Saturday reached 1,431 even as the country reported 22,775 new coronavirus cases and 406 deaths, Union Health Ministry’s data updated till 8 am stated. Active caseload currently stands at 1,04,781 while recovery rate currently is 98.32%.
In another development, India on Saturday opened the registration for Covid-19 vaccines for children between the age of 15 to 18 years on the CoWin portal. “If the children are safe, then the future of the country is safe. I request the family members to register the eligible children for vaccination, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said.
A health worker administers a dose of Covid-19 vaccine to a beneficiary at a government hospital amid fear of spread of 'Omicron variant' in Bengaluru (PTI File Photo)
Officials are trying to contact at least 18 percent (Four lakh) of the eligible population who hasn't taken the second dose of Covid vaccine in Tripura, said Siddharth Shiv Jaiswal, Director of NHM. He said the government has set up 354 centres for vaccinating 2.13 lakh children aged 15-18 in the state.
Officials are trying to contact at least 18 percent (Four lakh) of the eligible population who hasn't taken the second dose of Covid vaccine in Tripura, said Siddharth Shiv Jaiswal, Director of NHM. He said the government has set up 354 centres for vaccinating 2.13 lakh children aged 15-18 in the state.
Goa's COVID-19 tally touched 1,81,182 on Saturday after 310 cases were detected, while the death toll remained unchanged at 3,522, an official said.
So far, 1,76,322 people have been discharged from hospitals, including 18 during the day, leaving the state with an active tally of 1,338, he said.
With 4,959 samples being examined in the last 24 hours, the number of tests in Goa went up to 16,31,100, he added. (PTI)
The national capital's South district has reported the highest number of Covid cases in a single day at 372 while the northeast district had the least at 52, according to official data shared on Saturday, as Delhi sees a major spurt in cases with each passing day.
Delhi has so far logged 351 cases of Omicron with it emerging as the dominant variant among samples being genome sequenced here. Out of the 11 districts of the national capital, barring one, all other areas have case figures in three digits.
In a massive surge, Delhi recorded 2,716 fresh Covid cases, the highest single-day rise since May 21, and one death while the positivity rate mounted to 3.64 per cent, according to data shared by the city's health department on Saturday.
The daily case count on Saturday breached the 2000-mark after a gap of over seven months.
This rise is the highest since May 21 when 3,009 cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 4.76 per cent, while 252 deaths were also reported on that day.
Out of 2,716 cases reported the previous day, only northeast district had a case count of less than 100.
South district had the highest number of cases at 372, followed by west (356), northwest (323) and southeast (314). Shahdara (104) and East districts (173) had cases below 200. Central had 278 cases, New Delhi (263), North (219), and Southwest (262) logged less than 300 cases in a single day. (PTI)
Haryana government closes cinema halls, sports complexes, swimming pools and entertainment parks in Gurugram, Faridabad and three other districts. Government and private offices will function with 50% staff attendance. Restrictions to remain in effect till January 12.
Gujarat on Saturday recorded 1,069 COVID-19 cases, the first time the daily addition crossed the 1000-mark since June 4 when the figure was 1,120, taking the state's tally to 8,32,801, an official said.
The death toll rose by one to touch 10,119, while the discharge of 103 persons took the recovery count to 8,18,755, leaving Gujarat with 3,297 active cases, including 11 critical patients, he said.
Of the new cases, Ahmedabad led with 559, followed by 164 in Surat, 67 in Vadodara, 61 in Rajkot, 39 each in Anand and Kheda, among other districts, the official informed.
The number of vaccine doses administered in the state stood at 8.95 crore as 1.52 lakh people got jabs during the day, a government release said. (PTI)
Himachal Pradesh on Saturday recorded 83 fresh COVID-19 cases that took its tally to 2,28,940, while one more fatality pushed the death toll to 3,860, a health official said.
The latest fatality was reported from Shimla, he said. The number of active COVID-19 cases in Himachal Pradesh climbed to 474 from 466 on Friday, the official said. (PTI)
At least 124 new cases of COVID-19 were detected in Madhya Pradesh, raising the tally of infections to 7,94,089 on Saturday, an official from the state health department said.
The count of recoveries rose to 7,83,059, after 34 people were discharged from hospitals, while the toll stood at 10,533, as no fresh casualties were reported during the day, the official said. The central state is now left with 497 active cases, he said.
With the addition of 61,440 samples tested during the day, the total number of tests conducted in the state went up to 2,37,53,449, the official added. (PTI)
Two more people have tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in West Bengal, taking the total number of cases in the state to 16, a senior health official said on Saturday.
One of the new patients came from Odisha while a local person tested positive for Omicron at the India-Bangladesh international border in Petrapole in North 24 Parganas district, he said.
"The person who came from Odisha, and the one who tested positive at Petrapole are undergoing treatment in Kolkata. The total number of cases has increased to 16," the official said. (PTI)
The Delhi government will provide free and personalised online yoga classes to COVID-19 patients in home isolation to boost their immunity, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Saturday.
This comes weeks after the Delhi government launched the 'Dilli Ki Yogshala' programme to help the city residents practise yoga regularly under the guidance of trained teachers. Sisodia said as soon as a COVID-19 case will be reported, the patient will receive an SMS from the Delhi government with a link to register for a yoga class. Each class will have about 25-35 people who will be taught by trained yoga instructors.
"The number of Covid patients is rising in Delhi, but they are mostly asymptomatic and are being advised to stay in home isolation. Along with medical treatment, we will help them boost their immunity through online yoga sessions," he said during an interaction with yoga instructors of 'Dilli Ki Yogshala'. (PTI)
Popular Tamil comedian Vadivelu was discharged on Saturday following complete recovery from COVID-19, a hospital here that treated him said.
Film actor Vadivelu recovered completely and his stay in the hospital was good and 'uneventful' with no setbacks, Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre said.
The actor was discharged on January 1 in good health, SRMC's medical director, Dr Suhas Prabhakar said in a press release.
The star entertainer, who was admitted on December 23, 2021 after he tested positive for the virus, 'is recovering well with treatment,' the hospital had said days ago. (PTI)
Bengali film director Srijit Mukherji tests positive for Covid-19. Taking to Twitter, he wrote, “I have tested positive for Covid and am isolating myself. For everyone who has come in contact with me in the last 72 hrs, please test yourself.”
Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh tested positive for Covid-19 Saturday. Taking to Twitter, he asked all those who came in contact with him to get tested.
“I have tested positive for Covid 19 today with mild symptoms. I have quarantined myself and taking all the necessary precautions and medication required. I would request those who came in contact with me to get themselves tested at the earliest,” the minister tweeted.
Meanwhile, Karnataka breached the thousand-mark in the single-day spike in cases as the state Saturday recorded 1,033 fresh Covid cases of which Bengaluru Urban reported 810 cases. Read more
Tamil Nadu continued to record an upward trend in new Covid-19 cases on Saturday with 1,489 infections and eight more deaths, pushing the numbers till date to 27,49,534 and 36,784 respectively, the Health Department said.
Recoveries were less than the new cases with 611 people getting discharged in the last 24 hours, aggregating to 27,04,410 leaving 8,340 active infections, a bulletin said here.
A total of 1,03,607 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, pushing the number of specimens examined to 5,75,47,850 so far.
Chennai and neighbouring Chengalpet saw bulk of new cases with 682 and 168 cases respectively, while the rest were spread across other districts.
As many as 17 districts reported new infections below 10, while Mayiladuthurai recorded nil new case, the bulletin said. (PTI)
Maharashtra reports 9,170 new cases, 1,445 recoveries and seven deaths today. Active cases are at 32,225. The state also reported six more Omicron cases, which took the state tally up to 460.
To tackle a possible surge in COVID-19 cases, the Centre advised all states and Union territories to initiate the process of setting up makeshift hospitals and to constitute special teams to monitor patients in home isolation.
In a letter to all chief secretaries, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said it is imperative to re-emphasise the significance of timely and swift upgradation of health infrastructure in all states and UTs. "This becomes all the more important since with the sudden increase in cases, we may start seeing a stressed health infrastructure," he said.
To address potential surge in cases with a view to ensure preparedness, the Centre has asked states to initiate creation of field or makeshift hospitals to augment availability of health infrastructure.
"This can be done with coordination with DRDO and CSIR as well as the private sector, corporations, NGOs, etc. This will aid the process of rapid creation of field hospitals or temporary hospital set-ups," Bhushan said.
The Centre also said that states may also consider leveraging hotel rooms and other accommodations linked with the COVID dedicated hospitals in government and private sector to cater to patients having mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19, as was also done in some states during the earlier surge in cases.
"A large number of positive cases may be eligible for home isolation. These cases would require effective follow up and a clearly defined mechanism for prompt shifting to a health facility in case of deterioration in their health situation," Bhushan said. (PTI)
West Bengal logged 4,512 fresh Covid-19 cases and nine more deaths on Saturday. Out of the new cases, 2,398 fresh infections were reported from Kolkata.
Amid a sharp spike in Covid-19 case in parts of West Bengal, especially in Kolkata, the state government on Saturday indefinitely put on hold its ‘Duare Sarkar’ (government at your doorstep) programme.
The government has also called off a programme at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, which was scheduled for January 3, during which student credit cards were to be distributed. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was scheduled to attend the event. Read more
Karnataka on Saturday breached the 1,000-mark in Covid cases, adding 1,033 new cases to the state’s overall infection count. Of them, 810 cases were reported from the capital city of Bengaluru. The state recorded also five new Covid deaths and 354 fresh recoveries.
Delhi reports 2,716 fresh Covid cases, 51% higher than yesterday's tally. The positivity rate has climbed up to 3.64%.
Mumbai reported 6,347 fresh Covid-19 cases, one death and 451 recoveries on Saturday. The city had recorded 5,631 infections on Friday. The city now has 22,334 active cases.
West Bengal Power Minister Aroop Biswas was hospitalised on Saturday after he tested positive for COVID-19, an official said. Biswas, who exhibited mild symptoms, tested positive for the infection and was admitted to a hospital in the southern part of Kolkata, he said.
"He has mild symptoms and he is being administered antibodies. His oxygen levels are being monitored, and it is yet to be decided whether to send his samples for genome sequencing," the official told PTI. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday sought people's cooperation to entirely eliminate the pandemic and informed that his government will soon roll-out a COVID-19 vaccination drive targetting the 15 - 18 years age group. Utilising the New Year's day to make a fervent appeal to the people of the State to resort to COVID appropriate behaviour and strictly adhere to the government instructions besides follow SOPs on preventing Coronavirus and its variants, the Chief Minister said his government's efforts were all oriented towards ensuring a safe and healthy life for the people.
“It is the expectation of all of us that this year 2022 be very good and in order to be good we should not forget past lessons,” Stalin said in a video message to the people. “We have recovered from the first and second wave of Coronavirus infection and in fact I took up the reins as Chief Minister and also the responsibility for your well-being when the pandemic was at its peak during the second wave,” the Chief Minister said. (PTI)
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday said whether further Covid-related restrictions need to be imposed in the national capital will be reviewed as hospital admissions are less, despite a rapid rise in coronavirus cases.
According to data shared by the health department on Friday, Delhi reported 1,796 coronavirus cases with a positivity rate of 2.44 per cent and zero death.
"The virus is spreading fast. But the good part is that there are no serious cases. Be it any variant, Omicron or Delta, the way it can be prevented and treated remains the same. People should step out whenever necessary and wear a mask," Jain told reporters. (PTI)
With Covid-19 cases on the rise, Calcutta High Court and district courts will function in virtual mode only from January 3, with certain exceptions.
More than 10 ministers and at least 20 MLAs in Maharashtra have tested positive for coronavirus so far, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Saturday and added that strict restrictions might be clamped if the new COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the state. Pawar's warning came a day after Maharashtra reported 8,067 fresh coronavirus positive cases, as much as 50 per cent more than Thursday.
"We cut short the Assembly session recently. So far, over 10 ministers and over 20 MLAs have tested positive for coronavirus. Everybody wants to be part of the celebrations of New Year, birthdays and other occasions. Keep in mind that the new variant (Omicron) spreads fast and hence caution is needed. PM Narendra Modi has appealed and some states have announced a night curfew. In Maharashtra, cases are increasing in Mumbai and Pune," he told reporters after visiting the Jaystambh military monument in Perne village on the occasion of the 204th anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima. (PTI)
Puducherry recorded 22 fresh cases of coronavirus during the last 24 hours ending 9 AM on Saturday taking the total positives to 1,29,500.
The 22 fresh cases identified at the end of examination of 2,086 samples were spread over Puducherry 12, Karaikal 8 and Mahe 2.
The active cases were 136 and of them 33 were in hospitals while remaining 103 in home isolation, Director of Health G Sriramulu said in a release.
No fresh fatality was reported in the last twenty-four hours in any of the four regions of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam and the toll remained 1,881.
The Department of Health has tested so far 20,50,045 samples and has found 17,39,022 out of them to be negative. (PTI)
India logged 22,775 fresh Covid-19 cases on Saturday, making it the highest single-day rise since October 6. The number of active cases has now risen to 1,04,781, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated till 8 am on Saturday. The country also recorded 406 more deaths due to Covid-19.
The 406 new fatalities include 353 from Kerala, 11 from Tamil Nadu and eight from Maharashtra. The death toll from the pandemic climbed to 4,81,080 with 406 new fatalities, the data stated.
The Centre also said that 161 new Omicron cases have been detected in India, taking the country’s tally up to 1,431. Of the 1,431 patients, 374 have either recuperated or migrated. Read more
India has supplied the next batch of humanitarian assistance consisting of 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin to Afghanistan. The MEA said that the consignment was handed over to the Indira Gandhi Hospital, Kabul.
Amid rising cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya visited the RT-PCR screening centre at the Ahmedabad international airport in Gujarat and interacted with passengers and officials. India has mandated additional measures, including testing, for the passengers arriving at airports from "at-risk" countries.
A facility has also been set up at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. As per the airport authorities, the facility with a waiting area sufficient for 220 passengers, 17 registration counters, eight sampling booths, including 120 RT-PCR machines, has been set up for such passengers.
In a video clip posted by Mandaviya, he is seen interacting with the waiting passengers and airport officials. "During my Gujarat visit, I took stock of the RT-PCR screening center at the Sardar Vallabh bhai Patel International Airport and interacted with the passengers," the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare tweeted on Friday night. (PTI)
Odisha reported 298 new COVID-19 cases On Saturday, the highest in more than a month, which took the tally to 10,55,132, the health department said in its bulletin. The toll rose to 8,462 as two men, aged 40 and 65, succumbed to the disease in Cuttack district.
Fifty-three other COVID-19 patients have died due to comorbidities in the past, the bulletin said. The state had logged 335 coronavirus cases on November 25 and the daily count did not exceed thereafter. (PTI)
Echoing the Health Ministry’s concerns, the latest report of the India Covid-19 tracker developed by the University of Cambridge and UK’s National Institute of Economic and Social Research, shows the growth rate of new cases is of significant concern in 15 states.
In an email interview with indianexpress.com, Professor Paul Kattuman, an economist and applied econometrician at Judge Business School, who worked on developing the India Covid-19 tracker, tells us that patterns in the data that suggest cases are now increasing super-exponentially and the brunt of the current wave fuelled by Omicron, which is more transmissible and has better immune-escape mechanisms, will fall on the older and the immunocompromised. Read full interview here
The cumulative number of Covid vaccine doses administered in the country so far has exceeded 145 crore.
Amid the new surge in Covid cases, the Centre has asked all states and union territories to set up round-the-clock Rapid Antigen Test booths at different locations, engage medical and paramedical staff, and encourage the use of home test kits for symptomatic individuals.
In a letter to all chief secretaries, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava said any individual having fever with/without cough, headache, sore throat, breathlessness, body ache, the recent loss of taste or smell, fatigue, and diarrhoea should be considered as a suspect case of COVID-19 unless proven otherwise. "All such individuals must be tested. While awaiting the test results, they should be advised to immediately isolate themselves and follow the home isolation guidelines of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare," the letter said.
More than 10 ministers and 20 MLAs in Maharashtra have tested positive for coronavirus so far, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said today, adding strict restrictions would be enforced if the Covid-19 cases continue to rise in the state. “
We cut short the assembly session recently. So far, over 10 ministers and over 20 MLAs have tested positive for coronavirus. Everybody wants to be part of the celebrations of New Year, birthdays and other occasions. Keep in mind that the new variant (Omicron) spreads fast and hence caution is needed,” he said. On the possibility of imposition of more curbs, Pawar said the state government is keeping a tab on the increasing number of patients. “If the number of patients continues to rise then there will be strict restrictions. To avoid strict restriction everybody should follow norms,” he said.
As India continued to report a Covid surge with 16,764 new cases in the last 24 hours, and an active caseload of 91,361, AIIMS chief Randeep Guleria told The Indian Express that the highly infectious Omicron variant mainly affects the upper respiratory tract and airways, rather than the lungs — and those without comorbidities should not panic and start blocking hospital beds.The focus, Guleria said, should be on effective home isolation since recovery time for the latest variant is much faster.
“Omicron is affecting the upper respiratory tract and more of the airways, rather than the lungs. That is why we see very fewer patients with a drop in oxygen saturation or the other severe symptoms we saw in Delta. What we are seeing here is more of fever, running nose, sore throat, and a lot of body ache and headache. If any of these symptoms persist, they should come forward and get themselves tested. Because then they can isolate themselves and prevent the infection from spreading to other people in the community,” he said.(Read more here)
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to review the state's preparedness amid a rise in COVID-19 cases, and said "concrete steps" will be taken next week to deal with the emerging situation. At the meeting, Soren directed officials to ensure that the 2.41 crore adult population of the state is vaccinated within January 15, and take steps to increase the daily testing from around 35,000 at present to a lakh.
"After conducting a review meeting again next week, assessing all the aspects of the increasing cases of corona infection, the state government will take concrete steps, as required," an official statement quoting the chief minister said.
India on Saturday opened the registration for covid-19 vaccines for children between the age of 15 to 18 years on the CoWin portal. “If the children are safe, then the future of the country is safe. I request the family members to register the eligible children for vaccination, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said.
With rapid rise in coronavirus cases in the national capital, the number of containment zones has also increased by more than eight times from the beginning of this month. Delhi has been battling a rise in Omicron cases and currently has 320 cases with experts warning that the numbers are expected to soar with each passing day. On December 1, when the national capital had logged 39 infections in a single day, the number of containment zones stood at 102.
Cut to December 30, the number of containment zones has increased to 823, while single-day infections have risen to 1,313. South district has the maximum number of active containment zones at 402, followed by west at 108 and New Delhi at 84 zones. Northeast district has zero active containment zones, with only 53 active cases. East district has six active containment zones, while the central district has 18 such zones.
West Bengal, which is witnessing a sudden spurt in Covid-19 cases from the beginning of this week, recorded 3,451 infections on Friday with Kolkata alone accounting for 1,954 or 56 per cent of these, a Health department bulletin said.
The state had recorded 2,128 Covid-19 cases on Thursday, with the metropolis accounting for 1,090 of that. While the state's fresh infections shot up by 62 per cent in the last 24 hours, the eastern metropolis's new Covid cases went up by 79 per cent. Compared to Wednesday the fresh infection numbers for Kolkata were almost four-times, alarming health administrators. The city had let down its guard in recent days with merry-makers thronging the streets and the city's clubs and restaurants on Christmas eve.
Delhi on Friday reported 1,796 fresh Covid-19 cases, and zero deaths, as the positivity rate also mounted to 2.44 per cent. This single-day rise is the highest since May 22 when 2,260 cases were logged with a positivity rate of 3.58 per cent. With the newly reported infections, the case tally rose to 14,48,211, while the toll stood at 25,107. The city had on Thursday recorded 1,313 fresh Covid cases with a positivity rate of 1.73 per cent.
Tamil Nadu Minister Ma Subramanian said the 76 cases of Omicron on Friday was an indication of community spread of the coronavirus strain in the State and that vaccination was the only solution to prevent its further spread. The Minister for Medical and Family Welfare, talking to reporters here, said 34 students, including 10 girls, have tested Covid-19 positive in Chennai and were under treatment at a Covid Care Centre.
"Today, we announced 76 new Omicron cases. This is an indication of the community spread of the virus. The satisfying news we receive is that those who are affected by Omicron have tested negative after four days of treatment and were discharged from hospitals after recovery," he said.
India’s Omicron tally on Saturday reached 1,431, with Maharashtra recording the highest cases at 454, followed by Delhi at 351, Tamil Nadu 118, Gujarat 115 and Kerala 109.
India on Saturday reported 22,775 new coronavirus cases and 406 deaths in the last 24 hours. Active caseload currently stands at 1,04,781 while recovery rate currently is 98.32%.
Several states across India reported a huge spike in Covid numbers on New Year's eve. While Maharashtra reported fresh 8,067 cases of Covid-19, West Bengal and New Delhi reported 3,451 and 1,796 cases respectively.
Delhi on Friday reported 1,796 fresh cases of Covid-19. The positivity rate in the city now stands at 2.44 per cent.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to review the state's preparedness amid a rise in COVID-19 cases, and said "concrete steps" will be taken next week to deal with the emerging situation.
According to PTI, Soren directed officials to ensure that the 2.41 crore adult population of the state is vaccinated within January 15, and take steps to increase the daily testing from around 35,000 at present to a lakh.
"After conducting a review meeting again next week, assessing all the aspects of the increasing cases of corona infection, the state government will take concrete steps, as required," an official statement quoting the chief minister said.
Mumbai's Juhu Beach wears a deserted look on New Year's eve as Mumbai Police imposed a curfew prohibiting entry to beaches, parks and other public places between 5 pm and 5 am till January 15 amid surge in Covid-19 cases.
Maharashtra on Friday reported 8,067 fresh Covid infections and eight deaths in the past 24 hours. Out of the cases reported, 4 were of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
Kerala on Friday logged 2,676 fresh COVID-19 infections and 353 deaths, which took the caseload to 52,35,348 and the fatalities to 47,794. Of the 353 deaths, 11 were recorded over the last few days and 342 designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court. (PTI)
On December 4, Maharashtra detected its first patient with new Covid variant B.1.1.529 or Omicron. In the last 26 days, the total number of Omicron cases, which is more transmissible than Delta, the dominant variants during the second wave, and also has a higher potential of immunity escape has surged up to 450 in the state as of December 30.
To add to the worry, nearly one-third of the samples have been detected with Omicron in Mumbai in the latest genome sequencing report, which indicated toward a possible community transmission, contributing in the doubling of Covid-19 cases within 24 hours. Here's a brief overview of the current understanding of the transmission of the Omicron variant.
Omicron has started replacing Delta variant in the country in terms of the number of Covid-19 cases and positive international travellers are almost 80 per cent Omicron now, news agency PTI reported citing official sources on Friday.
However, a third of all the detected cases were mildly symptomatic, and the rest were asymptomatic, they said. A total of 1,270 Omicron cases have been detected across 23 states and UTs so far, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Friday.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya says India has crossed the milestone of 145 crore Covid vaccinations.
"My gratitude to our doctors, scientists, healthcare & frontline workers for displaying immense grit, determination & resolve in the challenging 2021 year", he adds.
Entry of public to all beaches in the city, including Tannirbhavi, Surathkal and Panambur, has been prohibited after 7 PM on Friday in the wake of the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, news agency PTI reported.
In an order issued by Dakshina Kannada district administration, deputy commissioner K V Rajendra said any kind of New Year celebrations on beaches are not allowed after 7 PM. The celebrations are not permitted in public places also, the order said.
With daily COVID-19 cases doubling within one day, the West Bengal School Education Department has asked teachers and non-teaching staffers having cough, cold or mild fever to not attend schools till they test negative for the infection. The state registered more than 1,000 fresh cases on Wednesday after a gap of nearly six months. The daily count crossed 2,000 on Thursday. (PTI)
The Mumbai Police on Friday imposed a curfew prohibiting entry to beaches, grounds, promenades, parks and other similar public places in the city between 5 pm and 5 am till January 15 to prevent further spread of Covid-19 and its Omicron variant as the cases have seen a sudden spike in the city over the last couple of weeks. However, restaurants, gyms, spas, cinema halls and theatres have been allowed to continue operating at 50 per cent capacity. More details here.
Kerala on Friday recorded 44 fresh confirmed cases of Omicron variant of the coronavirus, taking total cases of the coronavirus variant to 107 in the state.
A 73-year-old man, who had tested positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19 earlier this month and had recovered from the disease, died Friday morning in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district, officials said. According to officials, the person, who was a retired nursing staff, died at the MBGH hospital in Udaipur. Read the full report here.
Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawala on Friday said the vaccines major has applied to Indian authorities for full market authorisation of Covishield, stating supplies of the Covid-19 vaccine have exceeded 125 crore doses.
SII had partnered with the developer of Covishield, AstraZeneca, for the supply of the vaccine to the Indian government, which had in January this year granted emergency use authorisation in the country.
According to PTI, in case of full market authorisation, the vaccines need to undergo the standard regulatory process for reviewing the quality, safety and effectiveness of medical products.
A group of teachers, educationists, epidemiologists and doctors have started a campaign titled ‘Chain-for-Children’s Cheer’ through a website for immediate resumption of all schools and related activities for children in order to stop harming their future and mental health in the upcoming year.
The campaign aims to create a consensus among the public, mostly parents, on Covid-19 restrictions being “hugely harmful” for their children. An excerpt from their statement reads, “The risk of Covid-19 among children is miniscule, far lesser than other risks we accept as a normal part of life. Thus, the disruptions to children’s lives are of no benefit to them and are hugely harmful. Each of us adults have enjoyed a normal childhood of learning, play, socialisation, arts and music and sports. Each child today deserves the same.”
Apart from immediate resumption of schools, the group also wants no disruptive social distancing, no emergency-use jabs and no asymptomatic Covid testing for kids. Read more.