Covid live updates: A health worker collects swab sample of an outstation passenger for Covid test as cases of 'Omicron' variant rise in India, at Bandra Terminus railway station in Mumbai, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. (PTI)Coronavirus Live News: The country has so far reported 213 cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Maharashtra on Tuesday recorded 11 new infections of the Omicron variant which took the tally of such cases in the state to 54. Omicron cases in the capital have increased to 57. Delhi and Maharashtra continue to contribute the highest number of new Omicron cases to the country’s total caseload.
Meanwhile, India recorded 6,317 new cases of Covid-19 and 318 deaths in the last 24 hours. The country’s active caseload presently stands at 78,190, the lowest in 575 days.
Warning that the Omicron variant of Covid-19 is “at least three times more transmissible” than the Delta variant, the Centre on Tuesday directed states to impose strict restrictions in districts reporting high positivity rate, including imposition of night curfew, strict regulation of large gatherings and containment measures.
A BMC health worker collects swab sample of an outstation passenger for COVID-19 test, at Dadar railway station. (PTI)
Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday reported its second positive case of Omicron variant of COVID-19 after the samples of a 39-year-old woman who recently arrived from Kenya, confirmed it, the state health department said. The woman who landed at Chennai airport on December 10 and travelled to Tirupati by road is healthy and in institutional quarantine under close observation of the health department officials, the official twitter handle of ArogyaAndhra said. (PTI)
Drawing lessons from the pandemic-induced crisis of medical oxygen in the country, the government on Wednesday launched a programme to train healthcare workers on its efficient management to ensure its rational use and avoid any wastage. Launching the National Oxygen Stewardship Programme at the AIIMS here, Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said the country witnessed an increased demand for medical oxygen during the COVID-19 pandemic, hence its rational use has become mandatory and need of the hour. (PTI)
Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, Niti Aayog on booster dose: "Health Minister has said in the parliament, the need, the timing, and the nature of boosting if any will be based on the scientific decision, thinking." (ANI)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said a large population of the country is still not vaccinated against COVID-19, noting that only 42 percent of the population will be vaccinated by December end against the required rate of 60 percent to prevent the third wave of coronavirus. He also asked the government to provide booster shots. Sharing data about vaccinations, Gandhi there is a daily shortfall of 55.3 million doses (one million is equal to 10 lakh). "Majority of our population is still not vaccinated. When will GOI begin booster shots? #VaccinateIndia," he said on Twitter. (PTI)
As new coronavirus cases continue to rise rapidly in many parts of the world, pharmaceutical major AstraZeneca said it had begun work on developing an Omicron-specific vaccine.
“Together with Oxford University, we have taken preliminary steps in producing an Omicron variant vaccine, in case it is needed and will be informed by emerging data,” the company said in a statement. Read more.
Maharashtra schools may shut down once again if Omicron cases continue to rise, School Education minister Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad said.
"We are monitoring the situation," Gaikwad said.
Gurgaon Tuesday became the first district in Haryana to inoculate 100 percent of its eligible population with both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. The district health department officials said that against an eligible population of 18,03,655, the district had administered a total of 41,28,596 doses – 23, 19, 720 for first dose (a coverage of 128.6 percent, also including people who came from outside the district) and 18,08,876 for the second dose (100.3 percent).
According to data from the district health department, till December 20, a total of 88,815 health care workers and 95,416 frontline workers had been vaccinated.
In the age bracket 18-44 years, a total of 28,54,294 doses – 16,40,210 first and 12,14,084 second – have been administered. For people between 45-59 years of age, 6,90,642 doses have been administered, and a total of 3,99,429 doses have been administered for people above the age of 60. Read more.
Pune saw a sharp rise in the number of new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, reporting 202 infections compared to 93 on the previous day, according to the latest data published by the Health Department of Pune Zila Parishad. One person died due to the virus in Pune rural, taking the total number of deaths due to the virus in the district to 19,224 with 892 being out-of-district deaths.
There was an increase in the number of recovered patients at 228, which was higher than Monday’s 151 recoveries. Read more.
India reported 6,317 new coronavirus cases and 318 deaths in the last 24 hours. The total number of Omicron cases has risen to 213, the Union Ministry of Health and Welfare said on Wednesday.