Outstation passengers arriving in Mumbai are tested at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus on Tuesday afternoon. Coronavirus Omicron LIVE News: Maharashtra was among several states which reported a sharp spike in Covid-19 cases on Wednesday. Delhi reported 923 fresh cases, which marked a steep rise from the 496 detected a day earlier. The positivity rate also jumped up to 1.29%. Among other cities, Mumbai registered a huge spike, recording 2,510 cases. Moreover, 400 infections were detected in Bengaluru, 540 in Kolkata and 294 in Chennai.
Meanwhile, Indian SARS-COV-2 Genomics Consortia INSACOG said that there is now clear experimental and clinical data supporting very high immune escape potential of Omicron, but initial estimates show the severity of illness being lower than what was seen in previous outbreaks, the said in its latest bulletin citing global data.
In India, appropriate public health measures and investigations are being conducted for surveillance of Omicron, INSACOG said while noting that globally there appears to be significantly reduced ability of vaccines or prior infection to protect against symptomatic infection by the Omicron variant. “While Delta continues to be the most prevalent VOC globally, the Omicron variant has completely displaced it in southern Africa and is on track to become the dominant variant in UK and elsewhere, “INSACOG said in its bulletin released on Wednesday.
The genomic consortium, citing global data, said there is now clear experimental and clinical data supporting very high immune escape potential of Omicron, which appears to be the major component of its growth advantage over Delta.
Meanwhile, as per the Union Health Ministry data obtained till 8 am on Wednesday, the country reported 9,195 new Covid-19 cases. India’s active caseload has risen to 77,002, the data showed.
Crowded Central line platform at Dadar Station on Tuesday evening.(Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Punjab has reported its first Omicron case with a 36-year-old man, who came from Spain earlier this month, testing positive for the new variant of coronavirus. Meanwhile, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister O P Soni said the current Covid situation in the state does not warrant a night curfew.
A health official said the man, who arrived in India from Spain on December 4, visited his relatives in Nawanshahr in Punjab. The man tested negative for coronavirus upon his arrival. However, he tested positive on December 12, he said. He was then admitted to a hospital and his samples were sent for genome sequencing at a facility set up at the Government Medical College, Patiala, the official added.
"The genome sequencing report declaring him positive for the Omicron variant came on December 28," said Dr Rajiv Bhaskar, state nodal officer for COVID-19. (PTI)
A 32-year-old woman from Nikol in Ahmedabad allegedly travelled to New Zealand on December 23 with her four-year-old daughter after the child tested positive for Covid-19.
According to police, an FIR has been lodged at Nikol police station against Hiralben Dungrani, a resident of Vishwa Residency in Nikol of Ahmedabad. Police said that Dungrani’s daughter tested positive on December 23 and the duo flew to New Zealand the same night.
According to police, the incident came to light on December 24 morning when health officials of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) reached Dungrani’s residence for inspection. Read more
The number of COVID-19 cases nearly doubled in Haryana during the 24-hour period, with Gurgaon seeing a huge spike of 151 infections out of the total 217 cases reported in the state on Wednesday. The state, however, reported no fresh Covid-related death. The state's infection tally stands at 7,73,061.
According to the health department's daily bulletin, the death toll remained unchanged at 10,063. No fresh Omicron case was reported in the state, it said. On Tuesday, out of 126 new infections in the state, Gurgaon district had reported 76. Gurgaon, which falls in the National Capital Region, has witnessed a surge in Covid cases over the past one week. (PTI)
Passengers arriving in Mumbai from the United Arab Emirates will have to undergo an RT-PCR test, depending on which a decision would be taken for 7-day home quarantine, the metropolis' civic body said on Wednesday.
The decision was taken after Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner IS Chahal chaired a virtual meeting with civic officials, deans and medical superintendents of hospitals. This online interaction took place after Chahal held a meeting with Maharashtra tourism and environment minister Aaditya Thackeray earlier in the day, a civic release said.
On December 24, the civic administration had made RT-PCR tests mandatory for passengers landing here from Dubai, which has now been extended to the entire UAE, it said. Chahal has also asked officials to make separate arrangements of 500 beds each at NESCO and BKC Jumbo COVID-19 centres to quarantine international travelers who have no symptoms and do not need medical treatment, it said, adding that travelers ready to pay will be permitted to stay in the hotels.
"At the airport, regular RT-PCR tests should be performed on patients found to be infected with COVID-19 in the rapid test. If the test is negative, then segregation should be done as per prevailing rules. If the test is positive then the decision should be taken for isolation or hospitalization as per the prevailing rules. Samples of regular RT-PCR tests should be sent for genome sequencing," the release informed. (PTI)
The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday that he's worried about the omicron and delta variants of COVID-19 combining to produce a “tsunami” of cases, but said he's still hopeful that the world will put the worst of the pandemic behind it in 2022.
Two years after the coronavirus first emerged, top officials with the U.N. health agency cautioned that it's still too early to be reassured by initial data suggesting that omicron, the latest variant, leads to milder disease. First reported last month in southern Africa, it is already the dominant variant in the United States and parts of Europe.
And after 92 of the WHO's 194 member countries missed a target to vaccinate 40% of their populations by the end of this year, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged everyone to make a “new year's resolution" to get behind a campaign to vaccinate 70% of countries' populations by the beginning of July.
According to WHO's figures, the number of COVID-19 cases recorded worldwide increased by 11% last week compared with the previous week, with nearly 4.99 million newly reported from Dec. 20-26. New cases in Europe — which accounted for more than half of the total — were up 3% while those in the Americas rose 39% and there was a 7% increase in Africa. The global gain followed a gradual increase since October.
“I'm highly concerned that omicron, being more transmissible (and) circulating at the same time as delta, is leading to a tsunami of cases,” Tedros said at an online news conference. That, he said, will put “immense pressure on exhausted health workers and health systems of the brink of collapse.”
WHO said in its weekly epidemiological report that the “overall risk” related to omicron “remains very high.” It cited “consistent evidence” that it has a growth advantage over the delta variant. (AP)
Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar says five new Omicron cases have been detected in the state. All the patients have been isolated and their primary and secondary contacts tested.
Maharashtra reported 3,900 fresh Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, marking a steep rise from the 2,172 infections detected in the state a day earlier.
Out of the fresh cases, 2,510 were from Mumbai, which is also a big jump from the 1,333 infections reported a day ago. The city also recorded one death due to Covid-19. There are 8,060 active Covid-19 cases in Mumbai now. Read more
About 38 per cent of the total samples analysed at various genome sequencing laboratories in Delhi in the past one week have been detected with Omicron variant of Covid, according to officials documents, as the cases of the new variant saw a record spike in this period in the national capital.
The documents shared by official sources also showed that of the 468 samples analysed during December 21-28, the Delta variant of coronavirus was detected in 31 per cent of these samples, and the rest constituted other variants.
These samples were analysed at labs at NCDC, ILBS and LNJP Hospital, the sources said. A senior official in the South East district administration said that out of 14 Omicron cases, seven did not have any travel history.
The official also claimed that the new variant has been "spreading in the community", even as he didn't divulge any further details. (PTI)
Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in Goa, the government on Wednesday issued an order allowing casinos to operate with 50 per cent capacity with entry restricted to people who are fully vaccinated or those carrying a negative RT-PCR test report and put similar curbs and conditions at some other establishments, including cinema halls and entertainment parks.
Goa has seen a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases over the last couple of days with 170 infections being reported on Wednesday. State Revenue Secretary Sanjay Kumar in the order stated that casinos, cinema halls, auditoriums, community halls, river cruises, water parks and entertainment parks cannot operate beyond 50 per cent of the seating capacity.
Only people who are fully vaccinated and possess a certificate of both doses with 15 days gap since the administration of the second dose will be allowed to enter casinos, the order stated. If not a vaccination certificate, people should furnish a negative RT-PCR test report not older than 24 hours from the time of entry, it said.
The order further directed spas, massage parlours, restaurants, pubs, bar halls, auditoriums, gyms, marriage venues, cinema halls, river cruises, water parks and entertainment parks, among others, to adhere to all COVID-19 safety protocols, including use of masks, hand sanitisers and thermal screening. (PTI)
India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed the 143-crore mark with more than 57 lakh vaccine doses have been administered till 7 pm today: Government of India (ANI)
Tamil Nadu reported 728 fresh cases on Wednesday. Out of these, 294 new infections were detected in Chennai.
West Bengal on Wednesday reported 1,089 fresh cases and 12 deaths. Among the fresh cases, 540 are from Kolkata.
Delhi reported 923 fresh cases on Wednesday, which marks a steep rise from the 496 reported a day earlier. The positivity rate is now at 1.29%.
Rajasthan reported 131 fresh Covid-19 cases on Wednesday. This is the first time in almost six months that the state reported a single-day spike of more than 100 cases. Moreover, 23 new Omicron cases have been detected in the state.
Karnataka reports 566 new Covid cases, out of which 400 are from Bengaluru.
The DDMA on Wednesday decided that Covid-related restrictions imposed in Delhi under the 'yellow alert' will continue for the time being and authorities will monitor the situation for a while before deciding on fresh curbs, official sources said.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Lt Governor Anil Baijal, who is also the chairperson of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority. It was attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and experts. The DDMA on Tuesday declared a 'yellow alert' under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the city amid a spike in coronavirus cases following the emergence of the virus' Omicron variant.
The 'yellow alert' entails restrictions like night curfew, closure of schools and colleges, opening of shops selling non-essential items on an odd-even basis, halved seating capacity in Metro trains and buses, among other things. The DDMA has decided that curbs imposed under the 'yellow alert' will continue in the national capital for now, the sources said. (PTI)
Mumbai recorded 2,510 Covid cases on Wednesday, a steep rise from 1,333 infections reported a day ago. The city also recorded one death.
The World Health Organization says the number of COVID-19 cases recorded worldwide increased by 11% last week compared with the previous week, with the biggest increase in the Americas. The gain followed a gradual increase since October.
The U.N. health agency said in its weekly epidemiological report released late Tuesday that there were nearly 4.99 million newly reported cases around the world from December 20-26. Europe accounted for more than half the total, with 2.84 million, though that amounted to only a 3% increase over the previous week.
It also had the highest infection rate of any region, with 304.6 new cases per 100,000 residents. WHO said that new cases in the Americas were up 39% to nearly 1.48 million, and the region had the second-highest infection rate with 144.4 new cases per 100,000 residents. The U.S. alone saw more than 1.18 million cases, a 34% increase. (PTI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the coronavirus pandemic cannot be controlled until the masses become aware and follow the guidelines issued by the government. He also appealed to those in the 15-18 age group to get themselves vaccinated at the earliest when their turn begins from January 3.
Addressing a gathering through video conferencing after dedicating and laying foundation stones for various developmental works worth around Rs 50 crore in his Lok Sabha constituency of Gandhinagar, Shah also asked the administration to remain alert about the rising cases of coronavirus.
"Coronavirus is once again rising after changing form. This time, all of us, be it municipal corporations, municipalities, district panchayats or state governments, will have to remain alert," the Union Home Minister said. (PTI)
Producer Rhea Kapoor on Wednesday said she and her filmmaker husband Karan Boolani have tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently under isolation. Rhea, the daughter of Bollywood veteran Anil Kapoor, took to Instagram and wrote that she contracted the virus despite being extremely careful.
Rhea, who is in her 30s, said she and her husband are taking prescribed medications and wondered how their private health could be anyone's source for gossip.
"Yes I'm positive for covid inspite of being super careful. But this is the nature of the pandemic. Not sure why my or anyone's private health information is news or gossip. "This information should be only for government and medical bodies so they can do their job and not on gossip sites. It's invasive and weird. My husband and I are isolating and taking all prescribed medications and precautions," Rhea wrote. (PTI)