India’s Omicron tally nears 1000; COVID-19 surge recorded in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai

Amid the current surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, the fears regarding the third wave of the pandemic hitting India are intensifying as the total number of Omicron cases in the country is nearing 1000, as per the latest statement of the Union Health Ministry.

According to the latest data released by the Health Ministry, a total of 961 cases of the Omicron variant have been recorded in India, out of which 320 patients have recovered. The highest number of cases of the new variant has been recorded in Delhi and Maharashtra.

This data was announced by Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry on Thursday, during a media briefing. Quoting the World Health Organisation, the ministry further said that the Omicron variant has a growth advantage over Delta, with the doubling time of 2-3 days.

The Centre further announced that a notable surge in the number of COVID-19 cases has been witnessed in cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurugram, Thane, Pune, and the Mumbai Suburban area over the past few days.

The Health Minister also said that a weekly positivity rate of over 10 percent is being noted from a total of eight states, including 6 districts from Mizoram, one from Arunachal Pradesh, Kolkata in West Bengal. A positivity rate of 5 to 10 percent has been recorded in as many as 14 districts across India.

The Centre also said that India has logged more than 10,000 COVID-19 cases in a single day after a month. The central government has also advised states to impose CrPC Section 144 in areas where the COVID-19 cases are high.

Many states have started imposing stricter restrictions in their jurisdictions in view of the COVID-19 surge and the New Year celebrations. Night curfews have been imposed in many states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Gujarat, and others.