An elderly recieve Covid vaccine at a center in Belapur Gaon in Navi Mumbai. (Express photo: Narendra Vaskar)Covid-19 Omicron Cases and Deaths in India Today Live: 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.
Earlier today, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Friday said that India has crossed the milestone of 145 crore Covid vaccinations. “My gratitude to our doctors, scientists, healthcare and frontline workers for displaying immense grit, determination & resolve in the challenging 2021 year,” he said in a tweet.
India witnessed the highest single-day rise of 309 cases of the Omicron variant of the Covid-19, taking the country’s tally of such cases to 1,270, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday. It also recorded 16,764 fresh Covid-19 cases and 220 more fatalities due to the viral disease.
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)
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.
The Haryana administration has announced a night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am, with immediate effect, to prevent gatherings for New Year in view of the ongoing Omicron spread. "As per the govt's order, there will be a night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am, and hence people will not be allowed to roam outside except in essential services. We request people to follow the guidelines and celebrate the New Year at their homes," Gurugram ACP Preet Pal said.
Senior doctors in Delhi on Thursday warned that though the data collected so far suggests that the Omicron variant of coronavirus causes mild infection, there is a need to remain watchful as a community spread can still strain hospitals.
The elderly and those having comorbidities are at serious risk, they said. Earlier in the day, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said Omicron is gradually spreading in the community and the new, fast-spreading variant of concern has been found in 54 per cent of the latest samples analysed in the national capital.
He also said that the variant will only spread further in the coming days. Dr Piyush Jain, Medicine Department, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, said, "Data from some foreign countries shows that the Omicron variant causes mild infection in most of the cases. But we do not have the data from India yet." (PTI)
India saw the highest single-day rise of 309 cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, taking the country's tally of such cases to 1,270, the Union health ministry said on Friday.
It also recorded 16,764 fresh Covid-19 cases and 220 more fatalities due to the viral disease. Of the 1,270 patients infected with the Omicron variant of the virus, 374 have either recuperated or migrated, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. Of the 23 states and Union territories that have recorded Omicron cases so far, Maharashtra has registered the highest number of 450, followed by Delhi (320), Kerala (109) and Gujarat (97).
The daily rise in the number of coronavirus cases crossed the 16,000 mark after 64 days, taking the country's COVID-19 tally to 3,48,38,804, while the number of active cases of the infection has gone up to 91,361, according to the data. (PTI)
Bihar is the latest state to report its first case of the new variant of coronavirus on Friday.