15 to 18 year-old beneficiaries at Mumbai's BKC Jumbo Center get Covid vaccination. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)Covid-19 India Live News: Delhi on Tuesday decided to implement a weekend curfew in the national capital, following a meeting by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority. The seating capacity in the metro and buses was increased to 100 per cent to avoid crowding at stops and stations.
The Punjab government has imposed a night curfew in the state from 10 pm to 5 am, excluding essential services. All educational institutes shall remain closed, while online classes will continue. Among other restrictions, bars, cinemas halls, malls, restaurants and spas will be allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity, subject to staff being fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, as the world grapples with the highly mutated Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, scientists have identified a new strain of the Covid-19 causing virus in Southern France. Known as ‘IHU’, the B.1.640.2 variant has been reported by researchers at institute IHU Mediterranee Infection in at least 12 cases, and has been linked to travel to African country Cameroon. However, the researchers noted that it is too early to speculate on how this variant behaves as far as infection and protection from vaccines is concerned.
India recorded 37,379 fresh Covid-19 cases and 124 deaths in the 24 hours ending 9 am Tuesday. With 11,007 recoveries, the active cases in the country stood at 1,71,830. Meanwhile, the Omicron tally has touched 1,892, with the highest number of cases in Maharashtra (568).
Children getting vaccinated against coronavirus in Ahmedabad. (Express Photo by Nirmal Harindran)
Amid a surge in the number of Covid-19 infections, including high incidence of the Omicron variant, the Haryana government Tuesday restricted the attendance at government offices, boards and corporations to 50 per cent of the total strength. The rest of the employees will work from home, according to a government notification.
The fresh set of instructions were issued by the office of Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal. Read More
In view of the rise in coronavirus infections in Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday ordered a ban on rallies, processions and other kind of public events across the state, an official release said. Baghel also ordered a "night clamp-down" from 10 pm to 6 am in the districts where the case positivity rate is 4 per cent and above, it added.
The directives to district collectors and superintendents of police (SPs) were issued in the light of a sharp spike in Covid-19 cases in the last one week, the release said.
The state recorded 1,782 new cases of coronavirus in the last one week. On Monday alone, 698 fresh infections were reported. (PTI)
Kerala reported 3,640 new Covid-19 cases and 30 related deaths on Tuesday. The test positivity rate has jumped to 5.11 per cent. The state has an active caseload of 20,180 infections.
Meanwhile, as Covid cases are surging, the state government Tuesday decided to impose restrictions on the number of participants in public events. The number of participants in closed premises would be limited to 75, while the same for open spaces would be 150. The restrictions would be applicable to all events.
The decision was taken in a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan which observed that 80 per cent of the eligible population in Kerala have got the second dose of vaccine. The meeting also decided to strengthen the screening of passengers arriving at all airports.
As on January 3, Kerala has reported 181 Omicron variant cases.
As the world grapples with the highly mutated Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, scientists have identified a new strain of the Covid-19 causing virus in Southern France.
Known as ‘IHU’, the B.1.640.2 variant has been reported by researchers at institute IHU Mediterranee Infection in at least 12 cases, and has been linked to travel to African country Cameroon. Read More
More evidence is emerging that the Omicron coronavirus variant is affecting the upper respiratory tract, causing milder symptoms than previous variants, a World Health Organization official said on Tuesday.
"We are seeing more and more studies pointing out that Omicron is infecting the upper part of the body. Unlike the other ones, that could cause severe pneumonia," WHO Incident Manager Abdi Mahamud told Geneva-based journalists, saying it could be "good news". However, he added that Omicron's high transmissibility means it will become dominant within weeks in many places, posing a threat in countries where a high portion of the population remains unvaccinated.
His remarks on the reduced risks of severe disease chime with other data including a study from South Africa which was one of the first countries where Omicron was detected. However, Mahamud also sounded a note of caution, calling South Africa an "outlier" since it has a young population among other factors. (Reuters)
Karnataka reported 2,479 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday out of which 2,053 were in Bengaluru. The positivity rate shot up to 2.59 per cent. Four related deaths were also recorded in the past 24 hours.
Delhi on Tuesday reported 5,481 fresh Covid cases and three deaths with a test positivity rate of 8.37 per cent. Number of people on oxygen support rose from 124 to 168 in the past 24 hours. Those on ventilators also doubled to 14 in a day.
Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Tuesday insisted upon special measures for Bengaluru amid an alarming rise in Covid-19 cases in the city. Stating that the third wave of Covid-19 has set in, Sudhakar predicted that the state capital will be an epicentre of the latest outbreak.
"Taking special steps in Bengaluru has become very necessary. Bengaluru is an epicentre. It was an epicentre in the first wave and second wave. It will be the epicentre during the third wave as well," Sudhakar told reporters. Explaining the reasons behind taking special steps for Bengaluru, he said the city has an international airport where many people arrive from abroad. Hence, we need to take special measures, the minister added. (PTI)
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday said if the daily Covid-19 cases here cross the 20,000-mark, a lockdown will be imposed in the city as per the Union government's rules.
Talking to reporters at her office in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters, Pednekar suggested that citizens wear triple-layer masks while travelling in public buses and local trains. She also appealed to them to get vaccinated at the earliest and follow all Covid-19-related standard operating procedures. (PTI)
About 5,500 new Covid cases reported in Delhi on Tuesday, positivity rate close to 8.5 per cent, informed Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain.
More than 1 million people in the US were diagnosed with Covid-19 on Monday as a tsunami of omicron swamps every aspect of daily American life.
The highly mutated variant drove US cases to a record, the most — by a large margin — that any country has ever reported. Monday’s number is almost double the previous record of about 590,000 set just four days ago in the US, which itself was a doubling from the prior week.
It is also more than twice the case count seen anywhere else at any time since the pandemic began more than two years ago. Read more
A spate of new studies on lab animals and human tissues are providing the first indication of why the omicron variant causes milder disease than previous versions of the coronavirus.
In studies on mice and hamsters, omicron produced less-damaging infections, often limited largely to the upper airway: the nose, throat and windpipe. The variant did much less harm to the lungs, where previous variants would often cause scarring and serious breathing difficulty.
“It’s fair to say that the idea of a disease that manifests itself primarily in the upper respiratory system is emerging,” said Roland Eils, a computational biologist at the Berlin Institute of Health, who has studied how coronaviruses infect the airway. Read more
There is no proposal at present to put any restrictions on suburban train travel in Mumbai, a senior civic official has said amid the metropolis recording a surge in new coronavirus cases. Though the number of daily Covid-19 cases and positivity rate have been increasing in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is working on preventive measures and is ready to handle any crisis, Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani told reporters.
A total of 80 people, including doctors, students and support staff, of the Government Rajindra Hospital and Medical College in Punjab's Patiala have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Tuesday.
District Epidemiologist Dr Sumeet Singh on Tuesday said 22 resident doctors, 34 medical students, nine faculty members and 15 support and paramedical staff at the Government Rajindra Hospital and Medical College have tested positive for COVID-19.
The officials said directions have been issued to evacuate nearly 1,000 medical students from the hostel after conducting their Covid tests. Those who test positive for the viral disease will be isolated, they added. (PTI)
In view of the rising Covid cases in Punjab, the Chandigarh adiminstration has decided to close Rock Garden until further orders.
Dehli Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia stated that the seating cap in buses and metro will be increased to 100 per cent to avoid crowding at stops and stations. However, there will be no entry without masks. Earlier, the public transport in the national capital was functioning at 50 per cent capacity in light of rising Covid cases. Read more
As many as 33 Covid-positive cases have been reported in Lucknow's Medanta Hospital, including 32 hospital staff and an emergency doctor, ANI reported. Medanta Hospital Director Rakesh Kapoor said that all are asymptomatic. Other staff and doctors also being tested, while infected departments are being sanitised.
Former Union minister Babul Supriyo said he along with his wife, father and several members of his staff have tested positive for Covid-19.
"Me, my wife, Dad, multiple staff, hv all tested positive, but my concern is the superhigh Rs.61000/- price of the Cocktail jab that needs to be given SOS to seriously ill #COVID19 patients. Dad who is 84, needed the jab SOS & I hv to buy it on-the-spot. Hw can the EWS afford it? (sic)," he tweeted.
Cricketer Laxmi Ratan Shukla said on Tuesday that he has tested positive for Covid-19. Shukla, a former minister in the West Bengal government, said he was in home isolation.
"I have tested positive for Covid-19 and in home isolation. I have a high fever and I am following the doctor's advice. Other members of my family are fine," Shukla, the captain of the Bengal Ranji Trophy team, told PTI.
Amid a Covid-19 surge in the national capital, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has decided to impose to weekend curfew, starting from this week.
It has also decided to implement work-from-home in all government offices, barring essential services. Private offices will be allowed to function at 50 per cent capacity. Read more