Omicron Variant Cases and Deaths in India, Covid-19 Booster Vaccine Registration Latest Update: India recorded 90,928 new cases, while the active cases increased to 2,85,401 according to the data updated at 8 am. The death toll climbed to 4,82,876 with 325 more fatalities, the data showed.
India Omicron Cases Today
India on Thursday saw the biggest single-day jump of 495 Omicron cases, taking the total number of infections of the new variant of coronavirus to 2,630, according to Union health ministry data.
Of the total cases, Maharashtra has the maximum at 797, followed by Delhi at 465, Rajasthan 236, Kerala 234, Karnataka 226, Gujarat 204 and Tamil Nadu 121.
ALSO READ — Omicron surge could differ per country, says WHO
Amitabh Bachchan says he is dealing with ‘domestic COVID situations’
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has informed that he is dealing with some “domestic COVID situations” and said he will connect with his fans later.
Amitabh Bachchan, who regularly updates his fans about his personal and professional life through his blog, wrote a cryptic one-line text on the platform on Tuesday. “Dealing with some domestic COVID situations .. will connect later,” the 79-year-old actor, who got fully vaccinated in May 2021, wrote.
Watch out this space for latest news related to Covid-19 and Omicron variant from India and around the globe:
Bihar reported a single day spike of 43 per cent in coronavirus infections on Thursday as 2,379 people were detected with the virus in the last 24 hours. Two Covid patients, both women, also died at AIIMS, Patna where 22 persons, afflicted by the corona virus, are still admitted, the hospital said in a statement. (PTI)
#covid19 | West Bengal reports 15,421 new cases, 7,343 recoveries and, 19 deaths today. Active cases 41,101 (+8,059) (ANI)
autam Buddh Nagar on Thursday logged 600 new COVID-19 infections that pushed the number of active cases in the district to 1,706, the highest in Uttar Pradesh, official data showed. Gautam Buddh Nagar's tally of active cases is followed by Ghaziabad (1,180) and Lucknow (1,153), with the three being the only districts in the state to have more than 1,000 active cases, the statistics showed. So far Gautam Buddh Nagar has recorded 468 deaths due to the pandemic. (PTI)
With a steep rise in coronavirus cases, the Food and Supply Department has decided to deploy volunteers to ensure health guidelines are followed by beneficiaries and the staff at all fair price shops in Delhi, an official statement said. These instructions were issued by Food and Supply Minister Imran Hussain after a high-level meeting of the department with other stakeholders of the public distribution system on Thursday. (PTI)
COVID19 | Assam reports 844 new cases, 2 deaths, & 132 recoveries today; Active cases at 2,689. Positivity rate at 2.37%
Odisha Thursday reported for the first time the death of a person infected by Omicron and the authorities have said it is yet to be ascertained whether she died due to the coronavirus variant. The 45-year-old woman, a resident of Agalpur in Bolangir district who had tested positive for coronavirus, had died on December 27 last year in a Sambalpur hospital and her genome sequencing report was made available on Wednesday, Bolangir chief district medical officer (CDMO) Snehalata Sahoo said. She had no travel history to any country. (PTI)
The COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh rose to 7,96,396 on Thursday with detection of 1,033 new cases, nearly a two-fold rise from a day ago, while the death toll remained static at 10,535, an official said. The recovery count stood at 7,83,386 after 102 people were discharged from hospitals during the day, leaving the state with an active tally of 2,475, he said. No death linked to COVID-19 was reported in the state in the last 24 hours, the official said. (PTI)
Himachal Pradesh saw its biggest single-day jump in the infection in the last several weeks on Thursday, recording 498 fresh COVID-19 cases that pushed the state's virus count to 2,30,285, a health official said. The death toll from the pandemic remained unchanged at 3,863 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported in the state on Thursday. The number of active COVID-19 cases in the state climbed to 1,655 from 1,216 on Wednesday, the official said. (PTI)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday hit out at anti-vaccine groups who spread “mumbo jumbo” on social media but ruled out the UK following some European countries in making COVID-19 vaccination a mandatory legal requirement. Speaking during a visit to a vaccination centre in Northampton in eastern England, Johnson said the UK will maintain a “voluntary approach” to its vaccination programme as opposed to “coercion”. However, he condemned anti-vaxxers for spreading complete nonsense and urged people to take up their booster doses to protect against the surging Omicron variant. (AP)
Delhi Health Minister Sayendar Jain on Thursday said the COVID-19 situation in the city does not warrant a lockdown yet, even as the national capital added over 15,000 new cases and the positivity rate mounted to 15.34 per cent. He, however, said the city has not reported any death due to the Omicron variant so far. Delhi has logged 29 deaths due to the disease since it reported the first case of the new variant on December 5. (PTI)
India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage crosses 149.57 crores with more than 85 lakh vaccine doses administered till 7 pm today: Government of India (ANI)
COVID19 | Chandigarh reports 331 new cases & 17 recoveries today; positivity rate at 7.61% & active cases at 979. 14,490 children in the 15-18 age group vaccinated today: UT Administration (ANI)
Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla reviewed the COVID-19 situation in Delhi and adjoining areas at a meeting on Thursday amid a rising number of cases of the infection in the national capital, officials said. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, senior officials of the Delhi government, health experts, officials from Gurugram and Faridabad in Haryana and Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh attended the hour-long meeting. The home secretary took stock of the Covid situation in Delhi-NCR, the availability of hospital beds, oxygen and other infrastructure, an official said. (PTI)
The government is much better prepared to deal with the rising coronavirus cases and if required, the country can meet demand of 19,000 metric tonnes (MT) of oxygen per day, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Secretary Anurag Jain said on Thursday. He also said the Omicron variant is unlikely to have much impact on the country's economic growth. Asked about the possible impact of Omicron on the economy and industry, Jain said: “We are much better prepared this time….we do not expect much problem on the economic front.” (PTI)
Uttarakhand on Thursday reported 630 Covid cases, the highest single-day rise in seven months, and three deaths due to the pandemic. As many as 892 cases were reported in Uttarakhand on June 4, 2021. Dehradun district led the Thursday tally with 268 cases, followed by Haridwar with 119, Nainital 85, Pauri with 72 and Udham Singh Nagar with 35 cases, the Covid control room here said. (PTI)
Gujarat recorded 4,213 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, taking its tally to 8,44,856, while one patient succumbed to the infection in the state, the Health Department said. The COVID-19 toll rose to 10,127 with one more death reported during the day (in Tapi district), said a release by the health department. As many as 1,835 new COVID-19 infections emerged in Ahmedabad city alone, followed by 1,105 in Surat city, 183 in Rajkot city and 112 in Anand district, it said. (PTI)
Uttar Pradesh recorded 3,121 fresh COVID-19 cases and one death due to the infection in the last 24 hours, officials said on Thursday. The new fatality, reported from Meerut, raised the death toll from the pandemic to 22,917 in the state. The patient was suffering from several serious ailments and was admitted to hospital. During investigation, it was found that he was also infected with COVID-19, Additional Chief Secretary (Health)Amit Mohan Prasad said. Prasad, however, did not clarify whether or not the patient was infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. (PTI)
Palamu Superintendent of Police Chandan Kumar Sinha on Thursday warned his unvaccinated or partially vaccinated subordinates to either get both doses of the COVID vaccine or their salaries will be withheld. The instruction was issued by the Jharkhand police officer in view of an increase in COVID-19 cases. “Police personnel will have to keep themselves protected in view of a possible third wave of the pandemic so that they can discharge their duties smoothly. Laxity is not permissible in police service,” Sinha said. (PTI)
Austria's government announced new measures Thursday to slow down the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant in the Alpine country. “We have to adjust to a new situation with omicron, we have to adjust to the fact that the infection numbers will increase quickly,” Chancellor Karl Nehammer told reporters in Vienna. (AP)
Nearly 56,000 teenagers in Delhi belonging to the 15-17 age group received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose on Thursday, according to official figures. The drive was started at 169 centres in the national capital on Monday. (PTI)
COVID19 | Maharashtra reports 36,265 new cases, 13 deaths and, 8,907 discharges today. State reports 79 Omicron cases today, taking the tally to 876 including 381 recoveries; Active cases rise to 1,14,847 (ANI)
With over 5,000 daily cases, Karnataka continued to witness a surge in numbers on Thursday, but reported only one death, taking the count to 30,22,603 and the fatalities toll to 38,358. The State has been witnessing a steady surge since last week and reported 5,031 fresh cases today, compared to 4,246 on Wednesday. Of the new cases, 4,324 were from Bengaluru Urban that saw 172 being discharged and one death. The total number of active cases is now at 22,173. (PTI)
Bengal logs 15,421 new COVID-19 cases, 1,399 more than previous day; 19 fresh fatalities: Health Dept (PTI)
Congress MP from Patiala Preneet Kaur tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday. “I have tested positive for Covid-19 today. I'm feeling fine, but I request everyone who came in contact with me in the last few days to get themselves tested,” the former minister of state for external affairs said in a tweet. Kaur is wife of former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh. (PTI)
Mumbai reports 20,181 new COVID-19 cases, fresh all-time one-day high, taking tally to 8,53,809, while 4 more deaths push toll to 16,388 with: BMC. (PTI)
The Delta and Omicron variants of the coronavirus were spreading like a 'tsunami' wave in Tamil Nadu, State Minister for Medical and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian said on Thursday and appealed to people to adhere to Covid-19 protocols besides getting vaccinated to contain the spread. The comment comes in the wake of the state registering a massive spurt in new Covid-19 infections over the last few days. Talking to reporters here, along with Minister for Higher Education K Ponmudi, Subramanian said both Omicron and Delta variants were spreading like a 'tsunami' in Tamil Nadu and the government has set up nearly 30 Corona Care Centres in Chennai alone to cater to those infected. (PTI)
Pakistan on Thursday ruled out lockdown despite the Omicron-led daily number of new infections crossing 1,000 for the first time in about three months. Planning Minister Asad Umar, the chief of National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), told the media the anti-coronavirus body was keeping a close eye on the pandemic situation. “At this time there is no plan of (imposing) lockdowns. We are looking at (Covid) numbers very closely as we shared today what has happened in the rest of the world and what is starting to happen in Pakistan,” Umar told Geo News. (PTI)
With plans to relax COVID restrictions at places with less positivity rate, the Karnataka government is likely to review the containment measures announced by it effective across the state, next week, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said on Thursday. At the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai today, some Ministers expressed reservation about enforcing restrictions across the state, especially in places where the positivity rate is low. “We have issued the COVID protocol to be followed till January 19. In today's cabinet meeting some Ministers questioned the need for it to be implemented across the state, especially in places where there are less infection and low positivity rate,” Madhuswamy said. (PTI)
With the rise in #covid19 & #omicron cases, Odisha govt has issued a new guideline. Night curfew will be imposed from 9pm to 5am, starting tomorrow. A total of 100 guests allowed in weddings & 50 at funerals: S.K. Priyadarsi, Police Commissioner, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack (ANI)
COVID-19 | Tamil Nadu reports 6,983 new cases, 721 recoveries and 11 deaths. Active cases 22,828 (ANI)
COVID-19 | Gujarat reports 4,213 new cases, 860 recoveries and 1 death. Active cases 14,000+ (ANI)
Mumbai's Dharavi reports 107 new COVID19 infections, the highest ever spike in a day; Case tally at 7,626: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (ANI)
Portugal's government announced Thursday new incentives for people to get COVID-19 booster shots and said new rules will require people to isolate only if they live with someone who tests positive. People who had a booster jab two weeks previously will from next Monday no longer need to show a negative coronavirus test result to attend events and enter places where it otherwise would be required, Prime Minister Ant�nio Costa said. Also, anyone who has had a booster shot will be exempt from isolating, unless they live with an infected person. That means about 270,000 people of the around 400,000 currently in isolation will be allowed out, Costa said. (PTI)
Nagaland's COVID-19 tally increased to 32,247 on Thursday as 31 people tested positive for the infection, 25 more than the previous day and the highest this year, a health official said. The state's coronavirus death toll increased to 703 as a positive patient succumbed to the disease in Dimapur district. The state did not have any fatality for 11 days till Wednesday, he said. Nagaland now has 82 active COVID-19 cases, while 30,382 people have recovered from the disease, including five in the last 24 hours, the official said. (PTI)
Amid the sudden spike in the number of COVID-19 cases, the Supreme Court on Thursday decided to hear all matters in virtual mode from Friday. According to a circular issued by the apex court administration, with effect from January 7, the benches will sit at the residential offices. “Only extremely urgent 'mentioned' matters, fresh matters, bail matters, matters involving stay, detention matters and fixed date matters will be listed before the courts w.e.f (with effect from) January 10, 2022 till further orders,” the circular said. It said transfer petitions will be listed before the regular benches, instead of single judge bench, till further orders. (PTI)
Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Thursday dismissed as 'totally false' a message doing rounds on the social media, claiming that there would be a 'complete lockdown' in the entire Union Territory from January 7 to 10. In a release, the Lt Governor said she has asked the District Collector to probe into it for follow up action. She said the message is being spread in her name which is 'totally false' and clarified that neither she nor her office has anything to do with it. (PTI)
Faced with delay in procuring genome sequencing reports owing to the absence of necessary equipment, the Jharkhand government has urged the Centre to link its sample collection centres and diagnostic laboratories with medical institutes that provide quick results, a top official said on Thursday. Currently, samples are sent to Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) in Bhubaneswar, and reports take 40-45 days to arrive from there. The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday said Jharkhand was emerging as a state of concern along with Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat. (PTI)
Twenty two students from the prestigious XLRI-School of Management here have been tested positive for the Covid-19 infection, while test reports for another 100 are still awaited, the college authorities said on Thursday said. Worried about an alarming spike in coronavirus infections in the steel city of Jamshedpur, XLRI in collaboration with East Singhbhum District Administration, had conducted random tests on resident students. (PTI)
Goa reported 971 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, taking the overall tally to 1,84,766, while the case positivity rate rose to more than 20 per cent, an official said. Two more patients succumbed to the infection in the state, pushing the death toll to 3,528, as per a bulletin issued by the state health department. After 971 new COVID-19 infections were recorded in the last 24 hours, the state's cumulative tally increased to 1,84,766, it said. (PTI)
COVID19 | 379 new COVID19 cases were reported in the state on 5th January; Active caseload stands at 5,785: Bihar government (ANI)
South star Ajith Kumar's much-awaited action drama “Valimai” has been pushed from its release date of January 13 due to rise in COVID cases across the country, makers announced on Thursday. The Tamil film is the latest movie to postpone its release after Shahid Kapoor starrer “Jersey”, SS Rajamouli's “RRR” and “Radhe Shyam”, featuring Prabhas. Producer Boney Kapoor, who has backed “Valimai”, took to Twitter and posted a statement announcing that the film was pushed as the safety of the viewers was of utmost importance. (PTI)
At least 538 fresh cases of coronavirus were detected in Maharashtra's Nashik district, raising the tally of infections to 4,15,801 on Thursday, an official said. As many as 130 patients were discharged from hospitals, while two dies of the infection during the day, taking the count of recoveries to 4,05,171 and toll to 8,763, he said. (PTI)
The Aam Aadmi Party has decided to cancel its rallies in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh in view of spurt in coronavirus cases, senior party leader Sanjay Singh said on Thursday. The party will instead hold virtual rallies in the state, he said. “All rallies of AAP in Uttar Pradesh have been cancelled. I will talk to you at the 'Kejriwal Guarantee' public meeting to be held in Varanasi on January 8 through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube,” the AAP MP tweeted in Hindi. (PTI)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday urged people to abide by the COVID-19 protocol and restrictions imposed by the state government to check the surge in the contagion and cautioned that the administration will opt for stricter norms if the rise in the pandemic is not controlled. She asked the administration to make RT-PCR tests mandatory at the inter-state borders and directed the police to take stricter measures to handle those who are not following the COVID-19 protocol. (PTI)
The Centre on Thursday told all states and UTs that the same COVID-19 vaccine which was administered as first two doses would be given as a precaution dose to healthcare and frontline workers, besides the elderly suffering from co-morbidities, whose inoculation would begin from January 10. Private hospitals that function as Covid vaccination centres can vaccinate their staff (doctors, paramedics etc) at the hospital itself, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a letter to states and union territories. They may choose to bear the cost and provide the precaution dose free of cost to their staff, who are eligible and due, or they may provide the vaccination and charge for it. (PTI)
Despite an alarming rise in COVID-19 infections, the number of hospitalized patients is still low in Maharashtra, health minister Rajesh Tope said on Thursday. The state government has not yet considered shutting down local trains in Mumbai and imposing inter-district travel restrictions, he told reporters here. While discussions were held about imposing weekend lockdown and night curfew, no decision has been taken in that regard too, he added. (PTI)
The Centre on Thursday told all states and UTs that the same COVID-19 vaccine which was administered as first two doses would be given as a precaution dose to healthcare and frontline workers, besides the elderly suffering from co-morbidities, whose inoculation would begin from January 10. Private hospitals that function as Covid vaccination centres can vaccinate their staff (doctors, paramedics etc) at the hospital itself, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a letter to states and union territories. They may choose to bear the cost and provide the precaution dose free of cost to their staff, who are eligible and due, or they may provide the vaccination and charge for it. (PTI)
COVID-19 | 349 new cases- 202 from Jammu and 147 from Kashmir, and 116 recoveries reported in Jammu & Kashmir. Active cases in the UT are 2049 (ANI)
