Coronavirus Vaccine Registration, Coronavirus Omicron Variant Cases in India January 13 Live Updates: India reported 2,47,417 fresh Coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, the highest in 236 days, taking its overall tally of Covid-19 cases to 3,63,17,927, which includes 5,488 cases of the Omicron variant, according to data from the Union Health Ministry on Thursday. The country witnessed 620 new Omicron cases, the highest so far, taking the total tally of such cases to 5,488, out of which 2,162 people have recovered or migrated so far. The active number of active cases in the country has increased to 11,17,531, the highest in 216 days, while the death toll has climbed to 4,85,035 with 380 fresh fatalities, the Health Ministry said. Maharashtra recorded the maximum number of 1,367 cases of Omicron variant followed by Rajasthan at 792, Delhi 549, Kerala 486 and Karnataka 479, as reported by PTI.
Spike in fresh Coronavirus infections continues in India with eight major states reporting high positivity rates and a sharp rise in daily caseload. The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday said Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Gujarat are emerging as states of concern due to the significant rise in new Covid-19 cases there. As many as 300 districts in the country are reporting weekly Covid case positivity of more than 5%, compared to 78 in the previous week. Though hospitalization is low so far despite Omicron surge, the Health Ministry said Coronavirus infections are spreading very fast and it urged people not to treat infection due to Omicron variant as the common cold and get vaccinated.
ALSO READ — 7-day home quarantine mandatory for all international arrivals
According to data, nearly 2 lakh fresh Coronavirus infections were reported from across the country on Wednesday, a big jump compared to the past few days. After dipping in Delhi and Mumbai, the daily case count has risen again on Wednesday. At 27,561, Delhi on Wednesday witnessed its second-highest single-day rise in new Covid-19 cases. Mumbai, too, reported a 40% spike in daily numbers. These numbers indicate it is still premature to read much into the recent slowdown in these cities. The sharp rise in Covid-19 deaths in the country is another concern.
Watch out this space for news related to Covid-19 and Omicron variant from India and around the globe:
Karnataka CM Basavaraja Bommai urges LoP Siddaramaiah and State Congress chief DK Shivakumar to call off Mekedatu Padayatra in view of rising COVID cases: CMO (ANI)
Over 3 crore youngsters between the 15-18 age group have received 1st dose of the COVID19 vaccine: Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (ANI)
Odisha recorded 10,059 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, as the biggest single-day spike in over seven months pushed the tally to 11.02 lakh, a Health Department bulletin said. The death toll also mounted to 8,472 with three more fatalities — one each in Angul, Kendrapara and Nayagarh districts, it said. Odisha had reported 11,623 coronavirus cases on May 26 last year, and 8,778 new infections on Wednesday. The positivity rate increased to 12.41 per cent from 11.77 the previous day. (PTI)
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge tests positive for COVID-19; “He is asymptomatic & is under home isolation. He is fully vaccinated but was not yet eligible for his precaution dose,” his office says in a statement
The Delhi government has directed its officials to open temporary vaccination centres for children in the age group 15-18 years in its 20 schools where health clinics are operational. The vaccination drive for children in the age group began on January 3. “All DDEs (Distts.) and DDEs (Zones) are hereby directed to open temporary vaccination centres for students in age group of 15-18 years in the 20 schools wherein School Health Clinics are operational,” Directorate of Education (DoE) said in an official order. (PTI)
Canadian truckers will remain exempted from COVID-19 vaccine requirements at the international border, but unvaccinated drivers from the United States will be turned back starting Jan. 15, a spokesperson at the Canada Border Services Agency said on Wednesday. Canadian truck drivers arriving at the international border will also remain exempt from pre-arrival, arrival and post-arrival testing and quarantine requirements, Rebecca Purdy, the agency's spokesperson, said. (Reuters)
South Korea will begin treating coronavirus patients with Pfizer's antiviral pills on Friday, health officials said, as concern mounts over the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant. At least 21,000 of the pills, called Paxlovid, will arrive on Thursday and be sent out to some 280 pharmacies and 90 residential treatment centres, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The medication will be used to treat more than 1,000 people a day, with priority groups including patients with a high chance of developing critical symptoms, those aged 65 or older and those with reduced immunity, the KDCA said. (Reuters)
Uttarakhand: 30 BSF personnel, deployed on election duty in Kotdwar Assembly constituency, have tested positive for COVID-19 and have been quarantined, says Kotdwar Circle Officer (ANI)
Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi has been hospitalised after he tested positive for COVID-19, an official said on Thursday. Mukhi tested positive for the infection on Wednesday. “The governor was admitted at the Apollo Hospital in the city last evening. He is in a stable condition,” the official said. (PTI)
Singer Lata Mangeshkar is still in the ICU ward but there has been a slight improvement in her health: Dr Pratit Samdani
India's daily Covid-19 deaths rise by 380 – health ministry (Reuters)
The India Open tournament has been rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic with as many as seven Indian players withdrawing from the event after testing positive for the dreaded virus, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on Thursday. “The players returned a positive result to a mandatory RT-PCR test conducted on Tuesday. Doubles partners deemed close contact of the seven players have also been withdrawn from the tournament,” the world governing body said in a statement. “The players will not be replaced in the main draw and their opponents will be given a walkover to the next round.” The BWF announced the news in the wee hours on Thursday but didn't reveal the names of the seven players. (PTI)
There is a shortage of Covaxin in Maharashtra. We're getting calls from district authorities in this regard. In the VC with Union health minister, we demanded 50 lakh doses of Covishield & 40 lakh doses of Covaxin to ramp up vaccination: State Health Minister Rajesh Tope (12.01)
India reports 2,47,417 fresh COVID cases (27% higher than yesterday) and 84,825 recoveries in the last 24 hours
Active case: 11,17,531
Daily positivity rate: 13.11%
Confirmed cases of Omicron: 5,488 (ANI)
India's daily Covid-19 cases rise by 247,417 – Govt statement (Reuters)
Maharashtra: Amid an increase in Covid cases, Pune district administration has issued an order to restart Shivaneri Jumbo Covid Care Centre & Avsari Covid Care Centre from today (ANI)
Maharashtra is expected to see a spike in hospitalisation of COVID-19 patients this month-end or in the first week of February, according to the state health department. The state cabinet expressed concern after the health department made this projection during a presentation before it on Wednesday, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said. The daily requirement of medical oxygen in the state has witnessed a rise, it said, adding that the present demand is 400 metric tonnes. “If the oxygen demand rises to 700 metric tonnes, then stricter curbs will be required. Considering this fact, the district administrations should expedite vaccination and take necessary steps,” Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said during the meeting. (PTI)
India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage crossed 154.50 crore on Wednesday with more than 66 lakh vaccine doses being administered till 7 pm, the Union Health Ministry said. More than 26,19,670 precaution doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to healthcare workers, frontline workers and those aged 60 and above with comorbidities since January 10. Also, 2,96,94,734 first doses have been given to beneficiaries in the 15-18 years age group so far. As many as 66,77,685 doses were administered by 7 pm on Wednesday. The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports by late night. The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 last year with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated in the first phase. The vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started from February 2 last year.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday urged pilgrims visiting Gangasagar Mela to strictly follow COVID-19 guidelines and asked the Mela (Religious gathering) committee not to allow too many people to Sagar Island for the annual fair. She requested pilgrims not to overcrowd vehicles in trying to reach Sagar Islands in South 24 Parganas district, to wear double masks and cooperate with the administration, and seek the police's help if needed. “I will request them (Gangasagar Mela committee) not to send too many people to Gangasagar Mela. “Restrictions have been imposed by the Calcutta High Court and we must follow them diligently,” Banerjee said while inaugurating the fair at Outram Ghat here on Wednesday. – PTI
Aurangabad, Nanded and Latur districts of Marathwada region in Maharashtra reported more than 400 coronavirus positive cases each on Wednesday, officials said. At 22, the lowest number of new cases were recorded in Hingoli district of the region that comprises total eight districts, they said. Aurangabad logged 484 new cases as compared to 349 on Tuesday. Of the fresh cases, 410 are from the city and 74 from rural parts the district. There are 1,839 active cases in Aurangabad, an official said.
Aurangabad, Nanded and Latur districts of Marathwada region in Maharashtra reported more than 400 coronavirus positive cases each on Wednesday, officials said. At 22, the lowest number of new cases were recorded in Hingoli district of the region that comprises total eight districts, they said. Aurangabad logged 484 new cases as compared to 349 on Tuesday. Of the fresh cases, 410 are from the city and 74 from rural parts the district. There are 1,839 active cases in Aurangabad, an official said.
Renewed mobility restrictions arising from localised lockdowns to contain the Omicron variant-led third – PTIwave of the pandemic might pare as much 10 per cent off the rental revenue of mall owners during the current financial year as compared with the earlier expectations, according to a report. However, the credit profiles of mall owners will be able to absorb the shock given the relatively faster recovery seen among those afflicted, compared with the earlier waves, Crisil said in a report on Wednesday. It also warned that losses may be higher if the intensity of the third wave is more than anticipated now. The impact of new restrictions on malls for the top-eight cities is expected to last only four-five weeks compared to the median closure of seven-eight weeks in the second wave and 13-14 weeks during the first wave. – PTI
Mumbai reports 16,420 new COVID-19 cases, about 41 per cent more than Tuesday; death count grows by seven: BMC. PTI
Delhi logs 27,561 Covid cases, second-highest daily rise so far, and 40 deaths; positivity rate 26.22 per cent: Health Bulletin. PTI
Gautam Buddh Nagar's nodal officer for COVID-19 Narendra Bhooshan on Wednesday directed officials to ensure 24-hour telephonic consultation facility for patients with doctors, amid a spurt in cases in the district. The senior IAS officer also called for providing at least two medicine kits to each of the monitoring committees that have been activated at sector and village levels in the district, according to an official statement. – PTI
Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday witnessed a 50 percent jump in daily COVID-19 with 1,695 people confirming positive for the disease on Wednesday, raising the tally to 3,48,201, official said. The union territory also reported one fresh death due to the virus in the past 24 hours, they said. Of the fresh cases, 812 were recorded from the Jammu division and 883 from the Kashmir division, the officials said. They said Jammu district recorded the highest of 438 cases, followed by 320 cases in Srinagar district. There are 6,242 Covid active cases in the union territory. The number of recovered patients was 3,37,412, the officials said. The death toll rose to 4,547 as one fresh fatality was reported in the past 24 hours, they said. PTI
Spain's medical community has scored a victory after a court ordered that a regional government must compensate doctors with up to 49,000 euros (USD 56,000) for having to work without personal protection suits during the devastating early months of the pandemic. The lawsuit brought by a doctor's union is the first of its kind to be won in Spain, whose health care system was pushed to the brink when COVID-19 first struck. – AP
As local authorities impose restrictions in view of Omicron, industry bodies have asked the government to link restrictions to hospitalisation and not the overall case count. India Inc is worried about the impact the restrictions, ranging from asking employees of private offices to work from home to shutting down cinema halls and dining at restaurants, will have on the fragile recovery that the economy had seen in the recent months. FICCI President Sanjiv Mehta on January 10 wrote to Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya seeking a reduction in-home quarantine period to 5 days, booster dose for the entire population and opening vaccination for children above 12 years of age. “Mobility restrictions based on the total number of cases and/or positivity rates is unwarranted. Any decision in this regard must be based on occupancy of hospital beds, especially critical care beds, and other factors like oxygen consumption,” he wrote. – PTI
The Directorate of Education (DoE) on Wednesday directed its officials to take various measures to ramp up COVID-19 vaccination of children in the age group of 15-17. “All DDE (Districts) and DDE (Zones) will visit vaccination centres under their jurisdiction and check the vaccination procedures on a daily basis. Further, they will visit schools to check the record that is being maintained with the principals wherein the students are informed about vaccination schedule,” the DoE said in an official order. – PTI
Sikkim on Wednesday reported 322 fresh Covid-19 cases, an increase of 124 per cent in a single day, pushing the tally to 33,351, according to a health department bulletin. The small Himalayan state had registered 198 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, 86 more than the previous day's count. The number of active cases also jumped to 796 on Wednesday from 494 on Tuesday, the bulletin said. It said that 31,747 Covid patients have recovered from the disease while 398 others have migrated out. The death toll remained unchanged at 410 with no fatality due to Covid-19 being reported in the state in the last 24 hours. – PTI
As many as 300 districts in India are reporting weekly Covid case positivity of more than 5 per cent, the Union government said on Wednesday as it urged people not to treat infection due to Omicron variant as common cold and get vaccinated. It said Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Gujarat are emerging as states of concern due to the rise in Covid cases there. Addressing a press conference, Joint Secretary in Health Ministry Lav Agarwal said a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections has been noted in India with the case positivity climbing to 11.05 per cent on Wednesday from 1.1 per cent on December 30. – PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated 11 government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu and said the future will belong to societies that invest in healthcare. After virtually inaugurating the medical institutions, Modi said the covid-19 pandemic has reaffirmed the importance of the health sector and listed out the various health and medical education related initiatives of his government. “The once in a lifetime covid-19 pandemic has reaffirmed the importance of the health sector. The future will belong to societies which invest in health care. The government of India has brought many reforms in the health sector,” he said in his virtual address. – PTI
The surge of Covid-19 cases continued as Andhra Pradesh added 3,205 afresh on Wednesday, taking the active caseload up to 10,119. In 24 hours ending 9 am on Wednesday, 281 infected people got cured but no fresh deaths were reported in the state, the latest bulletin said. The gross Covid-19 positives now stood at 20,87,879. The total recoveries touched 20,63,255 and deaths 14,505, the bulletin said. The number of active cases shot up by 2,924 in 24 hours. Visakhapatnam district registered 695 fresh cases, followed by Chittoor with 607. East Godavari added 274, Srikakulam 268, Guntur 224, Krishna 217, Vizianagaram 212, SPS Nellore 203, Anantapuramu 160 and Kurnool 123 new infections. Prakasam and West Godavari districts logged 90 each while Kadapa reported 42 new cases in 24 hours. – PTI
Bengali film superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee on Wednesday said he tested positive for COVID-19 and was undergoing home isolation. Sources in the health department stated that several actors and technicians here have contracted the disease. Chatterjee had complained of uneasiness, following which his samples were examined and the disease detected, they added. Taking to Twitter, the 59-year-old actor said, “Unfortunately, I have tested positive for COVID-19. After consulting with my doctor, I'm currently in home isolation and hoping for a speedy recovery.” PTI
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologizes for attending garden party during coronavirus lockdown. – AP
Emerging states of concern (reporting surge in COVID cases) are Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Gujarat: Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry (ANI)
The Delhi Disaster management Authority (DDMA) on Wednesday clarified that the e-passes issued for movement connected to “essential goods and services” or “exempted category”, shall be valid during the entire duration of imposition of weekend and night curfew in view of surge in COVID-19 cases. “As per the previous orders, movement of the individuals for the activities specified as 'Essential goods and Services' or 'Exempted category' as prescribed in DDMA order have been allowed for movement during night curfew and weekend curfew with the possession of e-pass (in soft or hard copy) only,” DDMA said in an official order. (PTI)
The number of new coronavirus infections in the last week jumped by about 55%, although the number of deaths remained stable, the World Health Organization said in its latest pandemic report. In the weekly report issued Tuesday night, the U.N. health agency said there were about 15 million new COVID-19 cases last week and more than 43,000 deaths. Every world region reported a rise in COVID-19 cases except for Africa, where officials saw an 11% drop. Last week, WHO noted a pandemic record high of 9.5 million new infections in a single week, calling it a 'tsunami' of disease. (AP)
The Biden administration announced on Wednesday a new set of measures to keep schools open, including increasing access to COVID-19 tests, as the highly contagious Omicron variant spreads rapidly through the United States. The United States reported 1.35 million new coronavirus infections on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, the highest daily total for any country in the world. Omicron was estimated to account for 98.3% of total new coronavirus cases circulating in the country as of Jan. 8, the CDC said Tuesday. (Reuters)
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday inspected the COVID-19 war room, 108 emergency control centre in Tamil Nadu and praised the local administration for doing 'great work' in controlling the spread of the pandemic. The minister, who is on a brief visit to the state for the scheduled inauguration of 11 new medical colleges in Tamil Nadu by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inspected the medical infrastructure set up by the health department in the city. (PTI)
Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary on Wednesday, vowed to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with renewed vigour, days after advocating the suspension of political programmes and religious meetings for two months. The Diamond Harbour MP said unique initiatives and strict measures would be taken in his constituency to control the spread of the disease, beginning with a thrust on sample examination. “On Swami Vivekananda ji's birth anniversary, with renewed energy, Diamond Harbour PC aims to fight #covid19 by implementing unique initiatives & strict measures. 30,000 COVID tests to be done today!” Banerjee tweeted. (PTI)
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a meeting over COVID situation with Regional Director of Directorate General of Health Services, National Centre for Disease Control officers, Dy Director DCGI, Regional Head of ICMR & FSSAI in Chennai (ANI)
Ahmedabad district in Gujarat has reported 21.5 per cent COVID-19 positivity rate as compared to the state's average of around eight per cent, as per the district-wise test figures released on Wednesday. Besides, the positivity rate in Surat is over 11 per cent, also higher than the state's average. A total of 93,758 tests were carried out in Gujarat on Tuesday, out of which 7,476 (or 7.9 per cent) were found positive for the coronavirus infection, according to the statistics updated on the state's COVID-19 dashboard. In Ahmedabad district, 13,485 tests were conducted on Tuesday and 2,903 (21.5 per cent) of them came out positive, as per the state health department. (PTI)
18 people including staff, faculty & students of IIT, Jammu test positive for COVID-19. IIT to conduct online classes, faculty to work from home: IIT, Jammu administration (ANI)
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain announced that the city government's online yoga classes for coronavirus patients in home isolation kicked off on Wednesday. The city had 74,881 active coronavirus cases of which 50,796 were in home isolation on Tuesday. “Delhi govt kicks off the first session of the yoga classes that was facilitated for the corona positive patient's in home isolation. This is a brilliant initiative undertaken by Delhi govt to keep the people engaged in physical activities while they are in isolation,” Jain said on Twitter. (PTI)
A whopping 1,700 Delhi Police personnel have tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection since January 1, officials said on Wednesday, adding that a special camp has been organised for police headquarters staffers to administer booster doses to the eligible beneficiaries. A total of 1,700 personnel of the force have tested positive for the infection from January 1 to January 12. All of them are doing fine and are under quarantine. They will be joining duty after recovery,” a senior police officer said. The strength of the Delhi Police force is over 80,000, police said. (PTI)
In view of the celebration of Bhogali Bihu, Assam government relaxes night curfew timings. The night curfew timings will be from 11 pm to 4 am instead of 10 pm to 6 am on January 13. (ANI)
Coronavirus Omicron Live News: Covid-19 Vaccine India Latest Update, Booster Shot Vaccine Registration Live Update, Third Wave in India, Coronavirus Cases and Deaths in India, Vaccination Live Updates
