Coronavirus Vaccine Registration, Coronavirus Omicron Variant Cases in India January 12 Live Update: India reported 1,94,720 fresh coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, taking its overall tally of Covid-19 cases to 3,60,70,510 which includes 4,868 cases of Omicron variant, according to data from the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday. The number of active Covid-19 cases surged to 9,55,319, the highest in 211 days, while the Covid-19 death toll climbed to 4,84,655 with 442 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am said. Of the total 4,868 cases of Omicron variant, 1,805 have recovered or migrated so far. Maharashtra reported the highest number of 1,281 cases followed by Rajasthan at 645, Delhi 546, Karnataka 479 and Kerala 350.
As the Covid surge, led by the contagious Omicron variant, continues in India, the number of active cases in the country nears the 10-lakh mark. Amid the spurt in fresh Coronavirus infections, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday held a meeting with leaders of the Indian Medical Association and senior doctors across the country on COVID-19 management. “Discussed with 120 expert doctors from across the country regarding the current COVID-19 situation through VC. Listened to their suggestions and gave related instructions. “I believe that we all will work together to fight against Corona,” he said in a tweet in Hindi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also likely to hold a meeting with state chief ministers tomorrow (Thursday) on the Covid-19 situation in the country.
ALSO READ — 7-day home quarantine mandatory for all international arrivals
India on Tuesday reported a slightly less number of new Coronavirus infections. Since the emergence of Omicron, the country has been witnessing a sharp spike in new Covid-19 cases. Maharashtra, Delhi, and Mumbai are the worst affected regions.
Meanwhile, several states have imposed strict restrictions in order to check the Covid-19 spread. The Karnataka government has extended the stringent measures imposed to contain the surging Covid-19 cases in the state till January 31 morning. Delhi government has asked all private offices to close, barring the ones in the exempted category, and to encourage work from home. Amid the Covid-19 surge, the Gujarat government puts a cap on attendees at weddings and other events.
Watch out this space for news related to Covid-19 and Omicron variant from India and around the globe:
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)
Veteran actor Dharmendra on Wednesday said he took the Covid-19 precaution dose and also urged others eligible to go for it. In a Twitter post, the 86-year-old star shared a 35 second-long video clip in which he can be seen receiving a booster shot from a team of doctors at his residence. “Taking the booster and everyone must take it. It didn't hurt. But do continue to wear masks. Thank you to all the doctors,” he said in the video. “Friends, humble request please take the booster dose,” he captioned the clip. (PTI)
A 37-year-old pregnant woman and four other passengers tested positive for coronavirus at the Indore airport on Wednesday following which they were prevented from boarding the Air India's Dubai-bound flight, an official said. The woman, who was from Bhopal and six months' pregnant, had not taken a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while the other four infected passengers were inoculated, Dr Priyanka Kourav, medical officer of the Madhya Pradesh health department, told PTI. “Every passenger boarding the weekly Indore-Dubai flight has to undergo a rapid RT-PCR test at the airport. On Wednesday, 76 passengers were tested and the results of two women, two men and a 17-year-old boy came out positive,” she said. (PTI)
Puducherry confirmed 893 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the cumulative figure to 1,32,759 during the last twenty-four hours ending 10 a.m. on Wednesday. One person succumbed to the infection in Puducherry during last twenty-four hours raising the toll to 1,883. The new cases were identified at the end of examination of 4,387 samples and these cases were spread over Puducherry 801, Karaikal 60, Mahe 22 and Yanam 10. (PTI)
Hiring more staff, expanding capacity and opening walk-in centres are some of the steps laboratories are taking to cope with the twin imperatives of increased tests and timely results as Covid cases spike sharply in the country. As India copes with an Omicron driven explosion in numbers, the spotlight is on laboratories that are pulling out all the stops to ensure they are able to conduct the maximum number of tests, deliver results on time and also keep their own staff safe from the contagion. The pressure has been building by the day with increasing numbers of people showing Covid symptoms booking tests to rule out or confirm the infection and many others needing a negative test to travel, attend office or enter restricted venues. There is also the added pressure of those needing non-Covid tests. “The surge has been sudden. The graph has been too vertical and we weren't expecting such a severe surge,” Dr Dangs Lab CEO Arjun Dang said in the national capital. He said the company has invested a lot in the last six months in its molecular biology lab. (PTI)
French Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Wednesday it was too early to say if the current, Omicron-fuelled wave of the new coronavirus had peaked in the country, which is currently reporting record numbers of daily new cases. “We still need a bit of time to work out whether or not we are near a current COVID peak, ” Veran told France info radio, adding that the more dangerous Delta variant was declining in France. French health authorities on Tuesday reported 368,149 new coronavirus cases, the highest single-day tally of the pandemic. And the seven-day moving average of new cases, which smoothes out reporting irregularities, rose to a record level of 283,394. (Reuters)
Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel on Wednesday said that he has tested positive for COVID-19 with mild symptoms and has isolated himself at home. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator also appealed to those who have come in contact with him to get tested. (PTI)
Former Punjab CM Captain Amrinder Singh tests positive for COVID19 'with mild symptoms' (ANI)
Jharkhand reported 4,719 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, 237 more than the previous day, a health bulletin said. The state reported 4,482 cases on Tuesday, it said. Ranchi reported the highest number of new cases at 1,592, followed by East Singhbhum (1,160), Hazaribag (265), Deoghar (232) and Bokaro (189). The toll rose to 5,176 as four more persons died. All of the deaths were reported from the East Singhbhum district. (PTI)
Germany reported 80,430 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, the highest recorded in a single day since the pandemic began, as the contagious Omicron variant rips through a population with lower vaccination rates than some other parts of Europe. The previous daily record, on Nov. 26, was more than 76,000. Germany's tally of infections now stands at 7,661,811. The death toll also rose by 384 on Wednesday to reach 114,735. Just under 75% of the population has had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the latest figures from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious disease show. (Reuters)
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Wednesday said the numbers of COVID-19 cases and its fast spreading variant Omircon were slowing coming down in the city, and appealed to citizens to get vaccinated against the viral infection. In a recorded video message issued by the mayor's office, Pednekar said out of those who died due to COVID-19 so far since February 2021, 94 per cent people were unvaccinated. The Maharashtra capital on Tuesday reported 11,647 new COVID-19 cases, a drop of 2,001 from the previous day and fourth straight day of downward trend, taking the tally to 9,39,867, while two more patients succumbed to the infection, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. (PTI)
Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday registered the biggest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases in January this year as 186 people tested positive for the infection, 52 more than the previous day, pushing the northeastern state's caseload to 55,878, a senior health official said. The Capital Complex region recorded the highest number of 86 new cases, followed by 16 each in Tawang and Lower Dibang Valley districts and 15 in Lohit. (PTI)
76 fresh cases of Omicron confirmed in Kerala, taking total number of the variant cases detected in the state to 421 (ANI)
Delhi Police says 1700 of its personnel tested positive for COVID-19 between January 1 and January 12 (ANI)
Odisha on Wednesday registered a 24 per cent increase in fresh coronavirus cases as compared to the previous day as 8,778 more people tested positive for the infection, which is the biggest single-day spike since June 3 last year, a health bulletin said. The positivity rate increased to 11.77 per cent from 10.25 per cent on the previous day as 74,611 samples were tested. As many as 792 children are among the new patients, who took the state's caseload to 10,91,547. (PTI)
Madhya Pradesh reported 3,639 positive cases in last 24 hours, total active cases stands at 14,413. Majority of patients are asymptomatic & only 1% need oxygen & ICU support. Doctors communicate twice with patients in home isolation:State Medical Education Minister Vishvas Sarang (ANI)
Karnataka: Another case registered against State Congress president DK Shivakumar & 63 others in Ramanagara for violating COVID norms during the party's Mekedatu padayatra.
This is the third FIR against the Congress leader in this matter (ANI)
The COVID-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 8,289 on Wednesday as 43 more people tested positive for the infection, 53 less than the previous day, a health bulletin said. Sixteen new patients have travel history, while 27 infections were detected during contact tracing, it said. (PTI)
“Singer Lata Mangeshkar continues to be in the ICU ward. She will be under observation for 10-12 days. Along with COVID, she is also suffering from pneumonia,” says Dr Pratit Samdhani, who is treating her at Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital (ANI)
Japan's western prefecture of Osaka expects to record about 1,700 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, roughly tripling from a day earlier in their first rise beyond 1,000 since mid-September, public broadcaster NHK said. The prefecture had 613 cases on Tuesday, NHK added. (Reuters)
South Korea has authorised use of Novavax Inc's COVID-19 vaccine, the food and drug safety ministry said on Wednesday. It joins the ranks of authorised vaccines made by AstraZeneca Inc, Moderna Inc, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen. (Reuters)
Indonesia kicked off a COVID-19 booster campaign for the general public on Wednesday, prioritising third shots for the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. The government hopes to provide 21 million booster shots in January to people who received their second jabs at least six months ago. Some 117 million people in Indonesia have already received two doses of the vaccine. “This effort is important to increase the immunity of society, considering the COVID-19 virus keeps mutating,” President Joko Widodo said Tuesday. (AP)
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
