Covid-19 Omicron Variant January 16 Highlights: Active Coronavirus cases in India highest in 225 days, Maharashtra records 41,327 new Covid cases

Maharashtra | 63 police personnel tested positive for COVID and one died in the last 24 hours. Total 127 personnel died so far; Active cases 1,333: Mumbai Police (ANI)

After logging over 10,000 COVID-19 cases per day for the last 11 days, the daily tally in Mumbai dropped to 7,895 on Sunday. A total of 11 people died of the COVID-19 infection, the city civic body said in a bulletin. The caseload in Mumbai now stands at 9,99,862 and the death toll at 16,457, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a release. A total of 21,025 patients were discharged, taking the total number of recoveries in the financial capital to 9,20,383. On January 4, Mumbai had recorded 10,860 cases. The city clocked above 20,000 daily cases on January 6-8. The number started declining since then. Only 688 of the new 7,895 cases were admitted to hospitals, which raised the number of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in Mumbai to 5,722. A total of 6,632 or 84 per cent of the new patients were asymptomatic. With 57,534 COVID-19 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the total number of tests in Mumbai mounted to 1,46,22,530.

Of 38,127 hospital beds in the city, 5,722 or 15 per cent of beds are currently occupied. Mumbai's case recovery rate is 92 per cent while the overall case growth rate between January 9 and 15 stood at 1.40 per cent. The case doubling rate in Mumbai is now 48 days, the bulletin said. The BMC has sealed 54 buildings after a high number of COVID-19 cases were reported on their premises. (PTI)

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Sunday ruled out the possibility of imposing day curfew as of now to contain the spread of COVID-19 even when the overall positivity rate is nearly 13 per cent in the state and 28.23 per cent in Agartala. However, the night curfew would continue, Deb said. “There is no immediate plan to impose day curfew though the rate of positivity is quite high. The government is monitoring the situation and is trying to ensure that normal life and economic growth are not hindered,” the chief minister, who also holds the health portfolio, told reporters here. He also appealed to people to maintain COVID-appropriate behaviour like wearing face masks, using hand sanitizers, and maintaining social distancing. “There is nothing to panic. We can recover in home isolation. In case of any serious symptoms, people should consult health officials, doctors, ASHA workers, or hospitals. Our health infrastructure is good and we will be able to tackle the third wave of the COVID-19,” Deb said. Tripura recorded 546 new coronavirus infections and three fatalities in the last 24 hours, health officials said on Sunday. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, 90,935 people have tested positive for COVID-19 and 835 patients have succumbed to the infection in the border state. (PTI)

The COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh rose to 8,30,923 on Sunday after the addition of 6,380 new cases, while the death toll increased by two to 10,545, a health department official said. The positivity rate stood at 7.7 per cent against 6.6 per cent recorded on Saturday, when the state had recorded 5,315 infections, he said. Madhya Pradesh's recovery count stood at 7,90,269 after 1,785 people were discharged from hospitals during the day, leaving the state with 30,109 active cases, the official said. Indore and Bhopal, the two worst coronavirus-hit cities in Madhya Pradesh, registered 1,852 and 1175 cases, respectively, during the past 24 hours, he added. With 82,703 samples examined during the day, the total number of tests conducted so far in MP went up to 2,47,58,749, the official said. A total of 10,74,63,788 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far in MP, including 1,20,927 on Sunday, an official release said. Coronavirus figures in MP are as follows: Total cases 8,30,923, new cases 6,380, death toll 10,545, recoveries 7,90,269, active cases 30,109, number of tests so far 2,47,58,749. (PTI)

COVID19 | Goa reports 3,232 new cases & 7 deaths today; Active caseload at 21,381 (ANI)

Denmark lifted a number of coronavirus restrictions and allowed the reopening of certain venues Sunday despite the spread of the omicron variant in the country. Cinemas, zoos, museums and theatres were among the places that could welcome visitors again. Limited numbers of spectators also were allowed to attend indoor and outdoor sports events. Visitors are required to wear masks at most of these places and provide proof that they have been vaccinated or have recovered or recently tested negative for COVID-19. The government is planning to relax coronavirus restrictions further in Denmark, a country of 5.8 million, on Jan 31. Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke told reporters earlier this week that the government was monitoring the pandemic situation carefully and “wouldn't have supported the reopening if it hadn't been for a clear approach both from our own and from external experts”. (AP)

Austria's government proposed on Sunday setting the minimum age for mandatory coronavirus vaccinations against COVID-19 at 18 and rolling out the programme in stages from Feb. 1, seeking to build broad consensus for the disputed step. The conservative-led government had said last month it intended the mandate to apply to all people aged 14 and up, the first European Union country to make vaccinations compulsory for the general population. “This is not a fight between the vaccinated and unvaccinated,” Chancellor Karl Nehammer, just emerging from quarantine after contracting COVID-19, told a news conference in Vienna a day after thousands marched against the plan. Nehammer said the government needs to press ahead because too many remain unvaccinated to allow people to mingle freely, stressing the need to avoid more lockdowns. (Reuters)

State media are reporting the Chinese city of Xi'an has gradually begun lifting restrictions after over three weeks of lockdown as authorities sought to stamp out a local outbreak. State-owned broadcaster CCTV reported Sunday that certain counties and development zones in Xi'an had begun restoring production, citing a news conference by Xi'an officials. They also said that lockdown measures had been either partially or completely lifted in some communities that have been designated as lower risk, allowing people to leave their homes for a limited time to purchase daily necessities. The partial lifting of measures comes after the city went into strict lockdown on Dec 22, following a local coronavirus outbreak that officials attributed to the delta variant. The city has reported over 2,000 infections since December last year. (AP)

Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases, the renowned Shree Dwarkadhish Temple of Lord Krishna at Dwarka in Gujarat will remain closed for devotees from January 17 to 23 to avoid overcrowding due to 'Purnima', temple officials said on Sunday. The Gujarat government had recently issued guidelines to stem the rise in coronavirus cases, which include an attendance cap of 150 persons in open spaces and 50 per cent of the capacity of a closed space venue not exceeding 150 persons. “A large number of devotees visit Shree Dwarkadhish Temple every Purnima, which falls on January 17. To avoid overcrowding amid a rise in coronavirus cases, it has been decided to keep the temple closed for devotees from January 17 to 23. Daily prayers will be offered by priests, which can be viewed live online,” said the administrative office of the temple in a press release. (PTI)

The health condition of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who remains admitted in the ICU of a hospital in Mumbai, is improving, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said here on Sunday. The 92-year-old singer tested positive for coronavirus with mild symptoms and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Breach Candy Hospital in south Mumbai last week. “Lata Mangeshkar's condition is improving. I spoke to authorities of the Breach Candy Hospital who updated me about her health. I told them that the spokesperson of the hospital should provide updates on the singer's condition as people are eager to know about her health,” Tope told reporters in Jalna. After discussing with her family members, the Breach Candy Hospital can update about the health of the veteran singer, Tope said. (PTI)