India's active caseload presently stands at 17,36,628. (Express Photo)Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE News: Noting there has been a decline in Covid-19 testing in many states and Union Territories, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare urged them to increase the pace of testing “in a strategic manner” keeping in view the case positivity trend. The ministry also asked them to speed up the testing to efficiently track the spread of the virus and initiate actions quickly.
Issuing an updated set of guidelines for the care of Covid-19 patients, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has urged doctors to avoid the use of steroids and to test patients for tuberculosis if severe coughing persists. According to the revised guidelines, steroid use increases the risk of secondary infections, such as black fungus, and must thus, be avoided.
India witnessed a decrease in fresh coronavirus cases, reporting 2.38 lakh new cases in the last 24 hours ending at 9 am on Tuesday, around 20,000 less than the day before. The country’s active caseload presently stands at 17,36,628, while the recovery rate is now at 94.09 per cent. The total tally of Omicron cases rose to 8,891, marking an increase of 8.31 per cent since yesterday.
A health worker administers a booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine to a beneficiary, in Chennai. (PTI)
Noting that Covid testing has declined in many States and Union Territories, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has urged all States and UTs to increase the pace of testing "in a strategic manner" keeping in view the case-positivity trend in specific geographies in States and UTs. Ministry asked them to speed up the testing to efficiently track the spread of the virus and initiate actions quickly.
Japan's government is preparing social restrictions in Tokyo and other regions as the omicron variant of the coronavirus infects more people.
Japan has never had a lockdown during the pandemic but has focused instead on asking restaurants and bars to close early. Crowds are back in many parts of Japan, with people packing stores and events, while Covid-19 cases jump.
The order will be finalised this week and is likely to take effect Friday, the government spokesman said Tuesday. The measures are expected to last for about three weeks in 16 regions, including Okinawa, Yamaguchi and Hiroshima, which were already placed under some restrictions earlier this month. (AP)
Hong Kong ordered a cull of 2,000 hamsters on Tuesday and warned pet owners not to kiss animals after a new cluster of Covid-19 cases was traced to a pet shop.
The outbreak of Delta variant cases in humans linked to the shop worker prompted tests on hundreds of animals, with 11 hamsters showing up positive.
The territory's Health Secretary Sophia Chan stressed at a news conference that there was no evidence domestic animals can pass the disease to humans, but authorities were anyway acting out of caution to ban imports and sales of pet rodents. (Reuters)
Romania reported 16,760 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, more than double on the day and the biggest single-day rise since October, as the Omicron coronavirus variant takes hold.
Romania is the European Union's second-least vaccinated state, with just under 41 per cent of the population fully inoculated amid distrust of state institutions and poor vaccine education.
The number of new infections was approaching a record high of 18,863 daily cases seen in October, official data showed, but hospitalisations were still relatively low. Sixty-five people died of the virus within the last 24 hours.
Romania has shortened the isolation and quarantine periods for Covid-19 positive people, their direct contacts and untested travellers from high-risk countries to varying lengths depending on whether they are vaccinated. (Reuters)
Over 50 lakh healthcare, frontline workers and citizens aged 60 years and above have been administered the precaution dose of Covid-19 vaccine since January 10, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday. With the administration of nearly 80 lakh vaccine doses in a span of 24 hours, the cumulative Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has exceeded 158.04 crore as per provisional reports till 7 am. (PTI)
he Gujarat government has told the Supreme Court that it had so far sanctioned the compensation of Rs 50,000 each to 68,370 claims filed by the kin of patients who died due to coronavirus infection in the state.
This information about processing such claims was given in the affidavit filed by the state government in the apex court on January 14, an official said on Tuesday. As per the state health department, the death toll due to Covid-19 in Gujarat stood at 10,164 as of Monday (January 17).
The state government had already clarified the discrepancy in the Covid-19 death toll, saying the number of fatalities went up after the apex court amended the definition of deaths due to coronavirus last year. (PTI)
Here are some of the top Covid stories from across the globe:
As Covid-19 cases continue to rise, Japan's government is expanding social restrictions in Tokyo and other regions. Japan has never had a lockdown during the pandemic but has focused instead on asking restaurants and bars to close early.
The order will be finalized this week and is likely to take effect Friday, the government spokesman said Tuesday. The measures are expected to last for about three weeks in 16 regions, including Okinawa, Yamaguchi and Hiroshima, which were already placed under some restrictions earlier this month. (AP)
Meanwhile, China is urging people to wear masks and gloves when opening mail, especially from abroad, after authorities suggested the first case of the Omicron coronavirus virus variant found in Beijing could have arrived via a package from Canada.(Reuters)
Australia on Tuesday suffered its deadliest day of the pandemic as a fast-moving Omicron outbreak continued to push up hospitalisation rates to record levels, even as daily infections eased slightly. Australia is dealing with its worst Covid-19 outbreak, fuelled by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus that has put more people in hospitals and intensive care than at any time during the pandemic. (Reuters)
One in ten people may still be infectious for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, after the 10 day quarantine period, according to a study. The research, published recently in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, used a newly adapted test which can detect whether the virus was potentially still active.
The test was applied to samples from 176 people in Exeter, UK, who had tested positive on standard PCR tests. The team led by researchers at the University of Exeter found that 13 per cent of people still exhibited clinically-relevant levels of virus after 10 days, meaning they could potentially still be infectious. (PTI)
Delhi's Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam on Tuesday said he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in home isolation. He requested people who came in contact with him to get themselves tested. "I have been in home isolation due to mild fever and cough for the last four days. I underwent a Covid test on Monday, and the report came out positive," he tweeted, adding he is feeling better now. (PTI)
India witnessed a decrease in fresh coronavirus cases, reporting 2.38 lakh new cases in the last 24 hours ending at 9 am on Tuesday, around 20,000 less than the day before. The country’s active caseload presently stands at 17,36,628, while the recovery rate is now at 94.09 per cent. The total tally of Omicron cases rose to 8,891, marking an increase of 8.31 per cent since yesterday.
Meanwhile, doctors treating patients with coronavirus disease (Covid-19) should avoid prescribing steroids and get them tested for tuberculosis if severe cough persists, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has said in its updated set of guidelines.
This morning, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and current Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday announced that he had tested positive for Covid-19 with mild symptoms.
Issuing an updated set of guidelines for the care of Covid-19 patients, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has urged doctors to avoid the use of steroids and to test patients for tuberculosis if severe coughing persists. According to the revised guidelines, steroid increase the risk of secondary infections, such as black fungus, and must thus, be avoided.
Australia on Tuesday suffered its deadliest day of the pandemic as a fast-moving Omicron outbreak continued to push up hospitalisation rates to record levels, even as daily infections eased slightly. Australia is dealing with its worst Covid-19 outbreak, fuelled by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus that has put more people in hospitals and intensive care than at any time during the pandemic.
A total of 74 deaths were registered by late morning between New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, Australia’s three most populous states, exceeding the previous national high of 57 last Thursday, official data showed. (Reuters)
Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka said the state government has decided not to enforce a lockdown in spite of a surge in Covid-19 cases.
After participating in a Covid review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday, Ashoka said, “Experts have compared the trends in Delhi and Maharashtra, where the number of cases has been declining in recent days. According to their calculation, Karnataka may see cases peaking in the last week of January. Thereafter, the cases are expected to decline.”
The government will hold another meeting on Friday to take a decision on weekend curfew and night curfew, the minister said. Read more.
The Bihar government has ordered an investigation after records showed that a Patna-based civil surgeon was administered five shots of the Covid-19 vaccine.
The civil surgeon, Dr Vibha Kumari Singh, however, said she had taken the jab thrice as per rules. Singh also claimed that someone else managed to get vaccine shots using her PAN card details, and called for a probe.
According to the CoWIN portal, she received the first dose on January 28, 2021 and was fully vaccinated by March last year. (PTI)
Take a look at some Covid data for the day:
India witnessed a decrease in fresh coronavirus cases, reporting 2.38 lakh new cases in the last 24 hours ending at 9 am on Tuesday, around 20,000 less than the day before. The country’s active caseload presently stands at 17,36,628, while the recovery rate is now at 94.09 per cent.
Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and current Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday announced that he had tested positive for Covid-19 with mild symptoms. "I have quarantined myself at home and taking all the necessary precautions," he tweeted this morning.
Several hospitals in Delhi are still testing patients for Covid-19 at the time of admission and before procedures to prevent in-hospital transmission, despite the new testing guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) stating that asymptomatic patients should not be tested. Doctors also fear that the surgical outcomes could be worse in patients with an active infection.
“Asymptomatic patients undergoing surgical/non-surgical invasive procedures including pregnant women in/near labour who are hospitalised for delivery should not be tested unless warranted or symptoms develop,” the new guidelines read.
The number of Covid-19 tests in the capital has dipped sharply since the new guidelines did away with testing on demand for asymptomatic patients, low-risk contacts of a positive patient, and asymptomatic persons in hospital for other procedures. Read more.
Continuing a downward trend, the capital on Monday reported 12,527 fresh cases of Covid-19, over 6,000 fewer than seen the day before, as per the daily health bulletin. The positivity rate – or proportion of samples tested that returned positive – increased slightly to 27.99%.
Delhi also reported 24 Covid deaths on Monday, taking January’s total toll to 280.
The decline in the absolute number of cases, however, has been because of the fewer tests conducted on Sunday as reported in the next day’s bulletin. The number of tests conducted has been reducing in Delhi since the new ICMR testing guidelines were introduced, which do away with testing of asymptomatic persons on demand, low-risk contacts, and asymptomatic persons undergoing other procedures at hospitals. Read more.