Omicron Variant Cases and Deaths in India Live, Covid-19 Booster Vaccine Registration January 20 Live Update: Ahead of Karnataka government’s decision regarding the future of COVID-19 curbs that are in place across the state, state Revenue Minister R Ashoka gave a significant hint of how the government will be approaching Covid-related curbs. The revenue minister said on Thursday that both lives and livelihood of people will be considered while arriving at any decision around a lockdown in state.
As per the Central government, Karnataka is among the ‘States of Concern’ alongwith Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Rajesh Bhushan, Health Secretary, said that the Centre Government has sent Central health teams to these states and is continuously reviewing the situation.
India reported 3,17,532 fresh Coronavirus infections, the highest in 249 days, taking its overall tally of Covid-19 cases to 3,82,18,773, which includes 9,287 cases of the Omicron variant, according to data from the Union Health Ministry on Thursday. The number of active cases surged to 19,24,051, the highest in 234 days, while the death toll climbed to 4,87,693 with 491 fresh fatalities, the Health Ministry said. It said the active cases now account for 5.03% of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has decreased to 93.09%.
On Wednesday, India recorded 2,82,970 new Covid-19 cases, nearly 45,000 more than the previous day. Though some cities like Delhi and Mumbai have started witnessing a declining trend in fresh Coronavirus infections, some states like Kerala, Maharashtra, and Gujarat are still reporting a high number. Are we near the third wave peak? IIT Kanpur scientist Manindra Agrawal said Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata have already reached their peak in terms of new Covid-19 cases in the past seven days. He said Covid-19 cases will peak in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Haryana this week, while states like Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Tamil Nadu may peak next week. The third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India may peak on January 23 with daily cases likely to remain below the 4-lakh mark, Agrawal said.
A new study said that Omicron infection may not generate broad immunity in unvaccinated individuals that can protect against other variants. This study further makes vaccination even more important to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, India has administered over 158 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines – first, second and precaution doses taken together — until January 18.
Stay tuned as Financial Express Online brings you the latest coronavirus updates:
Till now, 52% children in 15-18 age group in the country vaccinated: Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on COVID19 vaccination (ANI)
Vaccines have remained beneficial in India. Deaths have considerably reduced due to vaccinations. In this third surge of COVID19, we are currently not witnessing severe illness and deaths due to high vaccination uptake: DG ICMR Dr Balram Bhargava (ANI)
Current COVID-19 surge in India not witnessing increase in severe illness or death following high vaccination uptake: Govt (PTI)
52 pc of adolescents in 15-18 years age group have received 1st dose of Covid vaccine: Govt (PTI)
On 20 Jan 2022, there are 3,17,532 new cases, 380 deaths and 19,24,051 active cases. Proportion of fully vaccinated people is 72%: Rajesh Bhushan, Health Secretary on third surge of COVID19 in India (ANI)
94 pc of India's adults have been administered 1st dose of Covid vaccine; 72 pc are fully vaccinated: Govt (PTI)
In the last surge of COVID19, on 30 April 2021, there were 3,86,452 new cases, 3,059 deaths and over 31 lakh active cases: Rajesh Bhushan, Health Secretary (ANI)
As scientific evidence evolves, we will be expanding the coverage of vaccination. We will take decision on the basis of scientific data: Rajesh Bhushan, Health Secretary on COVID19 vaccination for those under 15 years of age (ANI)
Bed occupancy or hospitalisation significantly lower in third Covid wave in Delhi as compared to second wave: Govt (PTI)
Covid: In Delhi, upper respiratory tract infection common symptom among those in 11-18 years, says govt (PTI)
11 states/UTs have more than 50,000 active COVID-19 cases; 515 districts reporting weekly case positivity of over 5 pc: Govt (PTI)
SEC of CDSCO has recommended to the DCGI that two vaccines be provided market approval. A final decision of the national regulator is yet to be taken: Rajesh Bhushan, Health Secretary on COVID19 vaccines (ANI)
Andhra Pradesh reports 12,615 new COVID-19 cases, 3674 recoveries and 5 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Active cases 53,871 (ANI)
Covid deaths significantly less in third wave of coronavirus in comparison to second wave: Govt (PTI)
A day ahead of Karnataka govt deciding about future of COVID-19 curbs that are in place across state, Revenue Minister R Ashoka says both lives and livelihood of people will be considered while arriving at any decision (PTI)
Asia is showing a sharp surge in global contribution from 7.9% to approx 18.4% in 4 weeks. A sharp surge is also seen in COVID19 cases in India: Rajesh Bhushan, Health Secretary on COVID-19 situation (ANI)
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh are among the 'States of Concern'. We have sent Central health teams to these States and are continuously reviewing the situation: Rajesh Bhushan, Health Secretary on COVID-19 situation (ANI)
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, UP, Gujarat, Odisha, Delhi & Rajasthan are among the top 10 States in terms of active cases: Rajesh Bhushan, Health Secretary on COVID19 situation. (ANI)
A U.N.-backed agency has struck a deal for nearly 30 generic drugmakers to make low-cost versions of Merck & Co's COVID-19 pill molnupiravir for poorer nations, widening access to a drug seen as a weapon in fighting the pandemic. The antiviral drug, which in December received emergency approval in the United States, reduces hospitalizations and deaths of high-risk patients by around 30%, according to clinical trial results. The agreement, negotiated by the U.N.-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) with Merck, allows 27 generic drugmakers from India, China and other countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East to produce ingredients and the finished drug. The MPP said on Thursday the deal stipulated the pill would be distributed to 105 less-developed nations. The developers of molnupiravir, which alongside Merck are U.S. firm Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Emory University, will not receive royalties for the sale of the low-cost versions produced by generic drugmakers while COVID-19 remains classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. (Reuters).
A day ahead of the Karnataka government deciding about the future of COVID-19 curbs that are in place across the state, Revenue Minister R Ashoka on Thursday said both lives and livelihood of the people will be considered, while arriving at any decision. Clarifying that there was no confusion within the government regarding the curbs, the Minister said views expressed by leaders of all political parties and several organisations will also be taken into account, before taking the decision. “Regarding COVID guidelines, the Chief Minister has called an important meeting at 1 PM tomorrow with senior Ministers. Opinions expressed by leaders of various political parties and organisations regarding the curbs that are in place, and the centre's guidelines will also be taken into consideration,” Ashoka said. (PTI)
Total COVID19 vaccine doses administered in India cross the 160 crore mark: Union Health Minister Manuskh Mandaviya (ANI)
Japan's western prefecture of Osaka and two neighbouring regions are expected to join in a widening declaration of COVID-19 prevention measures, Osaka's governor said on Thursday. Japan added more than 41,000 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday as the Omicron variant spread, a tally by national broadcaster NHK showed, breaking a record for two consecutive days. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida decided on Wednesday to expand the measures to cover the capital Tokyo and a dozen other regions. If the restrictions are widened to include Osaka and its two neighbors, 63% of the nation's total population – or just under 80 million people – would live under the measure. Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said the prefecture would hold a meeting on Friday to determine whether to apply for measures referred to as quasi-emergency that allow governors to request restaurants and bars shorten business hours and stop serving alcohol. (Reuters)
When the coronavirus pandemic was first declared, Spaniards were ordered to stay home for more than three months. For weeks, they were not allowed outside even for exercise. Children were banned from playgrounds, and the economy virtually stopped. But officials credited the draconian measures with preventing a full collapse of the health system. Lives were saved, they argued. Now, almost two years later, Spain is preparing to adopt a different COVID-19 playbook. With one of Europe's highest vaccination rates and its most pandemic-battered economies, the government is laying the groundwork to treat the next infection surge not as an emergency but an illness that is here to stay. Similar steps are under consideration in neighbouring Portugal and in Britain. The idea is to move from crisis mode to control mode, approaching the virus in much the same way countries deal with flu or measles. That means accepting that infections will occur and providing extra care for at-risk people and patients with complications. (AP)
Single-day recoveries outnumbered new COVID-19 cases in Andaman and Nicobar Islands as 176 people were cured of the disease and 159 tested positive for the infection in the last 24 hours, a health department official said on Thursday. The fresh cases raised the tally in the Union Territory to 8,938, while 8,366 people have recuperated from the disease so far, he said. Of the new patients, 43 have travel history and 116 were detected during contact tracing. Eighty-four fresh cases of the coronavirus infection were reported on Tuesday. (PTI)
From 24 (January) we will be reopening schools for classes 1-12th with COVID protocols; CM has agreed to our proposal: Varsha Gaikwad, Maharashtra School Education Minister (ANI)
Austria's conservative-led government said on Thursday it was introducing a national lottery to encourage holdouts to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, hours before parliament was due to pass a bill introducing a national vaccine mandate. Roughly 72% of Austria's population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the lowest rates in western Europe. New daily infections surged to a new record on Wednesday as the extremely contagious Omicron variant spread further, but the government wants to avoid another national lockdown, since the country emerged from its fourth one only last month. (Reuters)
The union territory of Puducherry recorded 2,783 fresh Covid-19 infections during the last 24 hours as the overall tally went up to 1,45,342 and the active cases broke the 13,000 mark, a senior Health department official said on Thursday. The test positivity rate (the number of cases per 100 tests) shot up to 43.19 per cent in the last 24 hours ending 10 AM on Thursday as against 30.23 per cent recorded on Wednesday. A 95-year old woman succumbed to the virus pushing the death toll in the union territory to 1,897, Director of Health and Family Welfare Services G Sriramulu said in a release here. (PTI)
Britain must learn to live with COVID-19 as it may be with us forever, health minister Sajid Javid said on Thursday, adding that Britain was moving ahead of other countries as the government lifted coronavirus measures. “We need to learn to live with it. Sadly people die of flu as well: in a bad flu year you can sadly lose about 20,000 lives, but we don't shut down our entire country,” Javid told Sky News. “COVID is not going away. It's going to be with us for many, many years, perhaps forever, and we have to learn to live with it… I think we are leading Europe in the transition from pandemic to endemic and we're leading the way in showing the world how you can live with COVID.” (Reuters)
New Zealand is among the few remaining countries to have avoided any outbreaks of the omicron variant, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Thursday an outbreak was inevitable and the nation would tighten restrictions as soon as one was detected. But she also said that New Zealand would not impose the lockdowns that it has used previously, including for the delta variant. “This stage of the pandemic is different to what we have dealt with before. Omicron is more transmissible,” Ardern said. “That is going to make it harder to keep it out, but it will also make it more challenging to control once it arrives. But just like before, when COVID changes, we change.” (AP)
A third dose of COVID-19 vaccine increases the level of antibodies that can effectively neutralise the Omicron variant of coronavirus, according to a study published in The Lancet journal. Researchers from Francis Crick Institute and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), UK, found that antibodies generated in people who had received only two doses of either the AstraZeneca or the Pfizer vaccine were less able to neutralise Omicron as compared to Alpha and Delta variants. They also found that antibody levels dropped off in the first three months following the second dose but a third 'booster' dose raised levels of antibodies that effectively neutralise the Omicron variant. The study found that in people who had received the Pfizer vaccine for all three doses, antibody levels against Omicron after a third dose were similar to those previously reached against Delta after only two shots. (PTI)
Ladakh has reported 185 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 23,885 while the active cases in the union territory has gone up to to 1,020, officials said. The union territory has recorded 222 Covid-related deaths — 164 in Leh and 58 in Kargil — since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, they said. There was no death reported from union territory on Wednesday, they said. With the discharge of as many as 130 patients from hospitals in Ladakh, the total number of cured patients has surged to 22,643, they said. (PTI)
Arunachal Pradesh reported 435 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the highest single-day spike so far this month, as the tally climbed to 57,822, a senior health department official said. The northeastern state had Wednesday logged 350 infections. Out of Thursday's count, 138 cases were registered in the Capital Complex Region, 40 from West Kameng, Changlang (37), Namsai (35), Lower Dibang Valley (31), Lohit (28), Papumpare (26), Lower Subansiri (23) and East Siang (22), he said. The death toll remained at 282 as no fresh fatality was reported in the past 24 hours. (PTI)
Antibody in 30% of individuals above the age of 40 declines barely six months after vaccination, a new study has demonstrated. The study was conducted by Hyderabad-based AIG Hospitals, in collaboration with the Asian Healthcare Foundation. The study evaluated antibody levels to SARS-CoV2 in 1,636 fully vaccinated healthcare workers to determine the longevity of vaccine-induced immunity and protection against Covid-19. READ MORE
Australia has ruled out letting teenagers as young as 16 drive forklift trucks to tackle a shortage of workers in coronavirus-hit supply chains, as it scrambles to scoop up millions of home testing kits needed to keep businesses functioning. A sudden surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks has seen hundreds of thousands of workers benched by illness or the need to isolate, leading states to quickly lower the isolation requirement to seven days. Prime Minister Scott Morrison had floated a proposal to lower the minimum age of forklift drivers from 18 to 16, seeking solutions for a shortage of workers now hobbling the economy. Earlier this week he scrapped visa fees for foreign backpackers and students wanting to work and study in Australia. But most States consider forklift operation to be high-risk work which requires a licence available only to 18s and over, and after a meeting with State premiers on Thursday, Morrison said the proposal had proved a non-starter. (Reuters)
Puducherry reports 2783 new COVID19 cases, 1073 recoveries and 1 death in the last 24 hours.
Active cases 13,053
Test positivity 43.19% (ANI)
Thailand will resume its 'Test & Go' quarantine waiver for vaccinated arrivals starting on Feb 1, the country's coronavirus taskforce said on Thursday. All arrivals must take a COVID-19 test on arrival and five days later, spokesperson Taweesin Wisanuyothin said at briefing, during which additional “Sandbox” areas were announced, a similar scheme to revive its battered tourism sector, where visitors must stay for one week in a designated location. (Reuters)
Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally climbed to 4,12,939 as 2,617 more people tested positive for the virus, while 12 fresh fatalities pushed the death toll to 5,225, a health bulletin said on Thursday. Ranchi district registered the highest number of new cases at 809, followed by 525 in Jamshedpur, it said. The single-day deaths include five fresh fatalities in Jamshedpur and two in Ranchi. The state now has 27,422 active cases, while 3,80,292 people have recovered from the disease so far, including 3,769 in the last 24 hours. (PTI)
Stand-up comedian and actor Vir Das on Thursday said he has tested negative for the novel coronavirus. The 42-year-old gave a health update via Instagram and urged people to follow all the necessary COVID-19 guidelines. “We back. Seriously tho. This thing sucked. Wear a mask, get boosted, take your vitamins, drink snake blood..whatever. It was a LONG two-ish weeks. Still masking around the house. Stay safe,” he captioned a reel. On January 11, Das said he had tested positive for COVID-19 with mild symptoms. (PTI)
PM Modi spoke to Parkash Singh Badal and enquired about his health; Shiromani Akali Dal patron & former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal was admitted to hospital after testing COVID positive (ANI)
Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday became the fifth coronavirus vaccine approved for use in Australia. The country has ordered 51 million doses of the U.S.-manufactured vaccine, supplied under the brand Nuvaxovid, for its population of 26 million. Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines are already in use in Australia. Johnson and Johnson's Janssen vaccine is also approved but the government has not bought any. The Novavax vaccine will be available to unvaccinated Australians aged 18 years and older but will not be used as a booster for the 95% of the population aged 16 and older who have already received a vaccine. (AP)
Hong Kong will suspend face-to-face teaching in secondary schools from Jan 24, the Education Bureau said on Thursday, because of a rising number of coronavirus infections in several schools in the Chinese-ruled territory. The government halted classes in primary schools and kindergartens early this month, and imposed curbs, such as a ban on restaurant dining after 6 p.m. and the closure of venues such as gyms, cinemas and beauty salons. (Reuters)
Odisha recorded 10,368 fresh coronavirus cases on Thursday, raising the tally to 11,77,462, while the single-day death count of seven was the highest in more than three months, the Health Department said. The state had logged 11,607 new cases and six deaths on Wednesday. It now has 88,346 active cases, and 10,80,562 patients have recovered from the disease so far, including 6,785 in the past 24 hours. The toll mounted to 8,501 with four deaths in Bhubaneswar and one each in Sambalpur, Khurda and Ganjam districts, the department said in a bulletin. (PTI)
With the addition of 3,865 coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 6,81,420, an official said on Thursday. These cases were reported on Wednesday, he said. As the virus claimed the lives of eight patients, the death toll in the district rose to 11,678. Thane's COVID-19 mortality rate is 1.71 per cent, he added. (PTI)
India reports 3,17,532 new COVID cases, 491 deaths, and 2,23,990 recoveries in the last 24 hours.
Active case: 19,24,051
Daily positivity rate: 16.41%
9,287 total Omicron cases detected so far; an increase of 3.63% since yesterday (ANI)
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