Omicron Variant Cases and Deaths in India Live, Covid-19 Booster Vaccine Registration Latest Update: As per the latest bulletin issued by the Union health ministry on Monday, India has logged 3,06,064 new cases in the last 24 hours — which is 27,469 less than the tally on Sunday; and recorded 439 deaths during the same time.
As per the update, 2,43,495 recoveries have been registered in the last 24 hours.
As of Monday, India has 22,49,335 active cases and the daily positivity rate stands at 20.75%.
India Covid-19 Status in last 24 hours:
New COVID cases: 3,06,064 (27,469 less than yesterday);
Death recorded: 439 deaths;
Recoveries registered: 2,43,495;
Active case: 22,49,335;
Daily positivity rate: 20.75%
Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar tests Covid positive
Schools reopen for classes 1 to 12 in Mumbai
Some schools opened across Maharashtra and in Mumbai on Monday. Talking ot reporters, Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray said that students’ physical presence has not been made mandatory in schools. Thackeray requested everyone to follow COVID19-appropriate behaviour and as far as presence of children is concerned, he said that parents may send their wards with permission. He added that a few districts across Maharashtra are opening schools, and a few districts are not.
ALSO READ — Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu tests COVID positive
Financial Express Online brings you the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus India Live News: Covid-19 Omicron Cases in India Live Count, Coronavirus Lockdown, Night Curfew Guidelines and Restrictions Live Updates
COVID19 | Chandigarh reports 568 new cases today; The positivity rate stands at 14.49%, active case tally stands 7,768 (ANI)
People vaccinated three times or immunised after an earlier COVID-19 infection have comparable neutralising antibody response to those with a breakthrough infection, according to a study. A breakthrough infection is a case of illness in which a fully vaccinated individual becomes infected. The study, published in the journal Cell, looked at the strength, durability and breadth of neutralising antibody response generated by breakthrough infections in individuals vaccinated against SARS-CoV2. The researchers at the University of Washington in the US noted that the Delta and Omicron coronavirus variants have enhanced transmissibility and immune evasion compared to the original virus. These characteristics, and the waning of immunity from vaccines, have led to breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals, they said. (PTI)
It is dangerous to assume that Omicron will be the last variant (of COVID19), or that we're in the endgame: World Health Organisation (WHO) (ANI)
People who aren't vaccinated against COVID-19 are no longer allowed in France's restaurants, bars, tourist sites and sports venues unless they recently recovered from the virus. The new law came into effect Monday requiring a “vaccine pass” that is central to the government's anti-virus strategy. France is registering Europe's highest-ever daily coronavirus infection numbers, and hospitals are continuing to fill up with virus patients, though the number of people in intensive care units has dropped in recent days. The government has imposed few other restrictions amid the surge in the omicron variant, focusing instead on the vaccine pass, approved by France's parliament and Constitutional Council last week. Omicron is less likely to cause severe illness than the previous delta variant, according to studies. Omicron spreads even more easily than other coronavirus strains, and has already become dominant in many countries. It also more easily infects those who have been vaccinated or had previously been infected by prior versions of the virus. (AP)
Twenty-one COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant's sub-lineage known as BA.2 have been found in tests conducted over the past 18 days in the laboratory of a private medical institute in Madhya Pradesh's Indore.
Those infected with this sub-lineage of Omicron variant include six children, an official from the private facility said on Monday.
“Since January 6, a total of 21 cases of BA.2 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant have been found during tests conducted in our Molecular Virology Diagnostic and Research Lab, which is recognized by the Centre,” Vinod Bhandari, founder chairman of Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences (SAIMS) here told PTI.
“Lung involvement ranging from 1 per cent to 50 per cent was observed in six out of 21 patients of this Omicron sub-lineage. Three patients are still hospitalized, while 18 have been discharged. Of the 21, a total of 15 adults have taken both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine,” Bhandari informed.
Indore, the worst coronavirus-hit district in Madhya Pradesh, has a caseload of 1,86,216, including 1,409 deaths. (PTI)
Meghalaya on Monday recorded 305 new COVID-19 cases, 13 less than the previous day, pushing the tally to 88,764, a senior health department official said.
Health Services Director Dr Aman War said one new COVID-19 fatality on Monday pushed the death toll to 1,498.
He said of the 305 new cases, East Khasi Hills district reported 242, followed by Ri Bhoi (18), West Garo Hills (16), West Jaintia Hills (8), five cases each from West Khasi Hills, South Garo Hills, South West Khasi Hills and one case in West Khasi Hills district.
War said the northeast state now has 2,257 active COVID-19 cases.
The Health Services Director said 85,009 patients have recovered from COVID-19 so far, including 168 during the day.
The state has so far tested over 13.05 lakh samples for COVID-19, he said.
A total of 22.63 lakh people have been inoculated with COVID-19 vaccine in the state, War added. (PTI)
Telangana government on Friday commenced a state-wise door-to-door survey in order to identify those with covid symptoms of the viral disease. The survey took place when the country is reeling under the rising covid-19 cases due to the emergence of new covid-19 variant, Omicron. In the survey, the residents were handed home isolation kits with necessary medicines, T Harish Rao, state’s health minister who was reviewing the progress said on Sunday. | Read More
Beijing Olympics organisers said they had confirmed 72 cases of COVID-19 among 2,586 Games-related personnel entering China, from Jan. 4 to Jan. 22, with no cases among 171 athletes and team officials arriving in that period. Of the confirmed cases, 39 were found in testing at the airport and 33 inside the loop, organisers said. Participants in the bubble are subject to daily testing, with 336,421 PCR tests administered from Jan. 4 to Jan. 22. (Reuters)
Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally rose to 4,20,427 on Monday as 1,269 more people tested positive for the infection, while eight fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 5,261, a health bulletin said.
Dumka district recorded the highest number of new cases at 285, followed by East Singhbhum at 224 and Ranchi at 199, it said.
Four fresh fatalities were registered in East Singhbhum, under which Jamshedpur falls, and one each in Deoghar, Dhanbad, Hazaribag and Lohardaga.
The state now has 19,466 active cases, while 3,95,700 people have recovered from the disease so far, including 3,423 in the last 24 hours.
The administration has tested 46,488 samples for COVID-19, and inoculated 76,791 more people in the last 24 hours, it added. (PTI)
South Korea will expand rapid testing and shorten quarantines as it reshapes its pandemic response to deal with a faster-than-expected surge in coronavirus infections driven by the highly contagious omicron variant.
The plans were announced as the country reported 7,513 new cases of
infection on Monday, the third straight day exceeding 7,000 and nearing a one-day high of 7,848 reported in December, when a devastating delta-driven spread spiked hospitalisations and deaths.
Omicron has now replaced delta as South Korea's most dominant variant after accounting for more than 50% of the infections reported last week, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
Some experts say the country could be seeing daily jumps of over 10,000 later this week. Transmissions could further accelerate over the Lunar New Year's holiday break from this weekend through Tuesday, a period when millions of people usually travel around the country to meet relatives.
Starting Wednesday, the quarantine for people who test positive after being fully vaccinated will be reduced from the current 10 days to seven days, KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong said during a briefing.
Fully vaccinated people who come in close contact with virus carriers will no longer be placed under quarantine, but they will be required to report their daily health conditions to officials before receiving a test within six or seven days.
Officials say the easing of quarantine restrictions is inevitable as they try to prevent an explosion in omicron cases from causing major disruption at workplaces and public services by putting huge numbers of people under quarantine. (AP)
Australia recorded another surge of COVID-19 deaths on
Monday and authorities warned numbers could rise further when
schools return from end-of-year holidays next week.Students in NSW and Victoria will have to wear masks and
receive regular rapid antigen tests when they return to
in-person classes next week. Queensland, however, postponed the
return to school to Feb. 7 to avoid a spike in transmission. (Reuters)
Hong Kong authorities said one hamster surrendered to authorities by pet owners had tested positive for COVID-19 and that over 2,200 hamsters had been culled as the city struggled to contain an outbreak. While a handful of hamsters had already tested positive for the virus, this latest case is the first involving a hamster in the care of a pet-owner that had tested positive.
Meanwhile, officials have warned COVID-19 infections could be growing exponentially in the congested residential area of Kwai Chung on the Kowloon peninsula, as a second building in the district with 2,000 residents was locked down on Saturday for five days. (Reuters)
We have enough stock of Covid-related and non-Covid medicines. We also have adequate staff in hospitals. Only 43 % of ICU beds (Covid & non-Covid) are occupied. There is no need to worry: Kerala Health Minister Veena George (ANI)
Pfizer Inc Chief Executive Albert Bourla said an annual COVID-19 vaccine would be preferable to more frequent booster shots in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.”
“Once a year – it is easier to convince people to do it. It is easier for people to remember,” Bourla said in an interview with Israel's N12 News. Bourla has said Pfizer could be ready to file for approval for a redesigned vaccine to fight Omicron, and mass produce it, as soon as March. (Reuters)
A fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine given to people over 60 in Israel made them three times more resistant to serious illness than thrice-vaccinated people in the same age group, Israel's Health Ministry said. The ministry also said the fourth dose, or second booster, made people over 60 twice as resistant to infection than those in the age group who received three shots of the vaccine. As elsewhere, Israel has seen COVID-19 cases spiral due to Omicron. But it has logged no deaths from the variant. (Reuters)
We've lifted the weekend curfew. After analysing the situation, we will decide on further relaxations in COVID19 norms, if needed: Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai (ANI)
The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics has adjusted its COVID-19 countermeasures, a statement from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday.The changes include the threshold for being classed as positive for COVID-19 being eased and the time period for which a person is deemed a close contact being reduced from 14 to 7 days. The changes have come into effect immediately and apply retrospectively, the statement said. (Reuters)
Odisha reported 7,291 fresh COVID-19 cases on Monday, pushing the tally to 12,11,951, while the death toll mounted to 8,525 with five more fatalities, the Health Department said in a bulletin.
The state had registered 8,520 single-day cases and six deaths on Sunday.
Odisha Congress president Niranjan Patnaik said in a tweet on Monday that he had tested positive. Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik had also said late on Sunday that he was hospitalised after contracting the virus.
Odisha now has 81,765 active cases, and 11,21,608 patients have so far recovered from the disease, the bulletin said.
The positivity rate stood at 11.77 per cent after 61,969 samples were tested in the past 24 hours.
Khurda district, where state capital Bhubaneswar is situated, reported nearly a quarter of the new cases with 1,705 infections, followed by 646 in Sundargarh and 561 in Cuttack, it said. (PTI)
Vaccination is going on a good scale. 95% coverage of 1st dose has been done and around 80% for 2nd dose. Some districts have also achieved 100% vaccination coverage. COVID is at peak but due to vaccination, there are less casualties: Rajasthan Health Minister Parsadi Lal Meena (ANI)
With the addition of 2,234 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 6,92,835, an official said on Monday.
These new cases were reported on Sunday, he said.
Five more people also succumbed to the viral infection, raising the death toll in the district to 11,713, he said, adding that the COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane was 1.69 per cent.
In neighbouring Palghar district, the COVID-19 case count has gone up to 1,60,260, while the death toll stands at 3,358, another official said. (PTI)
A total of 21,914 families who have lost their loved ones to COVID-19 in Delhi have received a one-time ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 from the Delhi Disaster Response Fund (DDRF), officials said on Sunday.
This amount is in addition to the financial aid of Rs 50,000 being provided by the city government under the 'Mukhyamantri COVID-19 Pariwar Aarthik Sahayata Yojana'.
“A total of 25,586 people have died due to Covid in Delhi so far. Families of 21,914 of them have received one time ex-gratia of Rs 50,000. The remaining applications are being processed,” a government official said.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Saturday released an additional amount of Rs 100 crore to 11 districts for the payment of ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 to kin of people who have died of Covid in Delhi, officials said.
The fresh fund of Rs 100 crore is over and above Rs 100 crore released to the districts earlier this month.
Under the 'Mukhyamantri COVID-19 Pariwar Aarthik Sahayata Yojana' notified in June last year, the Social Welfare Department of the Delhi government is also providing a monthly assistance of Rs 2,500 to households that have lost their sole breadwinner and to children orphaned due to the pandemic. (PTI)
New coronavirus infections in Russia reached an all-time high on Sunday, the third consecutive daily record as the highly contagious omicron variant spreads through the country. The national coronavirus task force reported 63,205 new infections tallied in 24 hours — a spike of more than 25% since the record set on Friday. The task force reported 679 deaths, similar to other daily death counts in the past week. | Read More
People attending the Republic Day parade must be fully vaccinated against Covid and children below 15 years of age will not be allowed to attend the function, a set of guidelines issued by the Delhi Police stated.
Police also said that people will have to adhere to all Covid-protocols, such as wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing, at the programme on Rajpath on January 26.
“It is necessary to have both doses of anti-coronavirus vaccine. Visitors are requested to bring their vaccination certificate,” the Delhi Police tweeted.
It said that children below 15 years of age are not allowed in the function. | Read More
Active COVID-19 cases in country rise to 22,49,335:Union Health Ministry (PTI)
Single day rise of 3,06,064 new COVID-19 infections, 439 fatalities push India's tally of cases to 3,95,43,328, death toll to 4,89,848: Govt (PTI)
Maharashtra | Schools re-open for primary (pre-primary) classes in Mumbai; visuals from Sadhana Vidyalaya, Sion
We have sanitized school premises. We're allowing only those students who have written permission from their parents: Swaroop Sawant, School Principal (ANI)
COVID-19 | Mizoram reported 495 new cases. Active cases 9468 and total deaths 581. (ANI)
Thirty more people succumb to COVID-19 in Punjab, toll reaches 16,978, infection tally jumps to 7,13,445 with 5,664 fresh cases; active case count 46,472: Medical bulletin on Sunday (PTI)
Doctors shouldn't practice unethical, immoral, unscientific COVID-19 treatment, says Dr Gagandeep Kang (ANI)
In a letter dated Jan 22, Uttarakhand Govt extends COVID restrictions in the state till January 31. All Anganwadi Centres and educational institutions up to 12th standard to remain closed, online classes to continue. (ANI)
Jharkhand reported 1, 269 new COVID cases, 3,423 recoveries, and 8 deaths in the last 24 hrs
Active cases: 19,466 (ANI)
India reports 3,06,064 new COVID cases (27,469 less than yesterday), 439 deaths, and 2,43,495 recoveries in the last 24 hours
Active case: 22,49,335
Daily positivity rate: 20.75% (ANI)
We've not made students' physical presence mandatory in schools. A few districts, are opening schools, a few districts are not. Parents may send their wards with permission. We request everyone to follow COVID19-appropriate behaviour: Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray (ANI)
Coronavirus India Live News: Covid-19 Omicron Cases in India Live Count, Coronavirus Lockdown, Night Curfew Guidelines and Restrictions Live Updates
