Omicron Variant Cases and Deaths in India, Covid-19 Booster Vaccine Registration January 28 Latest Update: As fresh Coronavirus infections continue to fall in India, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to review the Covid-19 situation, public health preparedness, and response measures being taken in the view of Omicron variant in Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh, via video conferencing at 3 pm on Saturday. Mandaviya also held meeting with some other states/UTs on Covid-19 today where he highlighted the role that teleconsultation has played to serve the people in far-off places as well as Covid patients in home isolation.
Is Omicron-led third wave plateauing in India? The Union Health Ministry in its latest press briefing said that there are ‘early signs’. However, the officials cautioned that the situation needs to be monitored closely as there are still 400 districts that have a positivity rate of 10 per cent and above. The most critical aspect of the latest update was the worrying trend in states such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Kerala. These states have a high viral load of active cases making them the new Covid epicentres in India.
India Covid-19 Status in last 24 hours:
New COVID cases: 2,51,209;
Death recorded: 627;
Recoveries registered: 3,47,443;
Active case: 21,05,611;
Daily positivity rate: 15.88%.
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Bucking the trend, states such as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have reported far lesser number of cases in weeks gone by. The officials have also confirmed that Omicron is the dominant variant in India surpassing the Delta transmission. As far as the Covid-19 vaccination stats are concerned, 75 per cent of the eligible population in India has received both doses of Covid vaccine, whereas 95 per cent have been covered with single jab. The inoculation programme for those below 18-year-olds has covered around 60 per cent of the children in India, the officials say.
Here are the latest Covid updates from India and around the globe:
Coronavirus India Live News: Covid-19 Omicron Cases in India Live Count, Coronavirus Lockdown, Night Curfew Guidelines and Restrictions Live Updates
Two Plate competition matches of the ICC Under-19 men's Cricket World Cup, involving Canada were on Friday cancelled after nine players from the team tested positive for COVID-19. The matches — Canada vs Scotland and Canada vs either of Uganda or PNG — were to be played on Saturday and Sunday at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy here. The players will now undertake a period of isolation where their welfare will be monitored by the event medical team, the ICC said in a statement. Because of the COVID-positive cases, the Canadian team has insufficient available players to be able to take any further part in the event. (PTI)
Bihar on Friday witnessed 1,654 new COVID-19 cases, 620 more than the day before, and six deaths, accordong to a bulletin issued by the state health department. The state's overall active coronavirus count jumped to 8,993, while the death toll increased to 12,211, the bulletin said as reported by PTI. At present, the caseload stands at 8,20,512.
Genome sequencing results | 67.5% Omicron and 26% Delta cases in third wave of COVID19; 90.7% Delta cases in the second wave: Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar (ANI)
Nagaland on Friday reported 130 new COVID-19 cases, 19 more than the previous day, with the tally rising to 34,189, a health official said as reported by PTI. The death toll rose to 713 as four more patients in Dimapur district succumbed to the disease, the highest single-day count for the current year, he said.
Chhattisgarh reports 3,919 new cases, taking the total number of active cases to 26,123; Positivity rate 8.24%, reports ANI.
Russian authorities on Friday reported over 98,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases, but the Kremlin said the actual number is likely to be much greater as the highly contagious omicron variant continues to rage through the vast country. Russia's state coronavirus task force registered 98,040 new infections tallied over the past 24 hours, another all-time high for the country that in recent weeks has faced its biggest surge of contagions in the pandemic. (AP)
Telangana on Friday reported 3,877 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 7,54,976, while the death toll rose to 4,083 with two more fatalities. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most cases with 1,189, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (348) and Ranga Reddy (241) districts, the bulletin said, providing details as of 5.30 PM today. (PTI)
Maharashtra reports 24,948 fresh COVID cases, 45,648 recoveries, 103 deaths in the last 24 hours and 110 tested positive for Omicron; Total Active cases: 2,66,586, reports ANI.
Karnataka reports 31,198 new cases & 50 deaths today; Active cases at 2,88,767, Positivity rate at 20.91%, reports ANI.
Rajasthan on Friday witnessed 8,125 fresh coronavirus cases and 21 more deaths, reported PTI. Of the fresh cases, Jaipur reported 2,300, Jodhpur 707, Udaipur 657, Bharatpur 478, Kota 458 and Alwar 408, according to health department data. Of the latest deaths, five each were reported in Jaipur and Jodhpur, two each from Ajmer, Barmer, Bikaner and Jhalawar, and one each from Karauli, Nagaur and Udaipur.
The COVID-19 tally in Nashik in Maharashtra reached 4,61,984 on Friday after 2,696 cases were detected, while the death of five patients took the toll to 8,797, an official said. So far, 4,36,115 people have recovered, including 2,900 during the day, leaving the district with an active tally of 17,972, he said. (PTI)
Night curfew (10pm-6am) to remain imposed in total 27 cities of the State including 8 major cities till 4th February. Hotels and restaurants will be allowed to continue home delivery service 24 hours: Gujarat Chief Minister's Office (ANI)
Himachal Pradesh on Friday reported 1,843 new Covid-19 cases, taking its tally of Coronavirus infections to 2,67,577. Nine people succumbed to COVID-19, pushing the death toll to 3,961, a health official said as reported by PTI. The fresh fatalities are people aged between 35 and 90, he said.
The Covid-19 tally in Haryana on Friday increased to 9,37,606, with 4,630 fresh Covid-19 cases, while 19 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 10,256, according to a health department bulletin. The worst-hit Gurgaon district reported 1,545 fresh cases, Faridabad 407, Sonipat 246 and Panchkula 359, the bulletin stated as reported by PTI.
Himachal Pradesh recorded 10 more cases of the Omicron variant, taking the total count to 25, a health official said on Friday as reported by PTI. Initially, Omicron cases were reported only from international arrivals, but now they are being recorded in the community, he said. The senior official said that 127 whole genome sequencing (WGS) reports were received from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi, on Friday.
The European Union's executive arm is responsible of “maladministration” for mishandling a request for access to text messages between its president and the CEO of pharmaceutical company Pfizer regarding COVID-19 vaccine purchases, the bloc's ombudsman said Friday. Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly recommended that the European Commission “do a more extensive search for the relevant messages” relating to such purchases. In April last year, a story published by the New York Times revealed that EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla had exchanged text messages and calls about vaccine procurements for EU countries. (AP)
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Friday over 60% of children aged 15-18 years have received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, as reported by PTI. He also congratulated the children, saying “Young India showed the way”.
The Covid-19 tally in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday surged to 4,24,085, with 4,354 fresh cases, while five more fatalities in the last 24 hours pushed the death toll to 4,647, officials said. Of the fresh cases, 1,440 were from the Jammu division and 2,914 from the Kashmir division, they said, as reported by PTI. Srinagar district recorded the highest of 916 cases followed by 763 cases in Jammu district.
Kerala records 54,537 fresh Covid-19 cases on Friday, taking the infection count in the state to 58,81,133, reported PTI. According to the health department, 352 deaths were reported, pushing the death toll to 52,786. Among the latest fatalities, 94 were recorded over the last few days, while 258 were designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court.
The Covid-19 tally in Sikkim on Friday increased to 37,816, with 165 new cases, health department said in its bulletin as reported by PTI. One more person succumbed to the infection, raising the toll to 428, it said. East Sikkim logged 96 fresh cases followed by West Sikkim at 57, South at seven and North Sikkim at five.
Goa witnessed 1,322 new Covid-19 cases and 20 deaths on Friday, according to data from the state health department as reported by PTI. The positivity rate — the number of positive cases per 100 tests — rose to 28.43%. Goa on Thursday had reported 955 new cases and 15 deaths along with 28.07% positivity rate. The coastal state's caseload rose to 2,36,361, and death toll reached 3,665.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to review the Covid-19 situation, public health preparedness, and response measures being taken in the view of Omicron variant in Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand. West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, via video conferencing at 3 pm tomorrow, reports ANI.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Friday said the rate of Covid-19 infection is decreasing in the state. In the fourth week of January, rate of infection has been reduced to 71%. Out of the total positive cases in Kerala, only 3.6% is hospitalised. ICU occupancy and oxygen bed requirement is not increasing, she said, as reported by ANI.
Russian authorities on Friday reported over 98,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases, but according to the Kremlin, the actual number is likely to be much higher as the highly contagious omicron variant continues to rage through the vast country. Russia's state coronavirus task force on Friday registered 98,040 new infections tallied over the past 24 hours — another all-time high for the country that in recent weeks has faced its biggest surge of contagions in the pandemic. (AP)
Russian authorities on Friday reported over 98,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases, but according to the Kremlin, the actual number is likely to be much higher as the highly contagious omicron variant continues to rage through the vast country. Russia's state coronavirus task force on Friday registered 98,040 new infections tallied over the past 24 hours — another all-time high for the country that in recent weeks has faced its biggest surge of contagions in the pandemic. (AP)
Andhra Pradesh recorded 12,561 new Covid-19 cases and 12 more deaths today, according to the latest health bulletin. The bulletin said that the active case count now stands at 1,13,300 and the gross Covid-19 positive cases in the state touched 22,48,608 while the number of recoveries reached 21,20,717. The death toll now stands at 14,591.
Thane collector Rajesh Narvekar on Friday asked the municipal corporations in the district to ensure that youngsters who lost one or both parents to COVID-19 are not deprived of education. Presiding over a meeting of the District Task Force, he said civic corporations should reserve some funds for such youngsters who are in the age group of 18 to 23. Their property rights too should be protected, the collector said. (PTI)
Meghalaya on Friday logged 361 new Covid-19 cases, pushing the caseload to 90,202, a senior health official was quoted as saying by PTI. The Covid-19 death toll in the state now stands at 1,515 as six more patients succumbed to the disease, Health Services director Dr. Aman War said.
Mizoram on Friday logged 2,064 new Covid-19 cases, the second-highest single-day spike since the pandemic began, a health department official was quoted as saying by PTI. Mizoram's tally now stands at 1,67,725,
Five India players who were infected with COVID-19, including skipper Yash Dhull, have recovered and are available for the Under-19 World Cup quarterfinal against Bangladesh on Saturday but the team has also been hit by a fresh case. Nishant Sindhu, who captained the team in the absence of Dhull, tested positive following the final league game against Uganda and won't be available for the knock-out match. Left-arm spinner Aneeshwar Gautam will be coming in to replace Sindhu in the squad. (PTI)
Delhi transport department today ordered resumption of driving license skill and learning license tests which were suspended in view of spike in COVID-19 cases, as per a PTI report. The report further said that the suspension was withdrawn following reopening of some prohibited activities by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) after the coronavirus situation improved in the national capital.
Maharashtra government and the BMC have assured the Bombay High Court that the Covid-19 situation in the state is under control, news agency PTI reported. The authorities have said that they are fully prepared to meet any eventuality.
Israel's health ministry has informed that the country has signed a deal to buy 5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from Novavax, as per Reuters report.
According to a PTI report, NeoCov, a type of coronavirus which has been found in bats in South Africa, may pose threat to humans in future if it mutates further. This has been suggested in a study by Chinese researchers.
Scientists today asked the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to support the waiver of intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments amid the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of coronavirus, as per a Reuters report. The scientists have also asked Johnson in a letter, to support the World Trade Organization's Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement.
Thai health authorities approved new guidelines Friday outlining the parameters for declaring the coronavirus pandemic an endemic disease. Official figures show that the country already meets the three criteria, but Ministry of Public Health spokesman Rungrueng Kitphati said it would still be between six months and a year before the government would be able to make the decision to start treating COVID-19 as an illness that is here to stay, like the flu or measles. Among other things, he said data from all of Thailand's provinces need to be checked, and authorities need to be sure that the figures remain at the current levels or improve before it can be declared endemic. (AP)
The Philippines will lift a ban on the entry of foreign tourists and business people next month after nearly two years, in a move to revive the battered tourism industry as the latest coronavirus outbreak started to ease, officials said Friday. (AP)
ANI reports that the trials for BharatBiotech for intranasal booster dose will be done at 9 different sites.
Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) gives permission to BharatBiotech for intranasal booster dose trials. (ANI)
The West Bengal government has slashed the rate of an RT-PCR test by nearly half to Rs 500 from Rs 950, a senior health official said on Friday.
However, the additional charge of Rs 15 per km for home collection of samples remains unaltered, he said, adding that the new rate came into effect from January 27.
“The revised rate will be applicable also to all private laboratories. The cost of reagents has dropped drastically, hence we slashed the charge. An order to this effect has been passed,” West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) chairperson Justice (retired) Ashim Kumar Banerjee said.
The rate of an RT-PCR test in Delhi is Rs 300, while that in Mumbai is Rs 500.
West Bengal has tested 2,30,02,149 samples for COVID-19 till Thursday. (PTI)
Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya has said that over 1 crore precaution doses have been administered to the eligible population — frontline workers, healthcare workers and those 60 years and above with co-morbidities — in just 19 days.
Hong Kong is cutting the length of mandatory quarantine for people arriving from overseas from 21 to 14 days, even as the southern Chinese city battles a new surge in COVID-19 cases.
Hong Kong is a major hub for business and finance and the tight restrictions on foreign travel had drawn complaints, especially from the large expatriate community.
The relaxation of rules doesn't satisfy calls for a lowering of almost all quarantine requirements, as some countries have done, but represents a break with China and its “zero tolerance” policy toward the virus that still requires all foreign arrivals to isolate for 21 days, has cut key domestic travel links and placed millions under lockdown. (AP)
Rajasthan Health Minister Parsadi Lal Meena has said that the COVID situation in the state is 'normal'. He said there are fewer deaths and hospitalizations in the state and the government will be barring the entry of unvaccinated people into government offices in the coming days. The minister told ANI that the state will soon take a decision regarding the reopening of schools.
The COVID-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 9,624 on Friday as 19 people tested positive for the infection, 64 less than the previous day, a health bulletin said.
Two new patients have travel history, while 17 infections were detected during contact tracing, it said.
The Union territory now has 504 active cases, while 8,991 people have recovered from the disease, including 60 in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.
The death toll remained unchanged at 129 as no fresh fatality was recorded.
The administration has tested over 6.82 lakh samples for COVID-19, and inoculated 3.04 lakh people thus far, it added. (PTI)
Jharkhand reported 892 new COVID-19 cases, and 5 more death on Friday, a health department bulletin said. As per PTI, Jharkhand has 12,076 active cases as of now.
An official health bulletin stated that the union territory of Ladakh has 133 new Covid cases, which takes the total tally to 25,348. The active cases in Ladakh are down to 1,250 with 191 more recoveries. There were no fatalities, PTI reported.
Since the late 2019 when the coronavirus was detected in China's Wuhan, the pandemic has engulfed almost all regions of the planet. Yet, there are some remote locations that have remained largely uninfected despite the raging Delta, Omicron waves. However, that situation is changing now. An AP report says that the remote Pacific archipelago of Kiribati has seen cases of Covid-19 infections among the missionaries who had travelled before the border closure.
Maharashtra's Thane district reported 1,245 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday alongwith eight deaths during the same time period. As per PTI, Thane's COVID-19 mortality rate is 1.68 per cent.
Coronavirus India Live News: Covid-19 Omicron Cases in India Live Count, Coronavirus Lockdown, Night Curfew Guidelines and Restrictions Live Updates
