Omicron Variant Cases and Deaths in India Live, Covid-19 Booster Vaccine Registration Latest Update, Covid-19 NeoCov Variant Feb 4 Live Updates: The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in its meeting on Friday decided to reopen schools, colleges, coaching institutes, and gyms in Delhi, reports said. Notably, the duration of Delhi night curfew has also been reduced by one hour (between 11 pm and 5 am), as per the reports.
In the meeting to rethink Delhi Coronavirus restrictions, DDMA also allowed institutions of higher education to open subject to standard operating procedures (SoPs) and mandated strict adherence to COVID-appropriate-behaviour at the reopening schools. Reports said that at the DDMA meeting it was decided that the Delhi schools will reopen in a phased manner. The schools for classes 9th to 12th will reopen from February 7, the report added.
In an example of strict clamping of Covid rules in Delhi, DDMA has decided that teachers who aren’t vaccinated will not be permitted to attend classes.
Also, DDMA has allowed offices to function with 100% attendance in Delhi. Single drivers in cars will be exempted from compulsorily wearing masks all the time. There was a major furore over this Covid mask mandate in Delhi. Reports added that Delhi gyms will be allowed to reopen with Covid restrictions.
After touching the record high of 28,867 on January 13 this year, health department updates show that the number of daily cases in Delhi has been on a steady decline. During the present Coronavirus pandemic wave, Delhi recorded the highest positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14. And in the next 10 days, the daily cases have dropped below the 10,000-mark.
ALSO READ — 34 states/UTs witness decline in Covid-19 cases, says Health Ministry
Earlier, in a sign of relief, India on Friday reported 13% lower cases than the previous day and the daily positivity rate fell to single digits after hovering for much higher numbers in the recent weeks. As per the daily bulletin by the health ministry, India has recorded 1,49,394 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours.
The Covid-19 death toll for yesterday was 1,072 fatalities; while 2,46,674 recoveries were registered across the country.
The total number of Covid-19 vaccination doses administered in the country touched the 168.47 crore mark, as per the health ministry bulletin.
India Covid-19 Status in last 24 hours:
New COVID cases: 1,49,394;
Death recorded: 1,072;
Recoveries registered: 2,46,674;
Active cases: 14,35,569;
Daily positivity rate: 9.27%
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
The COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh rose to 9,95,049 on Friday after detection of 6,516 new cases, down from 7,430 a day ago, while the death toll increased to 10,648 after nine more patients succumbed to the infection in the state, a health department official said. The daily positivity rate, or cases detected per 100 coronavirus tests, reduced to 8.2 per cent from 9.2 on Thursday, he said. The recovery count stood at 9,33,382 after 8,451 people were discharged during the day, he said. (PTI)
Meghalaya's COVID-19 tally rose to 92,021 on Friday as 211 more people tested positive for the infection, while two fresh fatalities pushed the northeastern state's coronavirus death toll to 1,538, a health official said. East Khasi Hills district, under which Shillong falls, recorded the highest number of new cases at 88, followed by 54 in West Garo Hills and 17 in Ri-Bhoi, Health Services Director Dr Aman War said. The state now has 1,839 active cases, while 88,644 people have recovered from the disease so far, including 375 in the last 24 hours. (PTI)
Gujarat reports 6,097 new #covid19 cases, 12,105 recoveries, and 35 deaths in the last 24 hours. Active cases 57,521 Death toll 10,614 (ANI)
West Bengal reports 1,523 new #covid19 cases, 2,421 recoveries, and 35 deaths in the last 24 hours. Active cases 20,213 Positivity rate 3.10% (ANI)
Active cases 11,942
Positivity rate 2.67% pic.twitter.com/hvaIU2Qhpa
— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2022
COVID19 | Delhi reports 2,272 new cases, 20 fatalities and 4,166 recoveries in the last 24 hours; Active cases stand at 11,716 (ANI)
Omicron variant is the dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the country at present, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar informed Lok Sabha on Friday. According to the World Health Organization, the Omicron variant has significantly increased transmissibility as compared to the Delta variant, and as a result, it is rapidly replacing the latter globally, Pawar said in reply to a written question. “As per the available evidence, vaccines help in terms of lesser people getting infected, lesser hospitalisation and lesser severity of disease amongst the patients,” she stated. (PTI)
Continuing to report a declining trend on new Covid-19 cases, Tamil Nadu on Friday saw the daily cases fall below the 10,000 mark with 9,916 infections, pushing the tally to 33,97,238, the health department said. As many as 30 people succumbed to the virus during the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 37,696, a medical bulletin said. Recoveries outnumbered new cases with 21,435 people getting discharged in the last 24 hours, aggregating to 32,04,213 leaving 1,55,329 active infections. (PTI)
Karnataka on Friday registered a decline in daily Covid-19 cases as the state reported 14,950 new infections and 53 deaths, taking the tally to 38,75,724 and death toll to 39,250, as per the official data.
All schools and colleges which remained closed since January 10 because of the rise in coronavirus cases here re-opened on Friday. Now that the cases were declining, a decision was taken by the Puducherry government to resume classes offline. A spokesman of the Directorate of Education said the institutions would function on all six days and were asked to ensure adherence to safety protocols. Students wearing masks were let into the premises only after sanitisation. (PTI)
Experts in Mizoram believe that spread of the Omicron variant is behind the rapidly rising number of cases of COVID-19 in the state even though this is to confirmed as yet by genome sequencing. State nodal officer of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and official spokesperson on COVID-19 Dr. Pachuau Lalmalsawma said that Omicron variant could be the reason for the high infection rate in Mizoram although genome sequencing to prove the Omicron variant has spread to these hilly border state is still awaited. “Our main suspect behind the rapid increase in COVID-19 case is Omicron, as most patients developed symptoms of the new variant,” he told PTI. (PTI)
A law requiring most adults in Austria to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is ready to take effect, but the sense of urgency that accompanied its announcement in November has largely evaporated. Few other countries look likely to go as far as attention turns to loosening restrictions. The Austrian mandate for residents 18 and over to get vaccinated — the first of its kind in Europe — cleared its last legislative hurdle Thursday when parliament's upper house approved what Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein called “a forward-looking and active step.” It's expected to become law in the coming days but it will be a while before Austrians notice any practical change. And it isn't clear when or even whether the toughest part of the plan, which was watered down from the initial proposal, will take effect. (AP)
Vaccine effectiveness of 99.3 per cent has been seen in individuals fully inoculated against coronavirus according to the data uploaded on India COVID-19 Tracker till January 2, the Lok Sabha was told on Friday. Responding to a question, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has developed the India COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker, by merging mainly three national databases — CoWIN, National COVID-19 Testing database and COVID-19 India portal. The tracker depicts vaccine effectiveness against death — the ability of vaccines to reduce death — using person time analysis from April 12, 2021 to January 2, 2022. (PTI)
The declining trend in daily Covid cases continued in Jammu and Kashmir with 1,429 being reported on Friday, officials said. They said the union territory also reported three deaths related to the pandemic that pushed the toll to 4,702. Of the fresh cases, 607 were recorded from the Jammu division and 822 from the Kashmir division, the officials said. (PTI)
A couple of professors of an engineering college in Indore in Madhya Pradesh have claimed to have made a device that can detect people moving about without wearing masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The 'mask detector' was developed by Associate Professor Puja Gupta and Assistant Professor Upendra Singh of the Information Technology department of Shri GS Institute of Technology and Sciences (SGSITS), a government aided autonomous institute. “The mask detector works with the help of a CCTV camera. We have developed a software after detailed research to immediately identify those who are not wearing masks the moment they pass through the camera. A 'please wear mask' message will be blared and their images are captured in the camera associated with the system,” Gupta told PTI on Friday. (PTI)
Karnataka govt eases COVID-19 restrictions in the state “Gyms, Cinema halls, swimming pools & Yoga centres have been allowed to function with 100% capacity with strictly adhering to COVID appropriate behaviour and guidelines,” reads the order (ANI)
South Africa is seeing more cases of the BA.2 sub-variant of the Omicron coronavirus variant and is monitoring it, but there is no clear sign that BA.2 is substantially different from the original Omicron strain, a senior scientist said on Friday. Michelle Groome, from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, showed in a presentation that BA.2 accounted for 23% of the 450 samples from January sequenced by South Africa's genomic surveillance network and the original strain 75%. (Reuters)
Kerala | #covid19 positivity rate has decreased to 10%. The fatality rate is 0.9%, which is also less than the national average: State Health Minister Veena George (ANI)
Daily COVID-19 cases in Kerala further decreased on Friday with the state recording 38,684 fresh infections which raised the total caseload to 62,11,116. The southern state had reported 42,677 COVID-19 cases on Thursday. Kerala on Friday also reported 595 deaths which raised the total fatalities in Kerala to 57,296, according to a government release. (PTI)
Active cases continued to decline in Andhra Pradesh as the state reported 4,198 fresh infections in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Friday. According to the latest bulletin, the state recorded 9,317 recoveries and five deaths during the period. The number of active cases is now at 88,364, while the tally of positive cases is at 22,97,369, recoveries 21,94,359 and deaths 14,646, the bulletin said. (PTI)
Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope on Friday said the number of COVID-19 cases had begun declining statewide and predicted that the third wave of the pandemic might get over by the second or third week of March. He said the state, which was reporting 48,000 cases per day during the third wave which started some weeks ago, was now seeing the tally increase by 15,000 daily, adding that the infection curve was flattening in major cities like Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Raigad. (PTI)
PIL seeks reduction in gap for COVID-19 precaution dose for frontline workers, Delhi HC says 'it's a policy decision' (ANI)
With active COVID-19 cases in Kerala starting to show a decline over the past few days, the State Government on Friday decided to start offline classes for students from February 7. – PTI
Tripura recorded 62 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, six less than the previous day, pushing the tally to 1,00,584, an official said. One more patient succumbed to COVID-19 on Friday, taking the state's death toll to 912, he said. The state now has 1,726 active COVID-19 cases while 97,878 people have recovered from the disease, the official said. Tripura on Thursday had reported 68 new COVID-19 cases and one death. Around 80 per cent of the eligible people have been inoculated with COVID-19 vaccine, said Director of Family Welfare and Preventive Medicine, Dr Radha Debbarma on Friday. – PTI
Hong Kong plans to roll out rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 to all its 7.5 million people in the near future, city leader Carrie Lam said on Friday, as the increasingly isolated global financial hub tries to control a new outbreak.Lam told reporters her government was working on increasing testing, contact tracing and vaccination capacity and making plans to send hospitalised asymptomatic patients to a quarantine facility reserved for close contacts as infections add up.Amid worries of invisible transmissions in the city, Lam said the government was procuring tens of millions of rapid antigen tests, but did not specify when and how the government will deploy them for voluntary universal testing. – Reuters
Rajasthan govt decides to lift night curfew, allow up to 250 people at private and public gatherings; revised rules to come into effect from tomorrow (PTI)
Thankful to people who ignored rumours spread by Opposition against Covid vaccines: PM Modi (PTI)
Uttar Pradesh witnessed benefits of 'double engine' government in administering Covid vaccine: PM Modi at virtual rally (PTI)
At an online briefing, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced that the panel has also decided to resume classes from nursery to 8 from February 14. (PTI)
The BA.2 sub-variant of the coronavirus’ Omicron strain requires further study to understand how distinct it is from the original strain in terms of contagiousness and other factors, the European Medicines Agency Biological Health Threats and Vaccines Strategy chief Marco Cavaleri said. | READ MORE
Offices to resume with 100 pc attendance, gyms and spas to reopen, says DDMA: Sources (PTI)
DDMA exempts solo drivers in cars from wearing masks: Sources (PTI)
DDMA decides to reopen schools in phased manner; classes for 9-12 to resume from Feb 7, no entry for unvaccinated teachers: Sources (PTI)
In Delhi, institutions of higher education to open subject to SoPs & strict adherence to COVID appropriate behaviour. Schools to open in a phased manner. Schools for classes 9th-12th to reopen from Feb 7. Teachers who aren't vaccinated will not be permitted: Sources (ANI)
DDMA allows offices to function with 100% attendance in Delhi. Single drivers in cars to be exempted from mask mandate. Gyms to open with restrictions: Sources (ANI)
Japan serious COVID-19 cases crossed 1,000 for the first time in four months, data showed on Friday, as the Omicron variant fuelled record infections and burdened the medical system.Seriously ill patients climbed by 131 to 1,042 cases from the day before, the health ministry said, the highest since September when the Delta variant drove a fifth wave of cases.Japan recorded 96,748 new cases on Thursday. Most regions are now under infection control measures to try to blunt the spread of Omicron that has exploded among a population where less than 5% have received vaccine booster shots.The government is considering a two-week extension of the curbs in 13 regions, including its capital Tokyo, the Fuji News Network said on Thursday. – Reuters
Last month's huge wave of omicron infections is thought to have weakened hiring in January, though the pullback is considered all but sure to prove a temporary one. Economists have forecast that the Labour Department will report Friday that employers added just 170,000 jobs last month, according to data provider FactSet. They expect the unemployment rate to remain unchanged at 3.9%. If the forecast is accurate, January would mark the lowest monthly job gain in about a year. Some economists fear that the government's report will show that the economy actually lost jobs last month, mostly because omicron infections forced so many workers to call in sick and stay home. In some cases, the government will count those absent workers as having lost jobs. – AP
For more than two years, the isolation of the Pacific archipelago nation of Tonga helped keep COVID-19 at bay. But last month's volcanic eruption and tsunami brought outside deliveries of desperately needed fresh water and medicine and brought the virus. Tonga is only one of several Pacific island countries to experience their first outbreaks over the past month. There is growing concern that their precarious health care systems might quickly become overburdened, and that the remoteness that once protected them may now make them difficult to help. AP
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday a military response to the ongoing Ottawa protest against COVID-19 measures is “not in the cards right now.'' Ottawa police Chief Peter Sloly said this week that all options are on the table, including calling in the military, to end the ongoing demonstration that was being called an ‘occupation’ by some on the city council. Thousands of protesters railing against vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions descended on the capital last weekend, deliberately blocking traffic around Parliament Hill. Police estimate about 250 remain. Trudeau said one must be ‘very, very cautious’ about deploying troops on Canadian soil, adding there has been no such request to the federal government. He said any formal requests for assistance from the City of Ottawa or Ontario will be considered. – AP
Thane district in Maharashtra has reported 620 new coronavirus positive cases, which took its infection count to 7,04,629, while the death of two patients pushed the toll to 11,807, an official said on Friday. These cases and fatalities were reported on Thursday, he said. Thane's COVID-19 mortality rate is 1.67 per cent. In neighbouring Palghar district, the caseload has gone up to 1,62,532 and the death toll to 3,382, another official said. PTI
Single-day recoveries outnumbered fresh COVID-19 cases in Arunachal Pradesh, as 404 patients recuperated from the disease, while 226 people tested positive, a health department official said on Friday. The state's coronavirus tally rose to 63,119, and 60,632 people have so far been discharged from hospitals, he said. The death toll increased to 291, after a woman succumbed to the virus at a health facility on Thursday, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Lobsang Jampa said. Of the new cases, 61 infections were registered in the Capital Complex Region, 31 in Lower Subansiri, 23 in East Siang, 20 in Lohit, 16 in West Kameng and 13 in Tawang district. Arunachal Pradesh now has 2,196 active cases. – PTI
Jharkhand on Friday reported 523 fresh COVID-19 cases, 78 less than the previous day, as the tally mounted to 4,30,296, a health department bulletin said. The death toll rose to 5,308 as two more persons, one each from Ramgarh and Chatra districts, succumbed to the virus, it said. East Singhbhum district registered the highest number of new infections at 203, followed by state capital Ranchi (128) and Bokaro (38). Jharkhand now has 3,256 active cases, while 4,21,732 patients have recovered from the disease so far, the bulletin said. About two crore samples have been tested for COVID-19 till date, including 53,100 since Thursday, it added. PTI
India reports 1,49,394 fresh COVID cases (13% lower than yesterday), 2,46,674 recoveries, and 1072 deaths in the last 24 hours
Active cases: 14,35,569
Death toll: 5,00,055
Daily positivity rate: 9.27%
Total vaccination: 168.47 crore (ANI)
