Balurghat: A healthcare worker administers a dose of Covid-19 preventive vaccine to a woman at a vaccination centre, in Balurghat. (PTI Photo)Coronavirus Omicron News Live Updates: Â India reported a slight rise in fresh cases and deaths, recording 30,757 new Covid-19 cases and 541 deaths in the last 24 hours ending at 8 am on Thursday. With this, active cases are now at 3,32,918, while the death toll has risen to 5,10,413.
With all indicators signalling a steady return to the situation that prevailed two months ago, the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday directed states to ease, or even do away with, the additional restrictive measures that had been imposed to deal with the third wave of the pandemic. In a letter to chief secretaries in states, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said it is important that movement of people and economic activities do not remain under the same level of restrictions now.
Several states have already begun the process of easing Covid restrictions: After a nearly two-year-long lull, Delhi Universityâs North Campus and student hubs surrounding it are back to pulsing with life as colleges prepare to open for offline classes from Thursday. The Haryana government on Wednesday lifted all Covid-related restrictions in the state, officials told PTI. Meanwhile, in Uttarakhand, the state government lifted the night curfew after over one-and-a-half months and allowed various other economic activities to resume fully following a decline in daily Covid cases. The Punjab government ordered all schools to reopen for students of pre-primary to class 12.
Students in Pune get vaccinated against Covid-19. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)
Goa has completed 100 per cent coverage with both doses of Covid-19 vaccine among adults, senior officials of the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) announced on Wednesday and added that Covid-19 vaccination will be made part of routine immunisation programmes and run once a week at government-run centres.
“We have completed the 100 per cent immunisation of all the people in Goa. We had a target of 11.66 lakh as our population and as of today, we have completed 100.058 per cent. We will now integrate Covid vaccination programme into our routine vaccination programme. However, swabbing and testing will continue on all days. Covid vaccination centres will now close but the vaccine will be available through our routine immunisation centres,” DHS director Dr Ira Almeida said. Read more.
Colleges in the city reopened on Thursday after being shut for almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with students saying that they are excited to be back on campus.
The Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station, near the Delhi University, was jampacked as a large number students made their way to colleges in the north campus. Gajendra Mohan Thakur, a 26-year-old Campus Law Centre student, said, "I am excited to go back to the campus. The university was shut for around two years. The online mode of study was not efficient enough to substitute the offline mode of education. It is a time to reclaim our lost years." (PTI)
An Omicron-specific booster could be ready by August, the CEO of US biotech firm Moderna told Reuters, but the firm is still gathering clinical data to determine whether that vaccine would offer better protection than a new dose of the existing jab.
Last month Moderna began clinical trials for a booster dose specifically designed to target Omicron but initial results from studies in monkeys show the Omicron-specific shot may not offer stronger protection than a new dose of the existing vaccine. (Reuters)
WITH ALL indicators signalling a steady return to the situation that prevailed two months ago, the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday directed states to ease, or even do away with, the additional restrictive measures that had been imposed to deal with the third wave of the pandemic.
In a letter to chief secretaries in states, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said it is important that movement of people and economic activities do not remain under the same level of restrictions now.
“Presently, as the case trajectory across the nation is showing a sustained downward trend, it will be useful if states review and amend/ do away with the additional restrictions so imposed after considering the trend of new cases, active cases, and positivity,” Bhushan said in the letter. Read more.
India reported a slight rise in fresh cases and deaths, recording 30,757 new Covid-19 cases and 541 deaths in the last 24 hours ending at 8 am on Thursday. With this, active cases are now at 3,32,918, while the death toll has risen to 5,10,413.
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