Omicron Coronavirus India Live News, Coronavirus Vaccination Statistics and Registration Latest Updates, Covid-19 Cases and Deaths in India Recent Updates, Covid Restrictions Feb 18 Latest Updates: India on Friday morning reported 25,920 new cases of Coronavirus infections and 492 related deaths in last 24 hours, as per the official data shared by the Union Ministry of Health. The daily new infections were recorded less than one lakh for 12 consecutive days. The ministry has revealed that the active cases further declined to 2,92,092 comprising 0.68 per cent of the total infections, while the national recovery rate has further improved to 98.12 per cent.
With cases of Covid-19 showing a consistent decline in the country, several states have already begun the process of relaxing Covid restrictions. The Delhi University resumed its offline classes for undergraduate and postgraduate courses on Thursday afte nearly two-year-long lull. Goa on Thursday decided to reopen all educational institutions from Class 1 to 12 from February 21. Even the Karnataka government on Thursday said that a mandatory negative RT-PCR test report of passengers coming from Kerala and Goa, will no longer be needed. Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office also announced that night curfew from 12am to 5am would be enforced in only two cities of the state, Ahmedabad and Vadodara from February 18 to February 25.
Internationally speaking, the Covid-19 battle in Hong Kong is intensifying with each passing day. According to media reports, Hong Kong’s hospitals were almost at full capacity on Thursday. New cases in Hong Kong had multiplied by 60 times so far this month and the media reported that testing would become mandatory for everyone from March, as per a Reuters report.
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Coronavirus India Live News: Covid-19 Omicron Cases in India Live Count, Coronavirus Lockdown, Night Curfew Guidelines and Restrictions Live Updates
We can see that the surge has settled, but we must also know that there are cases at a significant number. Hopefully, it will be sustained but we cannot lower our guards. There should be a complete watch that we are ready for any eventuality: Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, Niti Aayog (ANI)
With the addition of 124 new cases of coronavirus, the tally of infections in Maharashtra's Nashik district rose to 4,75,210 on Friday, an official said. As many as 255 patients were discharged from hospitals, while one died of the infection during the day, taking the count of recoveries to 4,65,337 and toll to 8,885, the official said. The district is currently left with 988 active cases, he said. (PTI)
Himachal Pradesh recorded one more fatality due to Covid on Friday which pushed the death toll to 4,072, while 285 fresh cases took the infection tally to 2,81,718, a health official said. The only Covid death was reported from Shimla district, he added. The number of active COVID-19 cases decreased to 2,047 on Friday from 2,247 a day before, the official said. (PTI)
The COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh reached 10,32,477 on Friday with the detection of 888 cases, while the deaths of two patients in the last 24 hours took the toll to 10,711, an official said. The positivity rate stood at 1.4 per cent, down from 1.8 per cent on Thursday, he said. So far, 10,12,060 people have been discharged post recovery, including 2,715 during the day, leaving the state with an active tally of 9,706, the official said. Bhopal and Indore, the two worst coronavirus-hit cities of Madhya Pradesh, registered 182 and 100 cases, respectively, during the past 24 hours, he said. With 60,278 samples examined during the day, the number of tests in MP went up to 2,72,31,041, he added. (PTI)
Delhi on Friday reported 607 fresh COVID-19 cases and four deaths, while the positivity rate dropped to 1.22 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. With this, the national capital's case count increased to 18,54,774 and the death toll climbed to 26,095, the latest health bulletin stated. The number of COVID-19 tests conducted a day ago stood at 49,928, it said. Delhi had on Thursday reported 739 cases with a positivity rate of 1.48 per cent, and five deaths. (PTI)
Hong Kong will postpone the election of its next leader until May 8 as it grapples with a worsening coronavirus outbreak with thousands of new infections daily. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Friday the election will be delayed six weeks from March 27 because holding the polls as originally scheduled would pose “public health risks” even if a committee of only 1,462 people is involved. Hong Kong's leader is elected by a committee made up of legislators, representatives of various industries and professions, and pro-Beijing representatives such as Hong Kong deputies to the Chinese national parliament. Several candidates including film producer Checkley Sin and Titus Wu, a former member of Hong Kong's largest pro-establishment political party, have confirmed their intention to run. It is not clear if Lam will run for reelection. (AP)
Jammu and Kashmir recorded 197 fresh Covid cases on Friday that took the infection tally to 4,51,989, while one more fatality pushed the death toll to 4,746, officials said. Of the new cases, 118 were from Jammu division and 79 from the Kashmir division, they said. Doda district recorded the highest 42 new cases followed by 41 in Jammu district. There are 2,597 active cases in the Union Territory, while the overall recoveries has reached 4,44,646, officials said. (PTI)
COVID19 | Maharashtra logs 2,068 new cases & 15 deaths today; Active cases stand at 21,159 (ANI)
COVID19 | Mumbai reports 202 new infections & 1 death today; Active cases at 1,780 (ANI)
Andhra Pradesh reported 495 fresh cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours ending 9 AM on Friday. According to the latest bulletin, 1,543 infected persons got cured and one died. There were 23,15,525 positive cases, 22,92,396 recoveries and 14,708 deaths till date. The active caseload decreased to 8,421, the bulletin added. (PTI)
Canada's House of Commons cancelled its work on Friday amid rapidly increasingly signs police were about to begin breaking up the three-week protest by hundreds of truckers angry over the country's COVID-19 restrictions. Ottawa police made it clear on Thursday they were preparing to end the siege near Parliament Hill and remove the more than 300 trucks. The city's interim police chief warned that “action is imminent.” Police arrested two protest leaders late Thursday. House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota warned lawmakers on Friday to “stay away from the downtown core until further notice” because of an expected police operation. Lawmakers had been able to work uninterrupted for the last three weeks despite the protests outside by the self-styled Freedom Convoy. (AP)
The Maharashtra and Union governments have spent less than 50 per cent of funds under the National Rural Health Mission to treat COVID-19 patients, functionaries of healthcare initiative Jan Aarogya Abhiyan said on Friday. The JAA, an informal group of healthcare activists, made the statement based on data shared by the Maharashtra government's health department on its portal. “Out of Rs 1,583 crore for NRHM as state's share, only 32.3 per cent funds have been spent in 2021-22. The Union government, likewise, spent only 41.3 per cent. Less than two months are left in this fiscal. The overall expenditure of the health department is just 46.7 per cent, while the medical education department has spent 49.7 per cent so far,” the JAA said. (PTI)
Meghalaya on Friday recorded 55 fresh COVID-19 cases, 13 more than the previous day, pushing the tally to 93,228, a health department official said. The death toll due to the contagion also mounted to 1,566 after one more patient succumbed to the virus, Health Services Director Aman War said. The northeastern state now has 473 active cases, while 91,189 people have recovered from the disease so far, he said. Of the new cases, East Khasi Hills district reported (21) followed by West Garo Hills (12) and West Jaintia Hills (5). (PTI)
Kerala registers 7,780 new Covid19 cases, 18 deaths and 21,134 recoveries today; Active cases stand at 85,875, death toll 63,529 (ANI)
India has vaccinated 80% of its eligible adult population against COVID with both doses: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya (ANI)
The first African countries selected to receive the technology necessary to produce mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 are Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia, a summit meeting of European Union and African Union nations heard on Friday. The six countries will receive the technology from the World Health Organization's global mRNA vaccine hub based in South Africa, with the aim to help them start producing vaccines as soon as possible. In a bid to help poor countries to produce their own vaccine, the World Health Organization last year teamed up with local companies and scientists to replicate the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine. Africa currently produces just 1% of coronavirus vaccines. According to WHO figures, only 11% of the population in Africa is fully vaccinated, compared with the global average of about 50%. (AP)
A Japanese health panel approved on Friday a plan for more targeted COVID-19 curbs across much of the nation, as new infections decline but deaths rise to a record level. The government will let limits on mobility and commerce lapse on Sunday in five prefectures where the virus appears to
have peaked, but extend curbs until March 6 in 17 more areas where infections are still relatively high. “The priority going forward is to try to hold down serious cases and deaths among the elderly,” top health adviser Shigeru Omi told reporters after a meeting of the panel, whose plan was expected to be officially approved later in the day. New deaths rose to a record 271 on Thursday, a tally by national broadcaster NHK showed, exceeding 200 for the third straight day. February's 2,446 deaths make it the second-deadliest month in the two-year pandemic. (Reuters)
Germany has crossed over the peak of new daily infections with the omicron variant of COVID-19, the country's health minister said on Thursday. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said government measures to curb infection numbers have been effective, but he warned against relaxing the public health rules too hastily. “We are not really in safe waters,” he told reporters in Berlin. Lauterbach, an epidemiologist by training, noted that as many as 12% of people over age 60 in Germany are still unvaccinated. That share is three to four times higher than that of unvaccinated, vulnerable population groups in comparable countries. Germany has been slower than many of its neighbours to relax pandemic restrictions. (AP)
The BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant is not only faster at spreading, but may also cause more severe disease, a lab study suggests. The yet-to-be peer-reviewed findings, recently posted on the preprint repository BioRxiv, show that the BA.2 sub variant may have features that make it as capable of causing serious illness as older coronavirus variants. (PTI)
The All India Parents' Association (AIPA) has written to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal demanding that vaccination centres running in government schools be shifted to other places and teachers posted on Covid duty be called back. The letter comes following the reduction in coronavirus cases as well as reopening of schools in the national capital after prolonged closure. (PTI)
Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya says over 2 crore youngsters between the 15-18 age group are now fully vaccinated against COVID19 (ANI)
Hong Kong's Fung Shing Restaurant was bustling this week as customers came for one last taste of the traditional Cantonese dim sum that has made it famous. With COVID restrictions cutting too deeply into its bottom line, the restaurant will shut its doors for good on Sunday, another economic victim of the pandemic. Many fear the worst is yet to come, however, with Hong Kong experiencing its most severe outbreak yet, and fret the authorities' determination to stick to mainland China's “zero-COVID” strategy may prevent it from recovering as a financial and travel hub. (AP)
The union territory of Puducherry logged 50 fresh coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours taking the overall tally to 1,65,534, a senior official of the Department of Health said on Friday. No fresh fatality was reported in the last 24 hours ending 10 AM Friday and the death toll remained at 1,959, Director of Health G Sriramulu said in a release here. The union territory had clocked 68 new cases on Thursday. The number of active cases stood at 586 with 32 patients undergoing treatment in hospitals and the remaining 554 in home quarantine, he added. (PTI)
Germany's health minister said Friday that he thinks the country has passed a peak in new daily infections with the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said government measures taken to curb the number of cases had been effective, but he warned against relaxing the public health rules too hastily. “We are not really in safe waters,” he told reporters in Berlin. (AP)
#covid19 | Odisha government decided to lift the night curfew in all urban areas with effect from today (ANI)
RUSSIA REPORTS 180,071 NEW CORONAVIRUS CASES IN PAST 24 HOURS (VS. 180,622 CASES ON PREVIOUS DAY) (Reuters)
With 25,920 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India's tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,27,80,235, while the active cases dipped below three lakh after 43 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. (PTI)
Hong Kong parents rushed children as young as 3 years old to vaccination centres this week as the government lowered the age limit for the shots and the deaths of two toddlers exacerbated concerns in a city struggling to cope with a COVID-19 surge. The government approved children 3 and older to take China's Sinovac vaccine from Feb. 15, while those 5 and older can take the BioNTech shot. The measures come as the Chinese territory has recorded a 60-fold surge in infections since Feb. 1, overwhelming the global financial centre's hospitals and testing facilities. (Reuters)
Hong Kong has identified more than 20,000 hotel rooms for quarantine accommodation, leader Carrie Lam said on Friday, as property developers piled in to show support as the global financial hub battles a surge in COVID-19 cases. Lam said 21 hotels had expressed interest in turning their facilities into isolation venues, exceeding “by a large margin the government's original target of 7,000 to 10,000 rooms”. (Reuters)
Cuba's widespread COVID-19 vaccination coverage and early move to inoculate its children proved pivotal in beating back the highly infectious Omicron variant before it ever took hold on the island, local and international experts say. Omicron arrived in Cuba in December but fell far short of the pronounced spike in cases seen in many other places and infections have since fallen off by more than 80%, official data shows. (Reuters)
The World Health Organization said on Thursday countries struggling with surging COVID-19 infections may shorten the recommended quarantine duration of 14 days in some situations. The U.N. agency said its new guidelines may be helpful for places where essential services are under pressure. (Reuters)
The union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported more COVID-19 recoveries than fresh cases as 21 people recuperated from the disease while eight new infections pushed the tally to 9,994, a health department official said here on Friday. The archipelago now has 83 active COVID-19 cases, while 9,782 people have recovered from the disease so far, he said. The COVID-19 death toll remained at 129 as no fresh fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, the official said. (PTI)
One more person succumbed to COVID-19 infection in Arunachal Pradesh, pushing the death toll to 295, a senior health department official said here on Friday. The COVID-19 caseload in the frontier state rose to 64,200 as 41 more people tested positive for the infection, he said. (PTI)
Japan set a new record for daily deaths from COVID-19 in a wave of Omicron-fuelled fatalities that a government-affiliated researcher estimated may stretch into April. Newly recorded fatalities rose to 271 on Thursday, according to a tally by national broadcaster NHK, the third straight day over 200. There have been 2,446 deaths so far in February, already the second-deadliest month in the two-year pandemic. (Reuters)
In freezing temperatures and surrounded by trucks and demonstration banners, two Canadians staged a jacuzzi protest on an Ottawa street on Thursday to call for an end to COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates. Protesters Jean-Philippe and Gabriel, who declined to give their last names, sat in a portable hot tub in central Ottawa, as police warned protesters of “imminent” action to clear them from the capital and began making arrests to end a crisis that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned was threatening public safety. (Reuters)
Hundreds of truckers clogging the streets of Canada's capital stood their ground and defiantly blasted their horns Thursday as police poured in, threatening to break up the nearly three-week protest against the country's COVID-19 restrictions. Busloads of police arrived near Ottawa's Parliament Hill, and workers put up extra fences around government buildings. Police also essentially began sealing off much of the downtown area to outsiders to prevent them from coming to the aid of the protesters. (AP)
South Korea will extend restaurant dining hours but maintain a six-person limit on private social gatherings as it wrestles with a massive coronavirus wave driven by the highly infectious omicron variant. The 109,831 new cases reported on Friday was another record and about a 25-fold increase from the levels seen in mid-January, when omicron became the country's dominant strain. The more than 516,000 infections counted in the past seven days alone raised South Korea's caseload to over 1.75 million. (AP)
Active case: 2,92,092
Daily positivity rate: 2.07%
Total recoveries: 4,19,77,238
Total vaccination: 1,74,64,99,461 pic.twitter.com/5nCtJV1u6m
— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2022
With the addition of 114 coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra increased to 7,07,677, an official said on Friday. These new cases were reported on Thursday, he said. The virus claimed the lives of four persons, which pushed the death toll in the district to 11,859. Thane's mortality rate is 1.67 per cent, he added. In neighboring Palghar district, the caseload has grown to 1,63,244, while the death toll stood at 3,391, another official said. (PTI)
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced the first shift by a state to an “endemic” approach to the coronavirus pandemic that emphasizes prevention and quick reactions to outbreaks over mandates, a milestone nearly two years in the making that harkens to a return to a more normal existence. Newsom said the approach — which includes pushing back against false claims and other misinformation — means maintaining a wary watchfulness attuned to warning signs of the next deadly new surge or variant. (AP)
Singing and dancing will resume in nightclubs in Sydney and Melbourne from Friday, while most mandatory check-ins have been scrapped as officials lifted nearly all COVID-19 curbs in Australia's biggest cities amid a steady fall in hospital cases. The relaxation in social distancing rules comes ahead of the full reopening of Australia's international borders on Monday after nearly two years, boosting business confidence battered by stop-start lockdowns. (Reuters)
— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2022
The positivity rate stands at 22.01% pic.twitter.com/J2aNGzepfn
— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2022
Mexican health ministry data showed on Thursday that coronavirus fatalities were up by 470 to bring the total death toll to 314,598 since the pandemic started, as per a Reuters report.
Coronavirus India Live News: Covid-19 Omicron Cases in India Live Count, Coronavirus Lockdown, Night Curfew Guidelines and Restrictions Live Updates
