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Coronavirus Omicron India Highlights: The total cases of Omicron have reached 22 in Delhi with 12 more people tested positive for the new variant of COVID-19. Ten of the 22 patients have been discharged, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has said. In view of the threat posed by the Omicron variant, the Delhi health department has recently issued an order directing hospitals to augment human resources, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitation and security staff, on contract or through the existing outsourcing agencies against the vacant posts and extra 25 percent of the sanctioned strength till March 31. In Mumbai, a 29-year-old man who had returned from New York has tested positive for Omicron variant, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has said. Telangana has reported two more Omicron cases, which took the total number of cases of the new coronavirus variant in the state to eight, according to a health official.
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Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates |
Maharashtra reports 8 more Omicron infections, tally rises to 4Maharashtra on Saturday reported eight new infections of the Omicron variant of coronavirus which took the total of such cases in the state to 48, the health department said. But 28 of these patients have already recovered or have been discharged after testing negative for COVID-19 in subsequent tests, it said.
Overall, Maharashtra reported 854 new coronavirus infections including eight Omicron cases during the day.Of eight new Omicron patients, four were detected following RT-PCR tests at the Mumbai airport. One of them is from Mumbai itself, another is from Jalgaon in north Maharashtra and other two from Chhattisgarh and Kerala, respectively, officials said.
Two of them had travelled to Africa, one to Tanzania while another had been to the UK. All four are fully vaccinated and asymptomatic, the health officials said.Three other new Omicron patients were a couple from Satara in Western Maharashtra and their 13-year-old daughter.
The couple and their two daughters had returned from Uganda recently; the younger daughter who is five years old was diagnosed with COVID-19 but not the Omicron variant, district officials had said earlier in the day. The health condition of all four from the family was said to be fine.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates |
India's Omicron tally rises to 126
India's Omicron COVID count rose to 126 on Saturday after Karnataka and Kerala reported six and four cases respectively, while three more persons in Maharashtra also tested positive for the variant.
According to central and state officials, omicron cases have been detected in 11 states and union territories — Maharashtra (43), Delhi (22), Rajasthan (17) and Karnataka (14), Telangana (8), Gujarat (7), Kerala (11), Andhra Pradesh (1), Chandigarh (1), Tamil Nadu (1) and West Bengal (1).
Of the six new cases in Karnataka, one is a passenger from the UK, while five others are from COVID-19 clusters in two educational institutions in Dakshina Kannada district, and their travel history or contact with the international travellers are being ascertained, officials said.
"Two cluster outbreaks of COVID have been reported from two educational institutions in Dakshina Kannada today: Cluster 1: 14 cases (of which 4 are Omicron). Cluster 2: 19 cases (1 is Omicron). A traveller from UK has also tested positive for Omicron," Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar said in a tweet.
Karnataka records 6 more cases, tally now 14
Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Saturday said six more cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected in the state.
Of six cases, five have have been detected from COVID clusters that have emerged from two educational institutions in Dakshina Kannada district. This takes the state's tally of Omicron cases to fourteen.
Source: PTI
Christmas-New Year season nears, Mumbai civic chief tells people to adhere to norms strictly
Mumbai civic chief IS Chahal on Saturday said ward-level squads will be formed to take action against COVID-19 protocol violators. Amid the scare from the new Omicron variant of coronavirus and the Christmas-New Year festival season round the corner, he said people in the metropolis must avoid crowding in hotels, restaurants, cinemas, malls and asserted that attendance caps in place for marriages and other functions will have to be adhered to strictly.
While the attendance limit is 50 per cent of capacity of confined/closed spaces, it is 25 per cent of capacity in open places, while any gathering of over 1,000 people will require the prior permission of the Local Disaster Management Authority, the civic chief said.
"Use a mask properly, get fully vaccinated. A new variant of the COVID-19 virus called Omicron is spreading rapidly around the world, putting a strain on the health system. Despite repeated appeals by the government and administration to prevent a probable third wave, it has been observed that guidelines are not being followed properly in most places, especially in wedding functions and other ceremonies," Chahal said.
"Those violating COVID-19 rules will be dealt with severely by civic ward level teams as well as the police," the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation chief said, adding that the outbreak situation in the metropolis was under control at present due to the cooperation of citizens as well as the excellent management and speed of the vaccination drive. The spread of Omicron had once again forced several nations to impose lockdown and other prohibitory measures, and the Union and state governments were continuously asking people to be vigilant to prevent a similar situation in India, he said.
Source: PTI
Hong Kong's strict adherence to a zero-Covid strategy is damaging the hub's aviation industry and "killing" Cathay Pacific, a major shareholder in the city's home carrier told local media.
Following Beijing's lead, Hong Kong has maintained some of the world's strictest quarantine measures and travel curbs, which has kept the city coronavirus-free but internationally isolated.
