Coronavirus Omicron Highlights | India saw a single-day rise of 2,58,089 new coronavirus infections taking the tally of cases to 3,73,80,253, which included 8,209 cases of the Omicron variant detected so far, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Monday.
A total of 8,209 cases of the Omicron variant have been detected across 29 states and union territories, out of which 3,109 have recovered or migrated.
Maharashtra recorded the maximum 1,738 cases of the Omicron variant, followed by West Bengal 1,672, Rajasthan 1,276, Delhi 549, Karnataka 548 and Kerala 536 cases.
According to experts, it is not possible to undertake genome sequencing of each and every sample but this current wave is largely being driven by Omicron.
The number of active COVID-19 cases have increased to 16,56,341, the highest in around 230 days, while the death toll has climbed to 4,86,451 with 385 daily fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The active cases account for 4.43 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has decreased to 94.27 per cent, the ministry said.
An increase of 1,05,964 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 19.65 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate was 14.41 per cent, according to the ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,52,37,461, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.30 per cent.
The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 157.20 crore.
India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020; 30 lakh on August 23; 40 lakh on September 5; and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28; 70 lakh on October 11; 80 lakh on October 29; 90 lakh on November 20; and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.
India crossed the grim milestone of two crore infections on May 4 and three crore cases on June 23. The 385 new fatalities included 158 from Kerala and 36 from West Bengal.
A total of 4,86,451 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 1,41,808 from Maharashtra, 50,832 from Kerala, 38,431 from Karnataka, 36,989 from Tamil Nadu, 25,363 from Delhi, 22,963 from Uttar Pradesh and 20,088 from West Bengal.
The Health Ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities. "Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | West Bengal govt eases COVID-19 restrictions in the state
Gyms can operate with 50% capacity till 9pm,Jatrashall be allowed with 50% capacity till 9pm and outdoor shooting for films and TVprogrammesallowed in the state followingCOVIDappropriate protocols
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Manipur reports 32 new Omicron cases; tally in the state stands at 39
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Mumbai reports 5,956 new cases & 12 deaths today
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | National Task Force under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare releases revised clinical guidance for the management of adult COVID-19 patients
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Kerala Records 22,946 Fresh COVID-19 Cases
The number of daily COVID-19 cases continued to rise sharply in Kerala with the state reporting 22,946 fresh infections on Monday taking the total caseload to 53,92,652, a health bulletin said.The state Health Department said the growth rate of new virus cases has shot up by 182 per cent compared to the number of cases reported in the previous week (January 10 and 16).The toll in the state touched 50,904 with 72 virus-related deaths, it said. Among the new deaths, 18 were recorded over the last few days and 54 designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court."Currently, there are 1,21,458 active COVID-19 cases in the state out of which only 3.7 per cent requirehospitalisation," the state government said in a press release
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | 15,622 test positive for Covid in Uttar Pradesh, 9 more die: Official
UttarPradesh on Monday reported 15,622 fresh coronavirus cases, pushing the active infection tally to 1,06,616 as nine more people died ofCovidin the last 24 hours, raising the toll to 22,972, an official statement said. Lucknow reported the maximum number of 2,716 new cases, followed byGautamBudhNagarreporting 2,152 cases,Ghaziabad1,281 and Meerut 968 among other districts, it said. Two deaths each were reported from Aligarh andBudaunwhile one death each from Moradabad,Prayagraj,Etawah,MirzapurandMau, the statement said. As many as 12,402 more coronavirus patients have recovered from the viral infection, taking the total number of recoveries to 17,20,077, it said.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Singapore shuttler Yeo Jia Min tests COVID positive on return from India
Singapore woman shuttler Yeo Jia Min has tested positive for COVID-19 upon her return from India after withdrawing from the just-concluded India Open in New Delhi. The Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) said Yeo had tested negative in India. However according to SBA, the rapid antigen test (RAT) she took upon arrival in Singapore on Sunday returned positive.Her positive test result was later confirmed by a second confirmatory RAT test on Monday. The 22-year-old Yeo withdrew from the tournament last Thursday after she experienced "high fever".
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Tamil Nadu reports 4,108 new COVID19 cases and 696 recoveries
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Delhi govt's Covid helpline number receives 12,471 calls from January 10-16
The Delhi government received as many as 12,471 calls on itsCovidhelpline number 1031 over the last one week, even as the number of calls saw a slight decline from January 13 to January 16. Data provided by the city health department also showed that between January 10 and January 16, as many as 9,899 calls were received for ambulances.Meanwhile, Delhi Health MinisterSatyendarJain on Monday said the number of fresh COVID-19 cases has been reducing in the city for the last few days. According to the health department's data, between January 10 (Monday) and January 16 (Sunday), a total of 12,471 calls were received on the government'sCovidhelpline number and 9,899 calls for ambulances were received separately.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Daily virus cases in Russia double as omicron spreads
Russian authorities on Monday reported a sharp spike in newcoronaviruscases, apparently driven by the rapid spread of the omicron variant health officials warned about last week.The country’s state coronavirus task force registered 30,726 new infections over the last 24 hours, which is twice as many as 15,830 just a week ago and the highest daily tally since early December. The task force has also reported 670 deaths.The omicron variant spreads much more easily than other coronavirus strains, and has already become dominant in many countries. It also more easily infects those who have been vaccinated or had previously been infected by prior versions of the virus. However, early studies show omicron is less likely to cause severe illness than the previous delta variant.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Delhi reports 12,527 new COVID-19 cases & 24 deaths in last 24 hours; positivity rate at 27.99%
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Andhra CM decides to write to PM Modi to reduce gap of precautionary dose' from existing nine months to six months
CM YSJaganMohanReddy has held a review meeting on prevailingCovidsituation & decided to write a letter to the Centre seeking to reduce the gap for administering 'precautionary dose' from existing nine months to six months,AndhraPradesh Chief Minister's Office said.The CM has directed the officials to focus on scaling up vaccination in five districts - East Godavari,Guntur,YSRKadapa,VizianagaramandSrikakulam- with the lowest second dose vaccination.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Beijing Olympics tickets will not be publicly sold due to COVID-19
Tickets for the Winter Olympics set to begin on Feb. 4 will be distributed to "targeted" groups of people and will not be sold to the general public, theorganisingcommittee said on Monday, in the latest setback to the Games inflicted by COVID-19.Organisershad said in September that there would not be any international spectators at the Games, under COVID-19 prevention policies that have all but shut China's borders to internationaltravellers.It cited the "severe and complex" COVID-19 situation and the need to protect the safety of Olympics personnel and spectators in Monday's announcement. Local spectators who receive tickets must observe strict COVID-19 prevention measures before, during and after attending Olympic events, the committee said. It did not give further details, or further specify how tickets would be distributed. China, which has largely managed to curb local COVID-19 infections, is scrambling to prevent the spread of scattered outbreaks of the highly infections Omicron variant just as the busy Lunar New Year travel period begins.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates |967 Schools to be Transformed Into VaccinationCentresfrom January 19
Kerala Education Minister VSivankuttysaid that 967 schools with above 500 student beneficiaries each shall be transformed into vaccinationcentresfrom January 19 for children between the age group of 15 to 18 years. A total of 8.14 lakh students will get vaccinated.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | 26th International Film Festival of Kerala postponed amid COVID surge
Kerala Culture MinisterSajiCherianon January 17 said thatthe 26th International Film Festival of Kerala scheduled to be held from 4th to 11th February has been postponed considering the the current Covid19 situation in the state.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Karnataka reports 287 new Omicron cases today: State Health minister Dr Sudhakar K
KarnatakaHealth minister DrSudhakarK on January 17 said that the state reported287 new Omicron cases taking the overall tallyto 766.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Puducherry govt issues guidelines for govt employees
To control the spread of COVID-19,Dept of Personnel & Administrative Reforms has issued instructions that will remain in effect till January 31, for Govt offices in the UT. It hasinstructed Group 'A' officers and officers from level of Under Secretary to attend office with full strength. TheGroup B and C officials shall attend office as per requirement with 50% staff strength. As per the guidelines, persons with disabilities and pregnant women employees shall be exempted from attending office,but are required to work from home.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Over 3.5 crore children between the 15-18 years received first dose of COVID-19 vaccine: Mansukh Mandaviya
"Over 3.5 crore children between the 15-18 age group have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, since 3rd January," Union Health Minister DrMansukhMandaviyatweeted on January 17.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Australia recognises Sputnik V vaccine for international travellers
Australia has recognized Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, which is also in use in India, against coronavirus for those travelling to the country.The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of the Australian government’s health department on January 17 said it would recognise the Gamaleya Institute’s two-dose vaccine course “for the purpose of establishing a traveller's vaccination status”.Australia has made Covid vaccination a must for visitors as it battles a record spike in coronavirus cases. Its vaccine mandate made headlines as tennis superstar Novak Djokovic, in the country to defend his Australian Open title, was deported on January 16 after a prolonged drama over his unvaccinated status.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Two Die of Covid in Mathura, Courts Work Curtailed
Amid a fresh spurt in Covid cases, the Mathura district judiciary on Monday curtailed its functioning, banning litigants to enter the court premises without permission and making judicial officers and other staffers work in rotation as elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh under an Allahabad High Court order, a district judiciary official said on Monday. The restrictions on courts functioning were announced on a day two Covid deaths were reported in the district.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Delhi HC Urged to Direct Govt to Give Road Map to Vaccinate Kids of 12 Yrs and Below
A plea on Monday urged the Delhi High Court to direct the Central government to give a road map for vaccinating children of the age group of 12 years and below for COVID-19. A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and JusticeJyotiSingh said it would hear the plea on March 22.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Odisha logs 10,489 new Covid-19 cases, 3 more fatalities
Odishaon Monday recorded 10,489 new Covid-19 cases, 688 less than the previous day, with the tally mounting to 11,44,401, a health department bulletin said.The death toll rose to 8,484 as three more patients - two inBhubaneswarand one inAngul- succumbed to the disease, it said. Fifty-three otherCovidpatients have died due to comorbidities so far.The daily test positivity rate (TPR) stood at 14.96 per cent as the fresh infections were detected from 70,117 sample tests in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Raj Bhavan Goa to remain closed to visitors till January 23 amid COVID surge
Gaurish J. Shankhwalker, Joint Secretary to Governor said that in view of the rising COVID-19 cases, Raj Bhavan will remain closed to visitors for 1 week, until January 23, 2022.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | 2,500 cops infected, 767 cured of COVID since January 1: Police
About 2,500 Delhi Police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 since January 1 and 767 of them have recovered, an official said on Monday. According to the latest data, since January 1, about 2,500 Delhi Police personnel from all ranks and units of the force tested positive for Covid.Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Chinmoy Biswal who is also the spokesperson of Delhi Police had tested positive for the virus. He, however, has recovered and resumed work, a senior police officer said. "Many of them are recouping well and resuming their duties on a daily basis," the officer added. "About 2,500 personnel have tested positive for Coronavirus since January 1 till date. Out of them, 767 infected personnel of the force have recovered and resumed their work," said Biswal, Delhi Police PRO. Meanwhile, a special camp is being organised for police personnel of all ranks to administer booster doses to eligible ones.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Indore reported 1,890 new covid-19 cases, no serious symptoms
IndoreCMHOBSSetiasaid that the cityreported 1890 new COVID-19cases yesterday, with 10,313 active cases. There are no serious symptoms in these cases, majority being under home isolation. 153 patients are hospitalized, 12 cases with comorbidities needed ICU & 28 needed oxygen-beds.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | India's first homegrown mRNA vaccine to be tested amid Omicron spike: Official sources
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Nepal starts giving COVID-19 vaccine booster shots
Nepal began giving COVID-19 vaccine booster shots on Monday as coronavirus infections surged due to the spread of the Omicron variant, officials said. Daily cases jumped by 4,961 on Sunday, the biggest 24-hour increase in more than six months, taking total infections to 955,206, government data showed. COVID-19-related deaths stand at 11,620, the data showed.
The booster shots will be restricted to frontline workers for one week from Monday, the Health Ministry said, after which they'll be offered to people 60 and older. The booster shots will be given to those people who have completed six months after getting a second vaccine dose, the government said in a statement. Nepal, a natural buffer between China and India, has double-vaccinated 39.9% of its 30 million people in a campaign that began early last year.
The government has banned large public gatherings and closed schools and colleges until the end of January to curb the rate of infection. Authorities have also made it compulsory for people to produce proof of full vaccination to use public services from this week, prompting large queues at vaccine centres.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Blame game will not eradicate COVID-19: Arvind Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that indulging in a blame game over the pandemic situation will not eradicate the coronavirus and it should be eliminated from the entire country. His remarks came in response to Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij’s statement that "increasing coronavirus cases in Delhi have affected the NCR (National Capital Region) and the infection rate has increased in Gurugram, Faridabad and Sonipat districts".
Asked about Vij’s remarks, Kejriwal said, "I won’t indulge in blame game. It’s not going to eradicate the disease. Wherever there is coronavirus in the country it should be eradicated." He said the number of COVID-19 cases is reducing in Delhi and around 12,000-13,000 fresh cases are expected on Monday, down from over 18,000 cases recorded on Sunday.
The chief minister was speaking to reporters after flagging off the first electric bus of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) at its IP depot here. He said 300 more electric buses will arrive in Delhi by April. In the next few years, around 2,000 electric buses will join the public transport fleet in the national capital, he added.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Tamil Nadu health minister claims 100% of this population got first vaccine dose
The Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian said that 100 percent of school students aged 15 to 18 years in the state have been inoculated with the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This makes it the first Indian state to complete 100 percent vaccination for that age group. “100% of school students between 15 to 18 years in Tamil Nadu have been inoculated with the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine”, Subramanian told ANI on January 17.
Meanwhile, the state has recorded 1,000 new coronavirus positive cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of infections to 13,990. It also added 11 deaths, taking the death toll to 36,866, as per the state health ministry bulletin on January 17. Further, 2,547 COVID-19 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the cumulative recoveries has gone up to 2,714,643. Total number of people affected by COVID-19 thus far in the state has increased to 2,814,276.
Active cases in the state, including isolated patients, stands at 62,767. No new Omicron case was detected across Tamil Nadu on Monday, the bulletin said. Among the fresh cases include nine passengers who came from Bangladesh and two each from Sri Lanka and UAE; while others travelled from West Bengal (8), Assam (3), Kerala and Andhra Pradesh (2 each), and Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Bihar and Jharkhand (1 each) with one each among the fresh cases, it added. City-wise, Chennai reported a staggering 6,190 fresh cases, the highest in the state followed by Chengalpattu (1,696) and Thiruvallur (1,054). Mayiladuthurai registered the lowest cases in the state at 13, while Coimbatore and Kancheepuram saw 602 and 508 fresh infections, respectively.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Phytochemicals discovered in Himalayan plant Buransh that inhibit COVID-19 virus
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) have identified phytochemicals in the petals of a Himalayan plant that could potentially be used to treat COVID-19 infection.
The research found that phytochemical-rich petals of Rhododendron arboreum found in the Himalayan region, locally called "Buransh" show antiviral activity and fight against the virus. The findings of the research team have been recently published in the journal.
Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics'. According to the team, two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers are trying to understand the nature of the virus and discovering new ways to prevent the infection.
"While vaccination is one route to providing the body with the fighting power against the virus, there is a worldwide search for non-vaccine medicines that can prevent viral invasion of the human body. These medicines use chemicals that either bind to the receptors in our body cells and prevent the virus from entering them or act on the virus itself and prevent its replication inside our bodies, " said Shyam Kumar Masakapalli, Associate Professor, IIT Mandi's School of Basic Science.
"Among the different types of therapeutic agents being studied, phytochemicals chemicals derived from plants are considered particularly promising because of their synergistic activity and natural source with fewer toxicity issues. We are hunting for promising molecules from the Himalayan flora using multi-disciplinary approaches," Kumar said.
The petals of the Himalayan Buransh plant are consumed in various forms by the local population for its varied health benefits. "The team scientifically tested the extracts containing various phytochemicals in it, with particular focus on antiviral activity. The researchers extracted the phytochemicals from the Buransh petals and performed biochemical assays and computational simulation studies to understand its antiviral properties," Masakapalli said.
Ranjan Nanda, Translational Health Group, International Centre for GeneticEngineering and Biotechnology, said, "We have profiled and investigated theEngineering and Biotechnology, said, "We have profiled and investigated the
phytochemicals of Rhododendron arboreum petals sourced from Himalayan flora and have found it to be a promising candidate against the Covid virus". Hot water extracts from these petals were found to be rich in quinic acid and its derivatives. Molecular dynamics studies showed that these phytochemicals have two kinds of effects against the virus.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Maharashtra CM to decide on reopening schools when COVID-19 spread is under control: Health Minister Rajesh Tope
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope has said that the chief minister will take the final decision on reopening of schools after the COVID-19 spread is under control and the situation improves. "Demands are rising from certain quarters for reopening of schools as children are suffering the education loss. We will consider it after 10-15 days as there is a low (rate of) infection among children. The chief minister will take the final call in this regard," Rajesh Tope told reporters on January 16
After seeing a massive surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant, the state government decided to impose curbs including the shutting down of schools and colleges which had only recently begun. As per the Centre's data, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Rajasthan are the three worst-hit states from the Omicron variant. On January 16, Maharashtra reported 41,327 fresh COVID-19 cases and 29 deaths as active cases in the state stood at 2,65,346. Omicron cases reported in the day were eight taking the total Omicron tally in the state to 1,738.
On the first anniversary of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, the state health minister said that 10-15 percent of the eligible people in Maharashtra remain to be vaccinated as taking the jab is voluntary. "This is a challenge for the health department to ensure a cent per cent vaccination and we will make it possible," news agency PTI quoted him as saying.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Puducherry logs 907 new COVID-19 cases; active infections rise to 8,359
The union territory of Puducherry witnessed a dip in number of new coronavirus cases with 907 being added during the last 24 hours while the active cases rose to 8,359 on Monday. The test positivity rate shot up to 57.44 per cent from 43.66 per cent on Sunday, Director of Health Department G Sriramulu said in a release here.
He said the Puducherry region alone accounted for 801 of the 907 fresh cases in the last 24 hours ending 10 AM on Monday while Karaikal logged 77 infections followed by Mahe (21) and Yanam (8). The overall tally of infections climbed to 1,38,617. The union territory had recorded 1,160 new infections on Sunday. The new cases were detected at the end of the examination of 1,579 samples. The number of active cases in the union territory went up to 8,359 with 130 undergoing treatment in hospitals and the remaining 8,229 in home isolation. The active infections on Sunday stood at 7,602.
Puducherry and Karaikal regions together reported three fatalities during the last 24 hours as the death toll touched 1,890, the Health department Director said. The three victims, including a woman were in the age group of 65 and 85 years. The test positivity rate was 57.44 per cent while the fatality and recovery rates were 1.36 per cent and 92.46 per cent respectively. The Department of Health has so far administered 14, 97,771 doses which comprised 9,06,666 first doses, 5,88,800 second and 2305 booster doses, the Director said. The department has so far tested 20,97,715 samples and found 17,77,081 out of them to be negative. Sriramulu said 147 patients recovered and were discharged during the last 24 hours as the overall recoveries climbed to 1,28,168.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal says blaming won't end the virus. I will not step into this garbage
Blaming won't end the virus. I will not step into this garbage: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij's statement over Delhi's contribution to Haryana's COVID19 cases
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | COVID-19 third wave: 3 top doctors tell you key dos and don'ts
Amid the rising cases of COVID-19 in India, a panel of experts shares their learnings and predictions in the latest episode of Moneycontrol Masterclass. The panel included Dr Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman - Manipal Hospitals, Dr. Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, CEO - Fortis Healthcare, and Professor. Dr. Pratit Samdani, Breach Candy Hospital.
“We had 200 patients in Dec-end across the network. The same number is now at 750. The good thing is discharges are as much as admissions. So if we are seeing 200 incoming COVID-19 positive patients everyday, we also have 180 discharges,” said Dr Raghuvanshi. While the virus in this wave has not hit as badly as the second wave and hospitalisation is much lower, the experts still highlight some challenges.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Gene variant that protects against COVID-19 identified
Researchers have identified a specific gene variant that protects against severe COVID-19 infection. An international team led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden pinpointed the variant by studying people of different ancestries. The study, published in the journal Nature Genetics, shows that genes can influence whether we become severely affected or only suffer mild illness from COVID-19. Previous studies on mainly people of European ancestry have found that individuals carrying a particular segment of DNA have a 20 per cent lower risk of developing a critical COVID-19 infection.
This DNA segment encodes genes in the immune system, and is inherited from Neanderthals in about half of all people outside Africa, the researchers said. However, this region of DNA is packed with numerous genetic variants, which makes it challenging to disentangle the exact protective variant, they said. Identifying this variant could potentially serve as a target for medical treatment against severe COVID-19 infection, according to the researchers. To identify this specific gene variant, they looked for individuals carrying only parts of this DNA segment.
Since the Neandertal inheritance occurred after the ancient migration out of Africa, the researchers focussed on individuals with African ancestry who lack heritage from the Neanderthals and therefore also the majority of this DNA segment. A small piece of this DNA region is, however, the same in both people of African and European ancestries.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Nepal starts giving COVID-19 vaccine booster shots
Nepal began giving COVID-19 vaccine booster shots on Monday as coronavirus infections surged due to the spread of the Omicron variant, officials said. Daily cases jumped by 4,961 on Sunday, the biggest 24-hour increase in more than six months, taking total infections to 955,206, government data showed. COVID-19-related deaths stand at 11,620, the data showed.
The booster shots will be restricted to frontline workers for one week from Monday, the Health Ministry said, after which they'll be offered to people 60 and older. The booster shots will be given to those people who have completed six months after getting a second vaccine dose, the government said in a statement. Nepal, a natural buffer between China and India, has double-vaccinated 39.9% of its 30 million people in a campaign that began early last year.
The government has banned large public gatherings and closed schools and colleges until the end of January to curb the rate of infection. Authorities have also made it compulsory for people to produce proof of full vaccination to use public services from this week, prompting large queues at vaccine centres.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Belinda Bencic advances but says still not 100% after COVID-19
Belinda Bencic moved into the Australian Open second round on Monday with a 6-4 6-3 win over France's Kristina Mladenovic but the Olympic champion said she is still not at her best after testing positive for COVID-19 last month. The 24-year-old, who had "severe" symptoms, was among a number of players who returned positive tests after playing in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.
"I don't think I played my best tennis. I'm not quite there yet, but I'm very happy with how I managed to kind of stay in the match in the important moments," the world number 22 said. "I definitely think with COVID, which I had over Christmas, it didn't help much, so I'm still looking for this kind of confidence ... on the court."
The Swiss player said she also struggled after her Sydney Tennis Classic quarter-final loss to eventual winner Paula Badosa last week. "My pulse was getting very up in the practices and even after Sydney, after the Badosa match, I was very, very tired ... I think it's getting better day by day," she added. Bencic, who next faces Melbourne Summer Set champion Amanda Anisimova, added that her slow recovery had impacted her preparations for the opening Grand Slam of the year.
"Definitely for my tennis, it's more the thing that I didn't practice for 14 days in the middle of the preseason ... my fitness definitely was very off, and I had to take it very slow," she said. "Sydney helped me a lot. I'm happy I played three matches there, I played better than I expected ... I was a little bit concerned if I could play Sydney. "I'm not too worried about this, but it's just the start of the season and a little bit of a deficit in the practice."
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Delhi's daily COVID-19 cases likely to go down by 4,000-5,000 today: Satyendar Jain
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Monday said that the city is likely to witness 4,000-5,000 less COVID-19 cases than the number reported on Sunday. He also said the vaccination drive in Delhi completed one year on Monday and a total of 2.85 crore doses have been administered so far. Jain said that Covid cases in the city have been reducing and Monday will be the fourth straight day when the number of cases will be lesser than the cases reported on the previous day.
Fresh cases today (Monday) are likely to be 4,000-5,000 less than over 18,000 reported yesterday (Sunday). It is expected to be around 13,000-14,000 today, Jain said in a media byte. On the vaccination drive, he said, "First dose of Covid vaccine has been given to 100 per cent of the eligible population in Delhi while both doses have been given to 80 per cent of the targeted people".
As many as 1.28 lakh precautionary doses have been administered to senior citizens, frontline workers and healthcare workers. He added that out of 1.28 lakh precautionary doses, nearly 36,000 are administered to senior citizens, 60,000 to frontline workers and 32,000 to healthcare workers. According to data provided by the health department, the national capital has recorded 18,286 COVID-19 cases on Sunday with the positivity rate at 27.8 percent. As many as 28 Covid deaths were reported in Sunday’s health bulletin.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | 140 new cases push Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 tally to 56,633; positivity rate at 20%
Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 tally rose to 56,633 on Monday as 140 people tested positive for the infection, 126 less than the previous day, a senior health official said. Arunachal Pradesh had reported 266 cases on Sunday, the biggest single-day spike in the northeastern state in January.
The single-day positivity rate stood at 20 per cent as 700 samples were tested for COVID-19 on Sunday. Of the 140 new cases, the Capital Complex region registered the highest of 77, followed by Changlang (15) and West Kameng (13). Two army jawans and a healthcare personnel are among the new patients, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said. Of the 140 new cases, the Capital Complex region registered the highest of 77, followed by Changlang (15) and West Kameng (13).
The death toll remained unchanged at 282 as no fresh fatality was reported. The northeastern state has been witnessing a spurt in coronavirus cases since January 4 with 1,281 new cases reported since then. Arunachal Pradesh now has 1,156 active cases, while 55,195 people have recovered from the disease so far, including 54 in the last 24 hours. The recovery rate among the coronavirus patients in the state stood at 97.46 per cent. The state has thus far tested over 12.16 lakh samples for COVID-19.
State Immunisation Officer Dr Dimong Padung said that 15,31,453 people have been inoculated so far. At least 38,934 beneficiaries in the 15-18 years age group have been vaccinated with the first dose and 6,367 senior citizens have received the booster jab.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | 175 fresh cases of COVID-19 recorded in Ladakh
Ladakh reported 175 more corona cases, taking the overall caseload in the Union Territory to 23,384, out of which 22,342 people have recuperated while active cases stands at 820, officials said on Monday. Of the new cases, 156 positive samples were received from Leh district and 19 in Kargil district, the officials said. According to the officials, the COVID-19 death toll remained unchanged at 222 with 164 fatalities in Leh and 58 in Kargil. The officials said 89 patients were discharged from hospitals in Leh and seven in Kargil after undergoing successful treatment for COVID-19, taking the number of recovered cases in Ladakh to 22,342. Of the active cases, 702 are under treatment in Leh and 118 in Kargil, the officials said, adding that the total positivity rate in Ladakh stands at 3.8 percent.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Odisha logs 10,489 new COVID-19 cases, 3 more fatalities
Odisha on Monday recorded 10,489 new COVID-19 cases, 688 less than the previous day, with the tally mounting to 11,44,401, a health department bulletin said. The death toll rose 8,484 as three more patients- two in Bhubaneswar and one in Angul- succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, it said. Fifty-three other COVID patients have died due to comorbidities so far. The daily test positivity rate stood at 14.96 per cent as the fresh infections were detected from 70,117 sample tests, the bulletin said.
Khurda district, which comprises the state capital Bhubaneswar reported the highest number of new cases at 2,934, followed by Sundargarh at 1,447, Cuttack at 786 and Balasrore at 433, it said. At least 982 children were among the new patients, and the number of fresh cases shot up from 4,829 a week ago. The state had on Sunday logged 11,177 cases. Odisha now has 75,797 active cases, including 24,764 in Khurda, which is in the red zone with Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Cuttack and Balasore.
A district that has over 2,500 coronavirus-positive cases is included in the red zone. Puri, Mayurbhanj and Bolangir are among the nine districts that are in the yellow zone with over 1,000 patients each. At least 4,452 people recuperated from the disease on Sunday, taking the total number of recoveries to 10,60,067, it added.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Omicron wave: India should give booster shots to 18-60 year olds; it’s the need of the hour
From January 10, the Indian government decided to give booster doses. It wasn’t for all–only for senior citizens and for frontline workers. I argue that we need to widen the net, that booster dose for 18-60 year olds–the population that powers our economy–is the need of the hour.
Here’s why.
It is true that Omicron is less severe than Delta. Study after study says this. But, the new variant is highly infectious. Study after study also says this. Add this fast-spreading virus variant into India’s vast population and congested cities, and you will have understaffed hospitals overburdened in no time. We also have elections coming. The biggest worry, however, is the possibility of large-scale infections among medical professionals. They will be dealing with the mandate to give the third dose and rising number of cases, when they may also have to deal with a personal health crisis and fewer colleagues to share their workload. The strain will begin to show soon.
Should India mix-and-match?
One thing that impedes India’s booster drive is the country’s policy of only allowing booster/precautionary doses that are the same as their earlier doses. Unlike other nations, India hasn’t approved the mixing of vaccines. This approach has “very modest” advantages in most situations. For one, the production of Covaxin and Covishield are still limited in comparison to the country’s requirement. On December 14, the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha that Covishield's current monthly vaccine manufacturing capacity was around 250-275 million doses and Covaxin's was around 50-60 million doses. The government has said that enough vaccines are being manufactured in India to vaccinate the adult population, with both companies – Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech – operating at 90 percent of their current capacity.
However, assuming current production objectives and other factors stay unchanged, it will take around three to four months to obtain 810 million doses and cover the declared target groups as well as the remaining adult population. The timeframe is likely to be prolonged since the Health Ministry's recommendations state that Covaxin must be given to those aged 15 to 18, and that a cautionary dosage must be given nine months following the second dose. Covaxin is only around 15% of the vaccine production in India, the rest of the 85% is Covishield. Okay, but aren’t there safety concerns in mixing vaccines?
Not really.
A global consensus has led public health organisations of other countries, such as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and NHS UK, others to approve the mixing of vaccines or the mix-and-match approach for their booster drive. They have done so based on the two quantitative criteria–of reactogenicity and immunogenicity–being the same or better. Reactogenicity is a vaccine’s tendency to cause adverse reactions and immunogenicity is a vaccine’s ability to cause an immune response in the recipient. These organisations have realised that cross reactivity (any reaction from mixing vaccines) does not appear to represent a significant risk based on these two factors. Therefore, India may safely follow this course and reach the booster/precautionary doses to a larger population.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | COVID-19 third wave: Challenges, recommendations, predictions by experts
Amid the rising cases of COVID-19 in India, a panel of experts shares their learnings and predictions in the latest episode of Moneycontrol Masterclass. The panel included Dr Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman - Manipal Hospitals, Dr. Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, CEO - Fortis Healthcare, and Professor. Dr. Pratit Samdani, Breach Candy Hospital.
“We had 200 patients in Dec-end across the network. The same number is now at 750. The good thing is discharges are as much as admissions. So if we are seeing 200 incoming COVID-19 positive patients everyday, we also have 180 discharges,” said Dr Raghuvanshi. While the virus in this wave has not hit as badly as the second wave and hospitalisation is much lower, the experts still highlight some challenges.
Challenges in the third wave
“Patients are not having as many lung complications. Hospitalisation rates are also much lower compared to the second wave, but people are getting infected in large numbers,” says Dr Raghuvanshi. He also adds that positivity rates in some labs are as high as 30 percent, and 10 percent in others he adds. “In the third wave, the problem is not just sick patients coming in, since we have enough beds available, but healthcare workers are getting infected which is depleting a large number of our workforce,” says Dr Ballal.
Recommendations
While the virus effect is milder, the experts recommend a few things. Rest, hydration is important besides a paracetamol tablet when you have severe body ache or your under arm temperature goes above 100 degrees, said Dr. Samdani. He also says that the N95 mask is better than any other mask available. Adding to this, Dr Ballal said that in case the home tests result negative but the symptoms persist, it needs to be checked with a RT-PCR test.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Australia PM Scott Morrison blames Omicron for testing woes as COVID-19 cases hit downward trend
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday the shortages of at-home antigen tests were "not unique" to the country as authorities deal with a runaway Omicron outbreak that has driven up hospitalisation rates and strains testing systems. Australia is facing a shortage of at-home rapid antigen test kits after asymptomatic close contacts were told to bypass government-funded testing hubs, where high volumes delayed results by several days, and take their own tests.
"The rapid antigen tests are in short supply all around the world. This is not something that is unique to Australia going through it," Morrison told radio station 2GB on Monday. "It’s part of dealing with Omicron. Omicron has disrupted everything." The country’s competition regulator, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), on Monday flagged "significant concerns" about reports of price gouging of testing kits amid reports of stockpiling and called inflated prices "clearly outrageous".
ACCC Chair Rod Sims said there were reports of kits costing even up to A$500 ($361) at online retailers, and A$70 per test at stores when they were available for around A$10 at pharmacies weeks ago. Morrison, under pressure in an election year for his handling of the Omicron outbreak and not procuring enough supplies of antigen tests, early this month had agreed to provide 10 free kits for low-income earners.
Doctors and trade unions are demanding free tests for everyone, but Morrison has resisted those calls saying the government would not cover the cost, citing a heightened role for "personal responsibility". Australian Council of Trade Unions Secretary Sally McManus said dozens of unions will meet later on Monday to respond "to the failure of the Federal Government to keep us safe". A survey by the Australian Institute on Monday showed almost three-quarter of Australians believe they should get free antigen tests.
In a bid to ease pressure on its testing hubs, Victoria from Monday began rolling out 3 million antigen tests to frontline workers and the vulnerable population, while many other states awaited millions of testing kits to be delivered. After successfully containing the virus earlier in the pandemic, Australia has reported nearly 1.3 million cases over the last two weeks, overwhelming hospitals and testing clinics.
Daily infections on Monday dipped in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia’s most populous states, amid expectations the Omicron wave had neared its peak in the country. But net new hospitalisations remain elevated, with more people admitted than at any other time in the pandemic. Nearly 74,000 cases were reported on Monday, the country’s lowest tally in a week. National daily numbers had touched a record 150,000 last Thursday but have been steadily falling since then. So far, Australia has reported around 1.6 million infections and 2,699 deaths since the pandemic began.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates
| 100% of school students between 15 to 18 years in Tamil Nadu have been inoculated with the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine: State Health Minister Ma Subramanian
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Omicron variant found in 85 samples in Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand has reported 85 new cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Genome sequencing reports of 159 COVID-19 samples confirmed the Omicron variant in 85 on Sunday, Director General, Health, Tripti Bahuguna said. It means the new variant of the pandemic has been confirmed in 54 per cent of the samples, she said. Genome sequencing reports of 2,096 samples are still awaited. Uttarakhand had reported eight cases of Omicron earlier.
Covid curbs, meanwhile, have been extended in Uttarakhand till January 22. Anganwadi centres and schools up to class 12 will remain closed till January 22. Night curfew timing from 10 pm to six pm will remain unchanged during the period. Water parks and swimming pools will also remain closed, a revised SOP said. The ban on political rallies, padyatras, roadshows, protests and demonstrations will also continue but meetings can be held inside auditoriums with 50 per cent capacity, it said.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | BMC stops marriage registration service temporarily due to current COVID-19 situation in Mumbai
Marriage registration service temporarily stopped due to current COVID-19 situation in Mumbai; service will be restarted soon with the facility of appointment, date & time. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is also exploring the provision of a video KYC option: BMC
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | More than 158.12 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses provided to states/UTs
More than 158.12 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been provided to states/UTs; over 13.79 crore balance & unutilized vaccine doses are still available with States/UTs to be administered: Union Health Ministry
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Thane district sees 5,625 new COVID-19 cases, 4 fatalities
With the addition of 5,625 fresh coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 6,69,080, an official said on Monday. These cases were reported on Sunday, he said. With four more patients succumbing to the coronavirus infection, the death toll in the Thane district rose to 11,658. The mortality rate is 1.74 per cent, he added. In the neighboring Palghar district, the COVID-19 case count has gone up to 1,56,254 while the death toll is 3,342, a local official said.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | India records 2,58,089 new COVID-19 cases, 385 deaths; positivity rate 19.65%
India saw a single-day rise of 2,58,089 new coronavirus infections taking the tally of cases to 3,73,80,253, which included 8,209 cases of the Omicron variant detected so far, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Monday. A total of 8,209 cases of the Omicron variant have been detected across 29 states and union territories, out of which 3,109 have recovered or migrated.
Maharashtra recorded the maximum 1,738 cases of the Omicron variant, followed by West Bengal 1,672, Rajasthan 1,276, Delhi 549, Karnataka 548 and Kerala 536 cases. According to experts, it is not possible to undertake genome sequencing of each and every sample but this current wave is largely being driven by Omicron.
The number of active COVID-19 cases have increased to 16,56,341, the highest in around 230 days, while the death toll has climbed to 4,86,451 with 385 daily fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases account for 4.43 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has decreased to 94.27 per cent, the ministry said.
An increase of 1,05,964 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 19.65 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate was 14.41 per cent, according to the ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,52,37,461, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.30 per cent.
The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 157.20 crore. India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020; 30 lakh on August 23; 40 lakh on September 5; and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28; 70 lakh on October 11; 80 lakh on October 29; 90 lakh on November 20; and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.
India crossed the grim milestone of two crore infections on May 4 and three crore cases on June 23. The 385 new fatalities included 158 from Kerala and 36 from West Bengal. A total of 4,86,451 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 1,41,808 from Maharashtra, 50,832 from Kerala, 38,431 from Karnataka, 36,989 from Tamil Nadu, 25,363 from Delhi, 22,963 from Uttar Pradesh and 20,088 from West Bengal. The Health Ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities. "Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.
