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Coronavirus Omicron India Highlights | A total of 1,892 cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected across 23 states and Union Territories so far, out of which 766 have recovered or migrated, according to the Union health ministry’s data updated on Tuesday. Maharashtra has recorded the maximum number of 568 cases, followed by Delhi (382), Kerala (185), Rajasthan (174), Gujarat (152), and Tamil Nadu (121).
India’s Covid tally rose to 3,49,60,261 with 37,379 new cases, while the active cases increased to 1,71,830, according to the data updated at 8 am. The death toll climbed to 4,82,017 with 124 more fatalities, the data showed. The active cases comprise 0.49 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.13 per cent, the health ministry said.
An increase of 26,248 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 3.24 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 2.05 per cent, according to the health ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,43,06,414, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.38 per cent.
The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 146.70 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, crossed 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 on May 4 and three crore on June 23.
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The Karnataka government has announced a weekend curfew, which will come into effect from Friday 10 pm and remain in force till 5 am on Monday. The state has also made it mandatory for those arriving from Goa and Maharashtra to carry negative test results certificate. The curbs have been imposed in view of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
The Bihar government has imposed a night curfew from January 6 to January 21, the timing of which was stated as 10 m to 5 am. Between these dates, schools for classes 1 to 8 will remain shut. The state government has also asked religious places to close down.
Malls, cinemas, clubs, swimming pools, stadiums, gyms andparks will also remain close till Jan 21, the order further reads.
The West Bengal government, which had last week announced that it would allow flights from Mumbai and Delhi only twice a week, informed the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA)on January 4 that it would now allow flights from the two cities thrice a week. The change in norm will come into effect from January 5, it said.
Instead of Mondays and Fridays only, the flights from Mumbai and Delhi would now be allowed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays,West Bengal Additional Chief Secretaray BP Gopalika said in a communication sent to the MoCA. The situation would be further reviewed depending on the COVID-19 cases in the state, Gopalika added.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to put domestic cricket on hold due to the spike in COVID-19 cases. Three major domestic tournaments including Ranji Trophy has been indefinitely postponed, reports said. Only theongoing U-19 pre-quarterfinal will be completed, TOI reported.
The Ministry of Railways on January 4 said it "would restrict" the entry of its unvaccinatedemployees intothe Rail Bhawan. "Such staff would avail their own leave until vaccination is complete," it said.
West Bengal reported 9,073 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, with state capital Kolkata accounting for4,759 among them. The state had conducted a total of 47,864 tests in the same period. The positivity rate has climbed to 18.96 percent.
Maharashtra on January 4 reported 18,46 new COVID-19 cases, with the Omicron tally climbing to 653. Mumbai, the state capital, accounted for 10,860 out of the new cases. The state also recorded 20 more deaths due to the disease in the last 24 hours.
The per-day infection count in Mumbai crossed 10,000 on January 4. The city reported 10,860 new infections, higher than 8,082 reported a day earlier. In the past 24 hours, two deaths due to the disease were reported.
The active caseload has surged to 47,476.
On January 3, Mumbai municipal body commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said the city may come under lockdown if the daily case count crosses 20,000.
In the wake of rise in coronavirus cases in Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has ordereda ban on rallies, processions and other kinds of public events across the state. "All the Collectors and SPs should take every possible measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection," Baghel said.
Uttarakhand Health Secretary Dr Pankaj Kumar Pandey has tested positive for COVID-19, news agency ANI reported. Uttarakhand is among the states which have seen an uptick in daily infection count over the past few days. The hill-state on January 4 reported 310 new coronavirus cases.
The vaccination figures for 15-17 years age group has crossed 40 lakh for second day in a row. The total jabs administered on day 1 (January 3) was over 40 lakh, the numbers for today had surged past 40 lakh by 6 pm. A total of94,15,922 beneficiaries from the age group have registered themselves to get inoculated so far.
