Coronavirus Omicron India Highlights | BA.2 is like Omicron's sister

Maharashtra on Thursday recorded 15,252 new coronavirus cases and 75 fatalities, the state health department said. No Omicron infection was reported during the day. The state has so far reported 3,334 infections of the Omicron variant. No Omicron infection was reported during the day. The state has so far reported 3,334 infections of the Omicron variant.

The COVID-19 caseload rose to 77,68,800, and death toll to 1,42,859. On Wednesday, the state had recorded 18,067 cases and 79 fatalities.On Wednesday, the state had recorded 18,067 cases and 79 fatalities.

Rufsa Hasina Afroze, a teacher and academic supervisor at a leading private school in Bangladesh's capital was relieved to see students return to its campus in September after it was closed for 543 days because of the pandemic. It was only a brief respite from online learning. With the recent surge in coronavirus cases mostly because of the omicron variant, authorities have ordered the schools to close once more.

Cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron have escalated globally over the past two months, with many countries experiencing peaks higher than previous variants. Now we're seeing cases of a sub-variant of Omicron, known as BA.2, emerge in Australia and more than 50 countries. Rather than a daughter of the Omicron variant BA.1 (or B.1.1.529), it's more helpful to think of BA.2 as Omicron's sister.

The Hong Kong government said on Thursday it would extend a work-from-home plan for civil servants as health officials warned tougher measures could follow amid a worsening COVID-19 outbreak.Aside from those involved with essential and urgent work, all other civil servants - who had been due to resume work on Friday - will remain working from home until February 11.

Health officials said on Thursday many untraceable transmission chains of the Omicron variant were spreading across the global financial hub - a warning that comes as many Hongkongers enjoy Lunar New Year gatherings."There is quite severe community transmission at the moment," said Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the city's health department.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday said radiation technology has been installed in Parliament building to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus but urged MPs to continue following social distancing norms. The Union Minister for Science and Technology said the Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) technology has been installed in Lok Sabha and Central Hall chambers to mitigate the airborne transmission of the coronavirus and thanked Speaker Om Birla for granting permission for it.

Singh, however, said parliamentarians should continue to follow the Covid-appropriate behaviour and maintain social distancing norms. The technology has been developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

West Bengal reports 1916 new COVID-19 cases, 2614 recoveries, and 36 deaths in the last 24 hours. Active COVID-19 cases stand at 21,146.

Gujarat reports 7606 new COVID-19 cases, 13,195 recoveries, and 34 deaths in the last 24 hours. Active COVID-19 cases at 63,564.

Classes for std 8-12, along with colleges, universities and other technical education institutions and hostels, will open from February 7th. Physical classes for students up to class 7th will start from February 14th.

Wedding ceremonies held in closed venues in the state can be held with a limit of 150 persons & wedding ceremonies in open spaces can be held with a maximum of 300 people. Night curfew has been extended till February 11th from 10 pm to 6 am: Gujarat CMO

Sikkim registered the lowest number of daily Covid-19 infections this year on Thursday when 62 people tested positive for the virus, the health department said in a bulletin. The coronavirus tally rose to 38,415 in the small Himalayan state. The death toll remained unchanged at 432 as no fresh fatality due to the disease was reported in the last 24 hours. Out of the 62 new cases, 34 were reported from East district, 26 from West district and two from South district.The state has 655 active cases. Currently, the recovery rate is 97 per cent and the positivity rate is 12.2 per cent, the bulletin said.

Senior government authorities on February 3said new scientific data indicates that, unlike the evidence during the earlier surges of COVID-19, surgeries including the elective ones may be safe in people infected with the Omicron variant, with no increased risk of complications or deaths.The officialsstressed that COVID positive patients who need surgeryshould not be denied surgical intervention.The endorsement of surgery in even those infected—when required-- was based on results from a studyat the All-India Institute of Medical Sciencesin New Delhi. The study was carried out between December 20, 2021, and January 20, 2022, during which 53 patients who were also COVID positive underwent surgeries.Of these 53 patients, 32 had received regional anaesthesia, including 26 women who underwent Caesarean section, while 21 were given general anaesthesia, said Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the Health Ministry, during a press briefing on COVID pandemic status and preparedness in the country.

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