India reported 1,49,394 new Covid cases today, 13% lower than yesterday. The positivity rate fell to 9.2%. The active cases constitute 3.42 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate decreased to 95.39 per cent, the health ministry said.
Since December, the number of Covid cases has been rising rapidly due to the new variant Omicron. India’s active caseload currently stands at 14,35,569.
There were 1,072 Covid-related deaths in the last 24 hours.
2,46,674 recoveries were recorded in the last 24 hours, taking total recoveries in India to 4,00,17,088.
Under the nationwide vaccination drive, 167.87 cr vaccine doses have been administered so far, the health ministry said yesterday.
Tripura recorded 62 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, six less than the previous day, pushing the tally to 1,00,584, an official said. One more patient died due to COVID-19 on Friday, taking the state’s deaths to 912, he said.
The state now has 1,726 active COVID-19 cases while 97,878 people have recovered from the disease, the official said.
Tripura on Thursday had reported 68 new COVID-19 cases and one death.
Around 80 per cent of the eligible people have been inoculated with COVID-19 vaccine, said Director of Family Welfare and Preventive Medicine, Dr Radha Debbarma on Friday.
Asked about the presence of Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the state, he said “We have sent 130 samples to National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBG), Kalyani for genome sequencing test but have not received the report yet. The reports are expected to be delivered by Monday.”
The Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported more COVID-19 recoveries than fresh cases, as 65 people recuperated from the disease while 23 new infections, pushed the tally to 9,867, a health department official said on Friday.
A total of 9,490 people have recovered from COVID-19 so far, the official said.
The COVID-19 death count in the archipelago remained at 129 as no fresh fatality was reported in the last 24 hours.
Odisha recorded 23 more COVID-19 deaths on Friday, while the infections were the lowest in a month as 2,697 people tested positive, the Health Department said.
The daily positivity rate dropped to 4.4 per cent as 60,762 samples were tested in the past 24 hours, a bulletin stated.
The deaths are the highest since September 1 and the infections plunged by 46 per cent from 5,057 a week ago. The state had logged 3,629 COVID-19 cases and 18 deaths on Thursday.
More than 10.71 crore balance and unutilized COVID vaccine doses are still available with the States, Union Territories to be administered, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Friday.
The ministry has informed that more than 165.20 crore vaccine doses have been provided to States, Union Territories till date.
“More than 165.20 crore (1,65,20,44,645) vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far through Govt. of India (free of cost channel) and through direct state procurement category. More than 10.71 Cr (10,71,21,576) balance and unutilized COVID Vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be administered,” the ministry informed in its official press release.
The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country. The nationwide COVID-19 vaccination started on January 16, 2021.
More about Omicron
The Omicron variant has been called a variant of concern by WHO based on studies that shows it has several mutations.
Still a lot of research is underway to evaluate its transmissibility, severity and reinfection risk.
The Omicron variant has been detected in several regions of the world. WHO reports that the likelihood of the Omicron variant spreading further globally is high.
It is not currently known if the Omicron variant is more or less severe than other strains of COVID-19, including Delta. Studies are ongoing and this information will be updated as it becomes available.
It is not yet clear whether Omicron can spread more easily from person to person compared to other variants, such as Delta.
However, being vaccinated and taking precautions such as avoiding crowded spaces, keeping your distance from others and wearing a mask are critical in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and we know these actions have been effective against other variants.
Researchers are looking into any potential impact the Omicron variant has on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. Although information is still limited, WHO believes it is a reasonable assumption that the currently available vaccines offer some protection against severe disease and death.
It is also important to be vaccinated to protect against the other widely circulating variants, such as the Delta one. When it’s your turn, make sure to get vaccinated. If your vaccination involves two doses, it’s important to receive both in order to have the maximum protection.
According to WHO, early evidence suggests that people who have previously had COVID-19 could be reinfected more easily with Omicron, in comparison to other variants of concern. Information is still limited though and we will share updates as it becomes available.
Source: UNICEFRead more Health News
Latest update Omicron
