7,992 people testing positive for the coronavirus in a day, India’s COVID-19 tally climbed to 3,46,682,736, while the number of active cases declined to 93,277, the lowest in 559 days, according to Union health ministry data updated on Saturday. The death toll mounted to 4,75,128 with the addition of 393 fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.
The daily rise in new coronavirus cases has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 44 days now. The number of active cases has decreased to 93,277, comprising 0.27 percent of the total infections, the lowest in 559 days, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.36 percent, the highest since March last year, the health ministry said.
The national capital on Saturday recorded the second Omicron case, taking the country’s tally to 33.
A three-and-half-year-old girl from Pune district was among the seven new Omicron cases from Maharashtra, according to an official release, in what could be the youngest person from the country infected by the new COVID strain. Four of the seven fresh cases were detected in Pune district and are contacts of three women travellers from Nigeria of Indian origin who were earlier confirmed to be infected with Omicron variant, an official said, adding they are all related.
Gujarat also reported two new Omicron cases. NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul told a joint news conference in Delhi that the usage of masks in the country has declined to pre-second COVID-19 wave levels, and referred to an assessment on this aspect by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation(IHME).”We warn you that it is still not yet time to remove the masks,” as he stressed that both vaccines and masks are important
Maharashtra recorded 695 new coronavirus cases including seven Omicron infections in the last 24 hours, the state health department said on Friday evening. The tally of Omicron variant infections found in the state thus rose to 17, it said. The state also reported 12 new pandemic-related fatalities since Thursday evening. The overall tally of coronavirus cases rose to 66,42,372 and the death toll to 1,41,223. On Thursday, Maharashtra had recorded 789 new COVID-19 cases and seven fatalities.
Section 144 CrPC imposed in Mumbai on 11th and 12th December, in wake of Omicron cases in the state. Rallies/morchas/processions etc of either persons or vehicles prohibited.
The Centre on Friday warned about the decline in usage of face masks in the country amid concerns over the Omicron variant of coronavirus whose all India tally rose by nine to 32, adding people are operating at a risky and unacceptable” level and in a “danger zone” from the point of view of protection liability. Amid the Centre’s ramped up the Covid-19 inoculation drive, Jammu and Kashmir has vaccinated 100% of its eligible population with 1st dose and have completed 96% coverage for the second dose.
In the United States, New York City is facing a winter surge in COVID-19 infections, following which the government has announced that masks will be required in all indoor public places unless the businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement. The mask mandate applies to both patrons and staff and will be in effect from Monday to January 15, after which the state will reevaluate. Meanwhile, in Kashmir, Dr Rahul Sharma, Nodal Officer for vaccination, Poonch told news agency ANI that the UT was able to inoculate faster under the ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign, and they are also opting for door-to-door vaccination service.
India’s official death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic has crossed 4.75 lakh on Friday with India continuing to record the third-highest cumulative deaths from the virus in the world after the US (8.2 lakh) and Brazil (6.2 lakh). The last 25,000 Covid deaths in the country have come in 64 days, two fewer days than the previous 25,000 fatalities. While daily deaths from the coronavirus have decreased steadily during the last 64 days, the faster rise in toll has been on account of deaths from previous periods being added to the tally.
On Friday, South Africa’s regulatory authority has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as a booster shot, opening the way for third doses to be administered to battle the current surge driven by the omicron variant. South Africa’s new COVID-19 cases continue to rise. In the last 24 hours, it has recorded 22,391 new cases, up from about 200 per day in early November. More than 90% of the new cases are omicron, according to genetic sequencing surveys.
