India reported 83,876 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours, while the positivity rate dropped marginally to 7.25%. This is the first time since January 6 that India’s daily Covid tally did not cross the 1-lakh mark. India’s active caseload currently stands at 11,08,938.
The active cases comprise 2.62 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 96.19 per cent, the ministry said.
The positivity rate was recorded at 7.25 per cent. Positivity rate is the number of people that test positive for Covid out of every hundred tests conducted.
The Drugs Controller General of India yesterday granted emergency-use approval to the single-show Sputnik Light vaccine. This is the 9th Covid vaccine approved in India.
169.5 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have so far been administered in the country, the health ministry said on Sunday.
Odisha recorded 20 more COVID-19 deaths today, while 1,497 people tested positive for the pathogen, the Health Department said. The daily positivity rate dropped to 3.18 per cent from 3.48 per cent the previous day, a bulletin stated. Bhubaneswar reported five new deaths, it said. The COVID-19 death count mounted to 8,754 and these are confirmed as deaths to the disease after an audit. Fifty-three other COVID-19 patients have died due to comorbidities so far, according to data. The active COVID-19 cases declined to 21,525.
Schools reopened for offline sessions for classes 1 to 9 across Gujarat on Monday in the wake of a decline in COVID-19 cases in the state. The physical sessions for classes 1 to 9 were suspended on January 8 in view of the then rising COVID-19 cases in the state, but schools for classes 10 to12 and colleges were not closed. On Monday, schools reopened across the state with students appearing happy and excited to be back to their classrooms. They were seen wearing face masks and adhering to other COVID-19 guidelines. Parents were required to submit consent letters for sending their children to schools.
Ladakh reported 121 more coronavirus cases, taking the overall tally in the Union Territory to 26,942, while the active cases have gone down to 987, officials said on Monday. Ladakh has recorded 226 Covid-related deaths — 167 in Leh and 59 in Kargil — since the outbreak of the Covid in 2020, they said. No death was reported from the UT on Sunday, they said. As many as 153 patients were cured and discharged from hospitals in Ladakh on Sunday. Of these, 102 were discharged in Leh and 57 in Kargil, they said. With these, the total number of cured patients is 25,729, they said. The total number of COVID-19 active cases in Ladakh is 987 including 580 cases in Leh and 407 cases in Kargil district.
Assam will withdraw all Covid-related restrictions from February 15 as the pandemic situation has improved with the number of cases declining, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday. School board examinations, municipal elections, and the by-elections to the Majuli assembly constituency will be held in the next two months, Mr Sarma announced at a press conference.
Mizoram reported 658 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, 1,096 less than the previous day, taking the state’s tally to 1,85,885, a health department official said.
The COVID-19 death toll remained at 623 as no new fatality was reported, he said.
The single-day positivity rate increased to 30.50 per cent from 26.45 per cent the previous day as the fresh cases were detected from 2,157 samples tested, he said.
Arunachal Pradesh reported more COVID-19 recoveries than fresh cases as 259 people recuperated from the disease in the last 24 hours while 58 new infections pushed the tally to 63,479, a senior health department official said here on Monday.
A total of 61,589 have been cured of the disease so far, the official said.
The COVID-19 recovery rate marginally improved to 97.02 per cent from 96.70 per cent the previous day, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.
With 13,348 active COVID-19 cases reported in Mizoram, the state logged 1,507 recoveries in the last 24 hours, informed the state Department of Information and Public Relations on Sunday.
With the addition of new recoveries, the recovery tally in the state mounted to 1,71,256.
Mumbai on Sunday reported 536 COVID-19 cases, which took the tally in the metropolis to 10,51,373, while three deaths put the death count at 16,661, a civic official said.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, in a statement, informed that 82 per cent of the cases detected during the day were asymptomatic.
Kerala saw a drop in daily coronavirus cases with 26,729 fresh infections being reported on Sunday, taking the total number of those affected by the disease to 62.71 lakh.
The Covid death count mounted to 58,255 with 22 additional deaths.
“Currently, there are 3,29,348 active COVID-19 cases in the state out of which only three per cent are admitted to hospitals,” the health department said in a release, adding that the state has tested 88,098 samples in the last 24 hours.
After the Central government told the Supreme Court on Monday that submitting Aadhaar card details is not a mandatory pre-condition on the CO-WIN portal for the COVID-19 vaccination, the top court asked the authorities not to insist on asking people for Aadhaar card for vaccination.
While disposing of a PIL claiming some centres insist on a Aadhaar card for vaccination, a Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant asked the authorities to not insist on the production of the Aadhaar card as the only proof of identification for the purpose of administering COVID-19 vaccination.
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
