New Delhi:
Delhi reported 331 positive cases, one death, and 144 recoveries in the last 24 hours. The number of active cases in the city is 1,289 with total positive cases 14,43,683. Delhi has recorded the most cases of Omicron in the country (142), followed by Maharashtra (141), Kerala (57), Gujarat (49) and 43 (Rajasthan), the Health Ministry said in a bulletin.
The national capital has activated the graded action plan prepared earlier this year to tackle surges in infections. From 11 pm today, night curfew will remain in place in the national capital.
The decision to bring back night curfew was taken after Delhi reported 290 cases yesterday. If the spike continues, a yellow alert will follow.
Meanwhile, India reported 6,531 new coronavirus cases and 315 deaths on Monday, according to the health ministry. This pushed the total active cases to 75,841 and the death count to 4,79,997. The number of Omicron cases has risen to 578 in the country and at least 151 have recovered, the health ministry said today.
Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh on Sunday reported their first cases of the Omicron variant. Delhi- which also has reported the most number of coronavirus cases - has 142 cases of the new variant. It is followed by Maharashtra, which has 141 cases. Kerala has 57 cases and Gujarat 49.
In view of the fast-spreading Omicron variant, India on Saturday announced booster shots for health and frontline workers and those above 60 from January 10. In a late night address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced vaccinations for children
between 15 and 18 years from January 3.
"Twenty-six new cases of the Omicron variant have been reported from Maharashtra today," the health department said in a bulletin.
Giving the break-up of 26, the bulletin said Mumbai reported 11 cases, Raigad (Panvel Municipal Corporation) - five, Thane Municipal Corporation - four, Nanded - two. Nagpur, Palghar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation (in Thane district) and Pune rural reported one case each.
The Tamil Nadu government on Monday requested the Centre to grant the state permission, as a special case, to announce Omicron confirmed cases rather than wait for reports from the National Institute of Virology, owing to its expertise in whole genome sequencing.
Reiterating the demand for necessary approvals, Health and Family Welfare Minister Ma Subramanian claimed that by the time the NIV confirmed the samples, those testing positive in the state get discharged after treatment.
"Practically, by the time the samples get confirmed, those who test positive get treated and are discharged from the hospital," he said while talking to reporters here. Hence, the Centre should grant permission to Tamil Nadu, as a special case, to enable it provide daily updates on the Omicron cases, he argued.
Elaborating, Subramanian said of the 97 persons recently detected with S-gene drop in Tamil Nadu, the NIV confirmed the presence of Omicron variant in 34, of whom 18 have already been discharged while 16 are undergoing treatment. Normally, results of the samples sent to the NIV for confirmation are received in about 10 days.
"And by this time the positive patients get treated and discharged," the Minister said
There will be no mix-and-match of vaccines for the crucial third dose to be given in view of the Omicron variant that is rapidly spreading in the country, senior health ministry sources told NDTV today.
A 48-year-old returnee from Tanzania on Monday tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Manipur, making him the first patient of the strain in the northeastern state, the Directorate of Health Services said. The resident of Imphal West district recently returned from the African country via Delhi, it said.
The man tested positive for COVID-19 on the eighth day of his return to India, and his sample, which was sent to the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development in Imphal for whole-genome sequencing, was found to be infected with the Omicron strain, the directorate said.
The patient has been placed under isolation at state-run Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences here, and he has not exhibited any severe symptoms, it said, adding that his temperature, respiratory and pulse rates are being constantly monitored.
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