Omicron Variant Cases and Deaths in India, Covid-19 Booster Vaccine Registration Latest Update, Covid-19 NeoCov Variant Feb 3 Highlights: The Health Ministry on Thursday informed that 34 states and union territories have observed a decline in COVID-19 cases and positivity rate. The government also said that the pandemic situation has improved and there is contraction in spread of the Covid infection. According to the official data, a decline in COVID-19 case fatality rate has also been noted with an increase in administration of vaccine doses.
The Ministry further said that people with average age of 44 years were infected more with Covid-19 in this wave as compared to previous waves. Also, sore throat was seen more in patients and there was significantly lesser use of drugs for treatment.
ALSO READ- Covid Lockdowns: The cost of school closures in India
Meanwhile, Odisha recorded 3,629 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday — which is over five per cent more than the previous day — however, what is more alarming is that children seem to have borne the brunt of new infections. Among the new Covid-19 cases in Odisha, at least 515 are children, the health department said in its bulletin.
The new cases pushed the Covid-19 tally in Odisha to 12,59,405. State health department’s bulletin further said 18 deaths were recorded — including three each in Khurda, Cuttack, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur and Sundargarh.
Earlier, showing some worrying signs, India reported 1,72,433 fresh COVID cases — which was 6.8% rise than yesterday’s numbers, health department’s medical bulletin said on Thursday.
During the same time period, India has registered 2,59,107 recoveries, and 1008 deaths. The active cases stand at 15,33,921, the health bulletin added.
India Covid-19 Status in last 24 hours:
New COVID cases: 1,72,433;
Death recorded: 1,008;
Recoveries registered: 2,59,107;
Active case: 15,33,921;
Daily positivity rate: 10.99%
ALSO READ: Delhi logs over 3,000 new Covid-19 cases
As per reports, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) will be meeting on Friday to mull extension of restrictions or curbs in the Delhi capital area. As there is a drop in new Covid-19 cases in Delhi, the PTI report suggests that the further relaxations in COVID-19 curbs could include reopening of schools as well.
After touching the record high of 28,867 on January 13 this year, health department updates suggest that the number of daily cases in Delhi has been on a steady decline. During the present Coronavirus pandemic wave, Delhi recorded the highest positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14. And in the next 10 days, the daily cases have dropped below the 10,000-mark.
Financial Express Online brings you the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic
Coronavirus India Live News: Covid-19 Omicron Cases in India Live Count, Coronavirus Lockdown, Night Curfew Guidelines and Restrictions Live Updates
Sixteen more Covid-19 related deaths were reported in Haryana on Thursday as 3,148 fresh cases surfaced, pushing the state's infection count to 9,58,841, according to a Health Department bulletin. So far, 10.353 people have died from the infection in the state. Gurugram district reported 896 fresh cases while Faridabad, Hisar and Sonipat reported 277, 193 and 215 cases, respectively. (PTI)
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. 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. (PTI)
The number of recoveries continued to outnumber fresh COVID-19 cases in Telangana on Thursday with 3,980 people recuperating from the infectious disease, while 2,421 new infections were reported, taking the tally to 7,71,828, a health department bulletin said. The cumulative number of recoveries till date was 7,34,628. The death toll rose to 4,096 with two more fatalities. (PTI)
The European Commission proposed Thursday to extend by a year the use of COVID certificates aimed at facilitating travel across the 27-nation bloc during the pandemic, until the end of June 2023. Despite the announcement by the director of the World Health Organization's Europe office that Europe is now entering a "plausible endgame" to the pandemic, the EU said the virus is still very prevalent on the continent. "At this stage it is not possible to determine the impact of a possible increase in infections in the second half of 2022 or of the emergence of new variants," the Commission said. (AP)
New Zealand’s government on Thursday said it will end its quarantine requirements for incoming travelers and reopen its borders, a change welcomed by thousands of citizens abroad who have endured long waits to return home: Associated Press (ANI)
Tamil Nadu on Thursday added 11,993 fresh infections to its COVID-19 caseload, which touched 33,87,322, while 30 more fatalities took the toll to 37,666. Recoveries eclipsed new cases with 23,084 people getting discharged in the last 24 hours aggregating to 31,82,778 leaving 1,66,878 active infections, a medical bulletin said. Chennai accounted for the majority of new cases with 1,751 followed by Coimbatore 1,426, Chengalpet 1,097, and Tiruppur 1,017 while the remaining was scattered across other districts. (PTI)
Assam reports 1,019 new COVID19 cases, 2,392 recoveries and 19 fatalities in the last 24 hours.
Active cases 13,786 (ANI)
India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 168.40 crore with over 50 lakh vaccine doses being administered on Thursday, the Union health ministry said. The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late night, it said. A total of 50,11,156 vaccine doses have been administered till 7 pm. (PTI)
The Centre on Thursday asserted that coronavirus patients requiring surgery need not be denied surgical intervention, saying present data indicates that such procedures are safe and not associated with higher chances of complications or deaths with the current variant. At a press conference, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry, Lav Agarwal, presented an "Analysis of Surgeries during the current surge Covid OT cases in AIIMS, Delhi" from December 20, 2021, to January 20, 2022, at a press conference. According to the study, a total of 53 Covid cases underwent surger, of which 32 (60 per cent) were given regional anaesthesia and 21 (40 per cent) were given general anaesthesia. Of the 32 cases, 26 cases were Lower segment Cesarean section. (PTI)
The chorus for reopening schools in the national capital grew louder ahead of a DDMA meeting on Friday to take a call on the restrictions imposed in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Now that the DDMA has taken its time and is now considering opening schools in Delhi, we hope they will be guided by experts who have advised that children are at least risk of poor COVID outcomes but face maximum losses and restrictions. Vaccination is not a prerequisite for them to attend school, as is evident from many countries, other Indian States, and experts," said Tanya Aggarwal, a lawyer who has been vocal about the need for reopening schools. Simran Khara and Dharini Mathur, parents of Delhi school children who have been running an online petition demanding that schools be reopened, said, "We hope that instead of a phased opening starting with senior classes, they allow all classes to open with revised and realistic SOPs which allow children to resume normal hours as soon as possible." (PTI)
Palestinians are facing a winter coronavirus surge driven by the omicron variant, placing stress on the medical system even though vaccines are widely available. The Palestinian Authority's Health Ministry reported over 70,000 active cases in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, annexed east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip on Thursday, more than twice the number at the height of previous surges. The real figure is likely much higher, as omicron tends to cause milder symptoms, especially in vaccinated patients, and many people are testing at home. (AP)
Karnataka on Thursday registered a decline in daily coronavirus infections, as the state reported 16,436 new cases and 60 fatalities, taking the tally to 38.60 lakh and toll to 39,197. The state on Wednesday had reported 20,505 fresh infections. There were 44,819 discharges today, taking the total number of recoveries to 36,72,744, a health bulletin said. (PTI)
The Nashik district of Maharashtra on Thursday reported 895 new coronavirus infections and seven pandemic-related deaths, health officials said. The case tally in the north Maharashtra district rose to 4,70,232, while death toll reached 8,831. Four patients died in the Nashik city during the day and three in other parts of the district including one in Malegaon. (PTI)
Twelve persons succumbed to COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, raising the toll to 4,002, while 1,432 fresh cases pushed the infection count to 2,74,680, a health official said. The Covid deaths are the highest reported in a single day in the hill state. Eight men and four women are among those deceased aged between 35 to 91 years, the official said. Five deaths each were reported in Kangra and Mandi and one death each in Shimla and Una, he added. The highest 353 fresh cases were found in Kangra, followed by 284 in Mandi, 207 in Solan, 124 in Bilaspur, 98 in Sirmaur, 92 in Chamba, 83 in Una, 78 in Hamirpur, 58 in Kullu, 33 in Shimla and 22 in Kinnaur, the official said. (PTI)
Gujarat reports 7606 new COVID19 cases, 13,195 recoveries and 34 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Active cases 63,564 (ANI)
West Bengal reports 1916 new COVID19 cases, 2614 recoveries and 36 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Active cases 21,146 (ANI)
Mumbai's daily coronavirus count again dropped below the 1,000-mark as it reported 827 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, while seven more patients died due to the infection, the city civic body said. With these additions, the tally of coronavirus infections rose to 10,49,348, while the death toll increased to 16,647, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) bulletin said. Mumbai reported a dip of 301 cases from a day ago and the daily tally again went below 1,000. On Wednesday, the financial capital had reported 1,128 cases and 10 fatalities after recording 803 infections and seven fatalities on Tuesday. The daily positivity rate (cases detected per 100 tests), however, increased to 2.29 per cent from 2.44 per cent from a day ago. (PTI)
The Centre on Thursday said the districts having less than five percent Covid positivity rate can move in the direction of reopening schools but it is up to the state governments to take a call in this regard. Noting that the pandemic situation has improved and there has been a consistent decline in new COVID-19 cases, Niti Ayog Member (Health) V K Paul said we have more confidence now to go in the direction of reopening schools. Ministry of Education (MoE) officials said schools are completely open in 11 states while they are reopened for mostly higher classes in 16 states. They said following the "extensive" vaccination coverage, the ministry had in December revised the guidelines issued to state for reopening of schools. (PTI)
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 (ANI)
The declining trend in daily Covid cases continues in Jammu and Kashmir with 1,982 infections being reported on Thursday, officials said. The union territory also reported seven deaths in the past 24 hours which pushed the toll to 4,699, they said. Of the fresh Covid cases, 694 were reported from the Jammu division and 1,288 from the Kashmir division, the officials said, adding the overall tally of cases has climbed to 4,42,462. They said Srinagar district recorded the highest of 413 cases, followed by 310 cases in Jammu district on Thursday. (PTI)
Covid-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh are dropping, leading to a significant reduction in the daily and weekly positivity rate, government data showed. Week-on-week, the Covid-19 positivity rate declined from 29.85 to 25.64 per cent as on Wednesday while the average daily positivity rate too fell from 27.71 per cent to 17.07 per cent. After over 3.25 crore sample tests, the cumulative positivity rate stood at 7.03 per cent, as the total cases touched 22,93,171. On an average, the state reported 9,428 cases per day during the past week. (PTI)
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. (PTI)
A comparatively younger population with an average age of 44 years has been infected more in this Covid wave, the government said on Thursday, highlighting there was significantly less use of drugs for treatment this time. Addressing the weekly press conference, ICMR DG Balram Bhargava said in this Covid wave, sore throat was seen more in the patients. A slightly younger population having an average age of 44 years was infected more in this wave in comparison to the previous ones, he said. (PTI)
Ind vs WI: No new COVID-19 positive cases in hosts' camp, Rohit-led side begins training (ANI)
More than a year ago Sebastian Bressa finished his paperwork to become a language teacher in Tokyo and made plans to quit his job in Sydney. His life has been in limbo ever since. Japan has kept its door closed to most foreigners during the pandemic, and the 26-year-old Australian is one of hundreds of thousands denied entry to study, work or see their families. Japan has become one of the world's most difficult countries to enter and some are comparing it to the locked country, or "sakoku," policy of xenophobic warlords who ruled Japan in the 17th to 19th centuries. The current border rules allow in only Japanese nationals and permanent foreign residents, and have raised the ire of foreign students and scholars who say the measures are unfair, unscientific and force talented visitors to go to other countries. Critics say the rules are also hurting Japan's international profile and national interest. (AP)
A day after testing positive for COVID-19, the manager of India's Winter Olympics contingent, Mohammad Abbas Wani, has returned negative results in two retests conducted in the last 24 hours, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said on Thursday. Wani was found COVID-19 positive upon his arrival at the Beijing Airport here on Wednesday. IOA president Narinder Batra said the official has now returned negative in the last two tests. "The manager of Indian team Mr Abbas Wani tested negative in the 2 tests done on him in last 24 hours. Hence, the entire Indian contingent in Beijing is Covid free," Batra said. (PTI)
According to the official data, Delhi recorded 2,668 new Covid-19 cases, 13 deaths and 3,895 recoveries in last 24 hours on Thursday. The national capital's active case count stands at 13,630.
Germany's expert panel on vaccine use on Thursday recommended Novavax's protein-based COVID-19 vaccine for basic immunisation for people over 18, in a push to win over the more than 15% of German adults still not fully vaccinated. The high-profile advisory group known as STIKO said a booster shot should still be given with an mRNA vaccine, and particularly vulnerable people should also receive a second booster with an mRNA vaccine. (Reuters)