Coronavirus Omicron Feb 11 Highlights: DDMA to meet next week to decide on easing Covid-19 restrictions further

Tamil Nadu on Friday added 3,086 new Covid-19 infections, pushing the caseload to 34,31,154 while 25 more fatalities took the death toll to 37,887, the Health department said. Recoveries outnumbered new cases with 14,051 people getting discharged in the last 24 hours, aggregating to 33,37,265 leaving 56,002 active infections, a medical bulletin said. Chennai and Coimbatore accounted for the majority of new infections with 590 and 569 cases respectively while the remaining was spread across other districts. Perambalur and Tenkasi recorded the least with five cases, each. (PTI)

West Bengal's Covid-19 tally reached 20,09,717 on Friday as 767 more people, 50 less than the previous day's count, tested positive for the virus, according to a bulletin issued by the health department. It said 27 fresh fatalities due to coronavirus were recorded during the day, pushing the death toll to 20,965. The state had registered 26 such deaths on Thursday. The positivity rate declined to 1.73 per cent from 1.80 per cent the previous day, while the number of samples tested was lower from Thursday's 45,495 to 44,300 on Friday. (PTI)

Chhattisgarh on Friday reported 946 COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 11,44,940, while 10 deaths in the past 24 hours increased the toll to 13,988, an official said. The state's positivity rate, or cases detected per 100 tests, was 2.51 per cent as on Friday, he said. The number of recoveries reached 11,22,488 after 83 people were discharged from hospitals and 2,086 completed home isolation during the day, leaving the state with an active tally of 8,464, he said. (PTI)

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) is expected to meet next week to take a call on further relaxing COVID-19-related restrictions amid declining cases in the city, official sources said on Friday. Demands have been raised by several quarters, including traders and political parties, for further relaxations such as lifting night curfew, permitting weekly markets in all municipal zones, and allowing visitors in religious places. The DDMA meeting is expected to be held next week but a date for it is yet to be finalised, sources said. Chairman of Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) Brijesh Goyal has questioned the continuance of night curfew, saying it was hurting traders. He said that now the marriage season has started and people are going to face problems due to night curfew. The DDMA in its meeting on February 4 had extended the imposition of night curfew, but slashed the timing by an hour from 11 PM to 5 AM. Non-essential shops are allowed to open till 8 PM due to the night curfew. (PTI)

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 172 crore on Friday, according to the Union health ministry. More than 42 lakh (42,67,532) vaccine doses were administered till 7 pm on Friday, the ministry said, adding that the daily vaccination tally is expected to go up with the compilation of the final reports by late night. More than 1.68 crore (1,68,47,437) precaution doses of the vaccines have so far been administered to healthcare workers (HCWs), frontline workers (FLWs) and those aged 60 years and above with comorbidities. (PTI)

Over 1.2 crore people aged 60 years and above in the country had not received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as on February 8, the government informed Parliament on Friday. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said a total of 1,20,82,792 people in the said age group are yet to receive the first dose of a Covid vaccine. Besides, 1,68,03,864 beneficiaries in the age group have not received the second dose of the vaccines, she added. As on February 8, a total of 95.09 crore (93.9 per cent) people aged 15 years and above had received the first dose of a Covid vaccine and 73.59 crore (72.6 per cent) beneficiaries in the age group had received both doses. (PTI)

Nine people succumbed to Covid in Himachal Pradesh on Friday, pushing the death toll to 4,058, while 499 new cases took the infection tally to 2,79,697, a health official said. The deaths included six women and three men in the age group of 40 to 83 years, he said. Five deaths were reported from Shimla, two from Mandi and one each from Kangra and Hamirpur, he added. The number of active COVID-19 cases in the state decreased to 4,132 on Friday from 4,344 on Thursday, the official said. (PTI)

The Kerala government on Friday decided to allow 1,500 people in major religious festivals and events in the state including Aluva Sivarathri, Maramon Convention and Attukal Pongala. A government order directed people to attend the festivals and religious events strictly adhering to COVID-19 protocol including wearing masks and keeping adequate distance. Only those over 18 years of age who have a RT-PCR negative certificate taken within 72 hours or a document to prove that they were infected with virus in the last three months will be allowed entry in the places where festivals are held. People below 18 years can attend the festivals with their family members. The government also decided not to allow devotees to offer 'pongala' (offering to the deity) in public places or on roads during the famous Attukal Pongala. However, people can make the offering from their homes, the government order said. (PTI)

The COVID-19 tally in Nashik reached 4,74,097 on Friday with the addition of 347 cases, while five deaths took the toll to 8,865, an official said. So far, 4,63,252 people have been discharged post recovery, including 830 during the day, leaving the district with 1,980 active cases, he said. (PTI)

Maharashtra on Friday reported 5,455 new coronavirus infections, about 700 less than the day before, the state health department said. The virus also claimed 63 lives since Thursday evening. On the other hand, 14,635 patients recovered in the state during this period. The caseload increased to 78,35,088, while the death toll rose to 1,43,355. The overall recovery count increased to 76,26,868. There are now 60,902 active COVID-19 patients in the state. The state also reported 76 fresh cases of Omicron variant on Friday. (PTI)

Gujarat reports 1,883 fresh COVID cases, 5,005 recoveries, and 14 deaths in the last 24 hours

Total recoveries: 11,83,294

Active cases: 18,301

Death toll: 10,775 (ANI)

Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar on Friday informed the Lok Sabha that 167 deaths have been reported as Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) after the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the country. The highest number of 43 fatalities has been reported as AEFI from Kerala, followed by 15 from Maharashtra, 14 from West Bengal and 12 each from Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, according to data provided by the minister in response to a written question. (PTI)

Telangana on Friday reported 733 fresh COVID-19 cases taking the overall tally to 7,82,336 lakh. The state had recorded 767 new cases on Thursday. The trend of recoveries outnumbering daily infections also continued with 2,850 people recuperating from the infectious disease. The cumulative number of recoveries till date was 7,62,594, a medical bulletin said. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) reported the highest number of cases with 185, followed by Nalgonda and Medchal Malkajgiri 47 and 44 respectively. (PTI)

As many as 2,612 persons tested positive for coronavirus, while three died of the infection in Madhya Pradesh in the last 24 hours, raising the tally to 10,21,361 and toll to 10,682, an official from the state health department said on Friday. The positivity rate in the state has dropped to 3.4 per cent from 3.67 per cent recorded on Thursday, he said. At least 5,995 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the count of recoveries to 9,84,500, leaving the central state with 26,179 active cases, the official said. Bhopal and Indore, the worst-hit cities of Madhya Pradesh, registered 549 and 228 cases respectively in the last 24 hours, he said. (PTI)

The Delhi High Court Friday said it will resume complete physical functioning from March 2 onwards while allowing hybrid or virtual hearing in exceptional circumstances on a case-to-case basis. The high, in an administrative order, advised all stakeholders to get themselves vaccinated at the earliest and stated that in the meantime, only a suitable number of benches will hold physical courts. In a separate administrative order, the high court informed that the district courts in the city will also witness a similar graded physical opening from next week with complete resumption from March 2 onwards. (PTI)

Mumbai on Friday reported 367 COVID-19 cases, the fifth consecutive day when the addition to the overall count was less than 500, and one death, which took the tally to 10,53,413 and the toll to 16,679, a civic official said. In signs that the pandemic may be ebbing here, civic data also showed that the caseload doubling time had increased from 949 days on Thursday to 1,055 days on Friday, while the city, where the positivity rate was 1.06 per cent, was clear of containment zones and sealed building for the second consecutive day. (PTI)

Karnataka on Friday reported 3,976 new cases of COVID-19 and 41 fatalities, taking the tally to 39,21,095 and toll to 39,575. There were 11,377 discharges today, pushing the total number of recoveries to 38,36,915, a Health bulletin said. Of the new cases, 1,725 were from Bengaluru Urban that saw 4,455 people being discharged and 11 virus-related deaths. The total number of active cases across the state is now 44,571. (PTI)

Jammu and Kashmir on Friday recorded 540 new cases of coronavirus, taking the infection tally to 4,49,873 while two more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, officials said. Of the fresh cases, 312 were from the Jammu division and 228 from the Kashmir division, they said. Jammu district recorded the highest of 131 cases followed by 89 cases in Srinagar district, they said. There are 7,424 active cases in the Union Territory, while the number of recovered patients was 4,37,708, officials said. The death toll stands at 4,741. (PTI)

The declining trend of daily COVID-19 cases continued as Andhra Pradesh registered 1,166 fresh infections on Friday. In the last 24 hours ending 9 am on Friday, the state also reported 9,632 recoveries and five deaths, according to the latest health bulletin. The number of active cases has come down to 32,413, the bulletin said. The total number of COVID-19 cases across the state has now touched 23,11,133, while the recoveries stood at 22,64,032. With five more fatalities, the death toll reached 14,688, it said. Chittoor, Guntur, Krishna, SPS Nellore and West Godavari districts reported one death each. (PTI)

Kerala reports 16,012 new COVID19 cases, 43,087 recoveries & 27 deaths in last 24 hours.

214 deaths which were not added due to lack of documents and 251 deaths as per new guidelines of central government: State Government (ANI)

Several thousand New York City public workers could lose their jobs Friday if they don't show they've complied with the city's mandate requiring they receive at least two shots of the COVID-19 vaccine. Though they represent about 1% of the 370,000-person city workforce, including teachers, firefighters and police officers, the mass firings will mark a new line in the sand for the nation's largest city, which has imposed some of the most sweeping vaccine mandates in the country. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, speaking about the looming firings at a news conference last week, noted that city workers largely complied with the mandate. (AP)

Health authorities in Denmark said Friday that they are considering “winding down” the country's coronavirus vaccination programme in the spring and see no reason now to administer a booster dose to children or a fourth shot to any more residents at risk of severe COVID-19. The Danish Health Authority said in a statement outlining its reasoning that the third infection wave in the European nation was waning “due to the large population immunity.” “The very high vaccine coverage in Denmark, especially with the third shot, means that we can cope with increasing infection without getting serious illness,” the government agency said in a statement. Last month, the Danish government said it was offering a fourth vaccine dose to older adults and other vulnerable citizens because the pandemic situation had worsened due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. (AP)

The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines under the Quad initiative will be delivered in the first half of 2022, the foreign ministers of the grouping said, expressing satisfaction over rapid progress in expansion of the production at a facility in India. After attending the fourth Quad foreign ministers meeting in Melbourne, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that it was agreed to expedite the delivery of safe and affordable vaccines, support capacity building and augment infrastructure for last-mile delivery. “Together, we have pledged to donate more than 1.3 billion vaccine doses globally. We are pleased with the Quad Vaccine Partnership's rapid progress in expanding vaccine production at the Biological E Ltd facility in India, which aims to deliver at least 1 billion vaccines by the end of 2022,” a joint statement said. Besides Jaishankar, the meeting was attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australia's Marise Payne. (PTI)

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said the state cabinet had not held any discussion about going mask-free, and people must continue to wear the protective gear till coronavirus is eradicated. “There was no discussion in the cabinet meeting on stopping the use of masks. We must continue to use masks till the COVID-19 disease is eradicated,” Pawar said while speaking to the media here. People will be informed if any decision about going mask-free is taken, he said. (PTI)

Pakistan has administered a record 2.24 million vaccines in a single day, a hopeful milestone for the country where the Omicron variant has fuelled the fifth wave of the pandemic, the Minister for Planning and Development said on Friday. Omicron, the most transmissible variant of COVID-19, was first reported in Pakistan in December last year. Minister for Planning and Development, Asad Umar, who is also the head of the National Command and Operation Centre, the country's COVID-19 task force, took to Twitter on Friday to praise the health authorities for achieving this vaccination milestone. (PTI)

French President Emmanuel Macron refused a Kremlin request that he take a Russian COVID-19 test when he arrived to see President Vladimir Putin this week, to prevent Russia getting hold of Macron's DNA, two sources in Macron's entourage told Reuters. As a result, the visiting French head of state was kept at a distance from the Russian leader during lengthy talks on the Ukraine crisis in Moscow. They were photographed at opposite ends of a table so long that it provoked satirical comment on social media and speculation, including by diplomats, that Putin might be using it to send a message. But two sources who have knowledge of the French president's health protocol told Reuters Macron had been given a choice: either accept a PCR test done by the Russian authorities and be allowed to get close to Putin, or refuse and have to abide by more stringent social distancing. (Reuters)

The European Medicines Agency's safety committee said on Friday it was reviewing reports of heavy menstrual bleeding and absence of menstruation with COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. The assessment is in view of reports of menstrual disorders with both vaccines, and it is not yet clear whether there is a causal link between the COVID-19 vaccines and the reports, the agency said. (Reuters)

Vaccinated travellers can enter Britain without taking any coronavirus tests starting Friday, after the government scrapped one of the final restrictions imposed over the past two years in response to COVID-19. British residents and visitors who have had at least two doses of an approved coronavirus vaccine now only need to fill out a passenger locator form before travelling to the UK. Unvaccinated people still have to take tests both before and after arriving but no longer need to self-isolate until they get a negative result. (AP)

The Bombay High Court on Friday directed the Maharashtra government to submit all files and records pertaining to three COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued in July and August 2021, which included the restriction on the use of local trains by unvaccinated people. A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice M S Karnik asked for the files after the state government informed that the restriction on local train travel had been invoked by the then state chief secretary Sitaram Kunte considering the COVID-19-related “emergency” at the time. (PTI)