Highest single-day spike since May in Delhi; Kolkata's Covid positivity rate 33% | 10 points
Covid 3rd wave scare: Most of the new cases in Delhi and Mumbai are asymptomatic, which is an indication that this surge is driven by Omicron, the latest variant of SARS-CoV-2.
In May, India witnessed the deadly second wave of the pandemic. Delhi on Sunday recorded 3,194 fresh Covid infections which was the highest single-day rise since May 20, when India was officially reeling under the second wave of the pandemic. Similar spikes were reported from Mumbai and Kolkata. West Bengal on Sunday reported 6,153 infections while Kolkata's positivity rate reached 33%.
Here are 10 points about the emerging situation of Covid in India
1. On Sunday, India reported more than 27,000 new Covid-19 cases. On Monday, the number will see another huge spike as the metro cities are adding a huge number of cases.
2. Most of the new cases in Delhi and Mumbai are asymptomatic, which is an indication that this surge is driven by Omicron, the latest variant of SARS-CoV-2.
West Bengal announces fresh Covid-19 curbs; schools, colleges shut from tomorrow. Details here
3. Is it the beginning of a third wave? According to experts, the third wave has already set in since the last week of December.
4. The rapid surge also indicates community transmission of Omicron, though there has been no official confirmation regarding this. Delhi, Tamil Nadu ministers have claimed that without community transmission of Omicron, such a large spike could not have taken place.
5. West Bengal has announced a lockdown-like situation closing schools, colleges, gyms etc. It has also curbed flight operations with Delhi and Mumbai, two hotspots of the ongoing surge.
6. Karnataka has stepped up vigilance in border districts and the government may announce some fresh restrictions in the state.
7. The Supreme Court has decided to again switch to online hearing of the cases for two weeks from January 3, as the cases are rising.
8. Vaccination for children in the age group of 12 to 18 years will begin from January 3.
9. A cluster outbreak has been reported in Nainital as 85 students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Nainital’s Gangarkot tested positive.
10. The government on Sunday said India's Covid vaccination programme has been one of the most successful and largest in the world. "Compared with other developed nations, India has done a better job in administering Covid vaccination to its eligible adult citizen of 93.7 crore (as per the RGI (Registrar General of India)) across all its states and UTs (union territories)," it underlined.
