A day before India begins administering the third dose of vaccines to the most vulnerable population of the country, a total of over 1.59 lakh infections were reported, which is the highest in 224 days. The tally and the steady surge of cases in Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal indicate that what India is experiencing is a fresh surge that many states have declared as the third wave. How will this wave move? Studying global trends, experts said the surge is likely to be short-lived. The curve is likely to be small with a quick up and down, believe experts who have been warning people against the floating notion that Omicron will act as a natural vaccine. “Let’s all just get Omicron isn’t exactly the best idea. Best to avoid altogether. The surge should be quick, straight up and down. See it through with utmost precautions," Dr Arvinder Singh Soin said on Sunday.
Here are the top 10 updates on India's Covid-19 situation:
1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a review meeting with the health officials and asked to ramp up vaccination of the youngsters between 15 and 18 years. Union health minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya will hold a meeting of state/UT health ministers on Monday.
2. Delhi on Sunday reported 22,751 fresh infections taking the positivity rate to an alarming 23%. Gurugram on Sunday reported 2,338 cases.
Maharashtra reports 44,388 new Covid cases, 12 deaths; Omicron tally at 1,216
3. The Delhi government on Sunday said there will be no lockdown in the Capital. "Rising Covid cases are a matter of concern but there is no need to panic. Very few people are getting hospitalised. Wearing a mask is very important. There will be no lockdown if you continue to wear the mask. There is no plan to impose a lockdown as of now," chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said.
4. Tamil Nadu on Sunday reported 12,895 Covid cases. Nearly 80-85% of the Covid cases in the state were of Omicron variant while the remaining 15-20 per cent was Delta variant, health minister Ma Subramanian said, giving the data of genome sequencing of the past few days.
{{/usCountry}}4. Tamil Nadu on Sunday reported 12,895 Covid cases. Nearly 80-85% of the Covid cases in the state were of Omicron variant while the remaining 15-20 per cent was Delta variant, health minister Ma Subramanian said, giving the data of genome sequencing of the past few days.
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5. Karnataka on Sunday reported 12,000 fresh cases and 4 virus-related deaths, taking the tally to 30,51,958 and the fatalities toll to 38,370.
6. West Bengal broke all previous records of the single-day surge and reported an all-time high of 24,287 fresh cases, the highest since the first wave of infections in 2020.
7. The Himachal Pradesh government on Sunday banned social and religious functions till January 24. It also prohibited any gathering of more than 100 people for indoor and 300 people for outdoor academic, sport, cultural and political events, according to an order.
8. Night curfew and other restrictions to avoid ‘unnecessary crowding’ will begin in Maharashtra from Monday. Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu were under partial restrictions on Sunday.
9. Omicron is now the dominant variant across the country, reports said. Till a few days ago, it was only in the western region of the country that the surge in Covid cases was due to Omicron, while in the northeastern states, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Odisha the Delta variant was predominant. Now Omicron has emerged as dominant in these parts too, reports said.
10. While Omicron was thought to be producing milder symptoms without causing any respiratory trouble, doctors are now reporting some change in symptoms among Omicron-infected children and adolescents. Dr Dhiren Gupta, Paediatric Pulmonologist at Sir Gangaram Hospital said he observed high fever and shivering in at least nine cases.