New Delhi: India saw a single-day rise of 1,79,723 new coronavirus cases, raising the tally to 3.57 crore, which included 4,003 cases of Omicron variant reported across 27 states and union territories. The country reported 146 deaths linked to the virus.
The active cases comprise 2.03 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has decreased to 96.62 per cent. An increase of 1,33,008 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry data updated this morning.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 13.29 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 7.92 per cent. The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive has exceeded 151.94 crore, the ministry said.
Maharashtra, one of the worst-hit states by the Covid pandemic, reported 44,388 new COVID-19 cases and 12 deaths linked to the virus on Sunday. The state tally of COVID-19 positive patients stands at 69,20,044. There are 2,02,259 active cases in the state.
Covid cases in Uttar Pradesh – where elections will be next month – has seen a jump of 1,300 per cent. The 7,695 fresh cases reported over the last 24 hours are 13 times what was recorded last week. Last Sunday, the state had recorded 552 fresh cases. The biggest figures came from state capital Lucknow (1,115 ) and Noida near Delhi (1,149).
Seventeen Covid-related deaths were reported in Delhi on Sunday, the most fatalities in a day since June 16 last year, as the city added 22,751 cases in 24 hours. The positivity rate stood at 23.53 per cent.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has underscored the need to focus on testing, genome sequencing and vaccination at a review meeting for Covid. Vaccination for adolescents must be conducted in “mission mode” and focus on Covid-appropriate behaviour will be critical in the coming days, he said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, and senior government officials attended the meeting.
Precautionary third doses of vaccines — announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month — began today for health and frontline workers and immuno-compromised seniors from today as Covid numbers spike in the country, driven by Omicron. Those eligible can directly take an appointment or walk into any vaccination centre. There is no decision yet on booster doses for all adults.
The third dose of Covaxin holds promise, the Indian Council of Medical Research said on Sunday. “Reassuring information on safety and immunogenicity of a booster dose of Covaxin administered six months after completion of a two dose primary vaccination series with Covaxin,” it said in a Tweet.
A new Covid strain that combines delta and omicron was found in Cyprus, news agency Bloomberg reported. The frequerncy of “Deltacron” was found to be higher among patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 as compared to non-hospitalized patients, it said, quoting a professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus.
Covid cases have been on the rise since late last year due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant, first identified in Botswana and South Africa. The total number of Covid-19 registered worldwide since the start of the pandemic topped 300 million on Friday, according to an AFP count based on official figures.
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