India reported 7,189 fresh coronavirus infections and 387 new fatalities, said the health ministry today, pushing the national tally to 3,47,79,815 and the total death count to 4,79,520. The active cases stand at 77,032 while the country's total cases of Omicron, the newest coronavirus variant, has increased to 415.
The Centre has said the Omicron variant is at least thrice more transmissible than the Delta and asked the states and Union Territories to "activate" war rooms, analyze even small trends and surges and take prompt containment action.
State governments have been imposing new restrictions in view of the rising Omicron cases at a time when Christmas and New Year celebrations threaten to exponentially push up the variant's case count.
Here are the highlights on Coronavirus cases in India:
Seven more cases of Omicron variant have been reported in Karnataka, informed State Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Saturday, according to news agency ANI. Of these seven, two had travelled from Delhi, one had arrived from the US, one each from Zambia, the UK, UAE, and another is a primary contact of the UK traveller. "All primary and secondary contacts have been tracked, traced and tested," the minister said. The Omicron tally has reached 38 in the state.
Covid infections in France hit six figures Saturday, health officials recording 104,611 cases over the previous 24 hours, the third consecutive day the numbers have been record highs. Read here.
South Africa has stopped tracing and quarantining contacts of confirmed cases of COVID-19 cases with immediate effect, the health department has said, as the country tries to bounce back from economic downturn precipitated by the pandemic.
India has reported a total of 415 Omicron cases, the Health Ministry said this morning. At least 115 have recovered, it said. Read Here
A surge in Coronavirus cases has heralded another pandemic-tinged Christmas in Mizoram, with Santa's arrival and longed-for community feast overshadowed by the prospect of yet more Covid restrictions. Read here.
In view of the spike in coronavirus cases and the growing threat of the Omicron variant, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has banned New Year celebration programmes and gatherings in any closed or open areas in the city. Read more here.
19 children have tested positive for Covid in a school in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar, said the district collector today, marking yet another school in the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya network finding itself in the midst of a Covid outbreak. Read here.
The Election Commission will meet Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Monday, poll body sources told NDTV this morning, to discuss the Covid situation - specifically the threat posed by the Omicron strain - in Uttar Pradesh and four other states due to hold elections in February-March.
The meeting will take place a day before the commission's Dec 28-30 visit to UP.
The meeting also follows a suggestion from the Allahabad High Court - to defer the election in the state due to concerns of an Omicron-led third wave of coronavirus infections.
India reported 7,189 fresh coronavirus infections and 387 new fatalities, said the health ministry today, pushing the national tally to 3,47,79,815.
The total death count rose to 4,79,520, while the active cases presently stand at 77,032.
The country's total cases of Omicron, the newest coronavirus variant that has sparked widespread global concern, have increased to 415.
Commercial air traffic within the US and into or out of the country accounted for roughly a fourth of all the canceled flights over the weekend, FlightAware data showed.
The Delhi government on Friday ordered Sarojini Nagar market to operate on odd-even basis over the weekend in view of the large footfalls seen at the place in the last few days, amid a spike in COVID-19 cases and the threat of Omicron variant. Read here.
Gatherings of five or more will not be allowed in Maharashtra between 9 pm and 6 am, the state government announced on Friday, as coronavirus cases recorded their steepest rise in nearly two months amid the spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant. Read here.