India Covid Updates: The recovery rate was recorded at 96.62 per cent.
India recorded 1,79,723 new coronavirus infections, taking the country's total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,57,07,727, while the active cases increased to 7,23,619, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on at 8 am.
The number of deaths climbed to 4,83,936 with 146 fresh fatalities, according to the data.
The active cases comprise 2.03 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 96.62 per cent, the ministry said.
India now has 4,033 cases of the new variant of coronavirus. Omicron has been reported in 27 states, with the most cases in Maharashtra with 1,216 cases, followed by Rajasthan with 529 infections. Out of the total Omicron cases reported so far,1,552 people have recovered or migrated.
Meanwhile, the administration of 'precaution dose' of COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare, frontline workers and immuno-compromised seniors will begin from today. The precaution dose can only be taken after nine months from the date of administration of the second dose of the vaccine.
The third dose will be the same vaccine the people have received for their first and second doses. There will be no mix and match, the Centre has said. It had also informed that the senior citizens with co-morbidities will not be required to produce a doctor's certificate or prescription at the time of administration of the precaution dose.
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases in India:
COVID-19 India News: Tamil Nadu Extends Covid Curbs Till January 31
Amid surging COVID cases, the Tamil Nadu government on Monday extended the existing COVID restrictions till January 31, imposing fresh curbs restricting entry into religious places of worship from January 14 to 18, to contain the spread of coronavirus. Night curfew, which was imposed from January 6, will continue till this month-end and there will be complete lockdown on January 16 (Sunday), the government said. Tamil Nadu today reported 13,990 fresh infections, while active cases soared to 62,767.
COVID-19 India News: Over 18,000 People Take 'Precautionary Dose' In Delhi
A total of 18,795 people, including 6,212 healthcare workers, got a "precautionary dose" of COVID-19 vaccine in the capital on Monday, according to government data, reported news agency PTI. As many as 8,040 people aged above 60 and 4,543 frontline workers also got their third dose. Around three lakh people aged 60 or more, healthcare workers and frontline workers who took their second dose of vaccine nine months ago have become eligible for the third dose from Monday.
COVID-19 News: European Union Takes Southern Africa Off No-Travel ListThe European Union agreed on Monday to take southern African countries off its no-travel list, as Omicron cases in the European bloc soar, the French presidency of the European Union said, according to news agency AFP. Travellers coming from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe will still have to show negative PCR tests taken no more than 72 hours earlier, in line with rules for most other countries.
COVID-19 India News: Assam Adds 2,198 New Cases, Highest In Six MonthsNew Covid-19 cases reported in Assam in the last 24 hours more than doubled to 2,198 new patients, the highest tally since July 10 last year, the National Health Mission (NHM) said, according to news agency PTI. On Monday, 2,198 new cases were detected against testing of 48,964 samples, registering a positivity of 4.49 per cent, the bulletin said.
The number of new cases is the highest since July 10, when the state had registered 2,391 cases with a positivity rate of 1.79 per cent. The number of positive cases in Kamrup Metropolitan district, which primarily comprises the Guwahati city, increased to 760 from 490 a day earlier, an increase of more than 55 per cent.
COVID-19 India News: CPI(M) Leaders Prakash Karat, Wife Brinda Karat Test PositiveSenior CPI(M) leaders Prakash Karat and his wife Brinda Karat have tested positive for COVID-19, the Left party said on Monday. CPI(M) Telangana Secretary Veerabhadram said the leaders were in the city to attend the party's Central Committee meeting held from January 7-9. "They had fever on Saturday night (December 8). They tested positive for the virus on Sunday. They were taken to a private hospital for other tests," the CPI (M) leader told PTI.
COVID-19 India News: Maharashtra Reports 33,470 New Cases, 8 Related DeathsMaharashtra reported 33,470 new coronavirus cases and eight related deaths today. As on today, there are 2,06,046 active virus cases in the state.
COVID-19 India News: Karnataka MP Nalinkumar Kateel Tests Covid PositiveDakshina Kannada MP and Karnataka state BJP president Nalinkumar Kateel tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, reported news agency PTI. This is the second time Mr Kateel is getting infected with COVID-19. He has earlier tested positive in August, 2020 during the first wave of the pandemic. In a tweet, Mr Kateel said he has tested positive for Covid and is asymptomatic and healthy. He also asked his contacts to get themselves tested.
COVID-19 India News: 133 Oxygen Plants Opened In Andhra HospitalsChief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday inaugurated, in virtual mode, 133 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants set up in government hospitals across Andhra Pradesh, reported news agency PTI. These plants, set up at a total cost of about Rs 400 crore, have an aggregate capacity of 85,208 litres per minute and could cater to 24,419 beds with oxygen supply system. Another 11 PSA plants are in the process of being procured and installed. The Centre had already commissioned 32 PSA plants at 28 locations in the state, with a total capacity of 26,500 LPM.
COVID-19 India News: West Bengal Reports 19,286 New Cases, 16 DeathsWest Bengal reported 19,286 new cases of coronavirus and 16 related deaths on Monday. The number of samples tested today were 51,675. The positivity rate as of today stands at 37.32 per cent. State capital Kolkata accounts for 5,556 of the new cases, followed by 4,297 in North 24 Paraganas and 1,625 in Howrah.
COVID-19 India News: Mumbai Reports 13,648 New Cases, 5 Deaths In Last 24 HoursMumbai reported 13,648 new coronavirus cases and five related deaths on Monday. A total of 59,242 samples were tested. The positivity rate stands at 23 per cent. Currently, there are 1,03,862 active cases in the city.
COVID-19 India News: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai Tests Positive
COVID-19 India News: 19,166 New Cases In Delhi In Last 24 Hours
Delhi reported 18,166 new cases in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate stands at 25 per cent, which means every fourth person taking coronavirus test was founded to be infected. This positivity rate was the highest since May 5. Besides, 17 virus-related deaths were also reported in the last 24 hours.
COVID-19 India News: Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Tests Covid PositiveArunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on Monday said he has tested positive for coronavirus, reported news agency PTI. Sharing the information on his Twitter handle, Mein requested everyone who came in contact with him in the last few days to quarantine themselves and get tested.
"Today, I got myself tested for Covid through RAT and was found positive. I have got mild symptoms but doing well with no other problem. I request all those who came into contact with me in the last few days, to isolate themselves and get their Covid test done," the deputy chief minister tweeted.
COVID-19 News: Central Armed Police Forces Witness Spike In Covid Cases: ReportThe Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have registered a sharp spike in COVID-19 infections over the last four days with active cases reaching around 3,000, official data showed on Monday, reported news agency PTI. The five CAPFs -- CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF and SSB -- apart from two other Central forces under the command of the Union Home Ministry, the NDRF and NSG, have more than 2,900 active cases as on January 9 as compared to a total of 964 active infections they reported on January 5, the data accessed by news agency PTI stated.
COVID-19 India News: Delhi Restaurants, Bars To Shut; Takeway AllowedAuthorities in Delhi have decided to shut down restaurants and bars in the national capital. However, takeaway facility will be allowed. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).
COVID-19 India News: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Tests Covid Positive
COVID-19 India News: Karnataka Reports 146 New Omicron Cases, Tally Reaches 479As many as 146 more cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected in Karnataka, said state health minister K Sudhakar on Monday. This takes the state's tally of Omicron cases to 479. "146 new cases of Omicron have been confirmed in Bengaluru today, taking the overall tally in Karnataka to 479," the minister said in a tweet. The country's first two Omicron cases were detected in the state on December 2.
COVID-19 India News: 46 Covid Deaths In Delhi In 5 Days, More Than Half Were 60+Delhi has recorded more coronavirus deaths in the first 10 days of this month than the total deaths in the last five months. Most of those who died had comorbidities and were not vaccinated against the virus, government data said. 53 people have died of the viral disease so far in the national capital this month, with 46 deaths in just five days.
Read here. COVID-19 India News: Kerala Adds 5,797 New Cases, 166 DeathsKerala on Monday saw a slight dip in the daily COVID-19 cases, as compared to a day ago, with the state reporting 5,797 new cases which raised the caseload to 52,82,214, reported news agency PTI. The state had logged 6,238 COVID-19 cases on Sunday.
On Monday, Kerala also reported 166 deaths taking the total death count to 49,757, a state government release said. Of the deaths, 19 were recorded over the last few days and 147 designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court.
With 2,796 more people recovering from the virus since Sunday, the total recoveries reached 52,03,146 and the active cases reached 37,736, the release said. As many as 45,691 samples were tested in the last 24 hours.
COVID-19 India News: Snooker Player Pankaj Advani Tests Covid Positive
COVID-19 India News: Active Cases In Andhra Climb To 5,606 With 984 New CasesThe number of active COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh shot past the 5,000-mark to touch 5,606 as 984 fresh infections were reported on Monday, a health bulletin said, according to news agency PTI. The weekly COVID-19 positivity rate climbed up from 0.36 per cent to two per cent now, the Medical and Health Department data revealed.
The cumulative positivity rate was 6.59 per cent after going through 3.16 crore tests that turned out a sum of 20,82,843 positive cases so far. The active cases rate increased from 0.06 to 0.25 per cent week-on-week, the data showed. The recovery rate fell from 99.25 to 99.07 per cent while the mortality rate remained stable at 0.70 per cent.
In the 24 hours ending 9 am on Monday, 152 infected persons got cured, taking the total recoveries to 20,62,732. The total coronavirus death count in Andhra Pradesh remained at 14,505 as no fresh fatalities were reported in a day.
COVID-19 India News: Rajnath Singh Tests Positive, Says He Has "Mild Symptoms"
COVID-19 India News: 5-10% Cases Needing Hospitalisation This Time, Says CentreFive to 10 per cent of the active Covid cases this time so far needed hospitalisation but the situation is dynamic and may change rapidly, the Centre said on Monday and asked states to keep a watch on cases under home isolation and in hospitals, according to news agency PTI.
During the second surge of Covid infections in the country, the percentage of active cases that needed hospital care were in the range of 20-23 per cent, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a letter to states and Union territories.
The rise in COVID-19 cases in various parts of the country appears to be driven by the Omicron variant as well as by the continued presence of Delta, he said and stressed on augmenting human resources, particularly healthcare workers, for Covid management.
Coronavirus Updates: Nearly 1,000 Delhi Police personnel infected with Covid
Amid a surge in coronavirus infections in the national capital, nearly 1,000 Delhi Police personnel, including the Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Monday.
According to Additional PRO/Consultant Anil Mittal (Delhi Police), "Nearly a thousand police personnel have been infected with COVID-19 as of now. All of them are under quarantine and will join duty after they fully recover." The overall strength of the Delhi Police is over 80,000.
Recently, Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana had issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for preventing the spread of the coronavirus among police personnel.
Since police personnel are frontline workers performing their duties amidst the public, it is imperative they take adequate precautions to protect themselves from exposure to Covid, it said.
Just In| Sports Authority of India decides to close 67 training centres across the country in view of rising COVID-19 cases.
Just In| Dining at Delhi restaurants may be banned in new Covid curbs, home delivery to continue: sources
Drive-thru COVID-19 precautionary dose vaccination underway at Moolchand Hospital, Delhi
Booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine for frontline workers, healthcare workers and senior citizens over 60 with underlying conditions, at PHC Jawahar Nagar in Srinagar.
COVID-19 vaccine precautionary dose being administered to frontline workers, senior citizens over 60 with underlying conditions, at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi.
Administration of 'Precaution dose' of COVID19 vaccine to healthcare workers, frontline workers and 60+ with co-morbidities begins in Kerala today
Visual from Govt General Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram
Coronavirus Updates: Puducherry clocks 489 new COVID-19 cases, test positivity rate shoots up to 31.15%
The union territory of Puducherry logged 489 fresh coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours pushing the overall tally to 1,31,211 as the test positivity rate shot up to 31.15 per cent.
Puducherry had 444 new infections on Sunday while the test positivity rate was 13.87 per cent.
Director of Health G Sriramulu said in a release that the 489 fresh cases were identified at the end of the examination of 1,570 samples and the new cases were spread over Puducherry (438), Karaikal (49) and Mahe and Yanam regions (one case each).
He said that the test positivity rate went up to 31.15 per cent from 13.87 per cent registered Sunday. The fatality and recovery rates were 1.43 per cent and 97.25 per cent respectively, he said.
Senior citizens, frontline workers queue up outside a vaccination center in Jaipur as the nationwide drive for COVID-19 'precautionary dose' kickstarts today.
Jammu & Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha takes COVID vaccine 'precautionary dose' as part of the nationwide drive for frontline workers and senior citizens above 60 years of age with co-morbidities, that kickstarted today.
Update| Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to meet health ministers, officials from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Maharashtra at 3:30 pm today to discuss COVID-situation in these states.
Boosters Protect Well Against Omicron In Older People, Says UKBooster shots are providing high levels of protection against hospitalization and severe disease from the omicron Covid variant among older people, according to the latest data from the U.K. Health Security Agency.
Figures show that around three months after the third shot, protection against hospitalization among those 65 and older remains at about 90%. With just two doses, protection against severe disease drops to about 70% after three months and to 50% after six months, the agency said Friday.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, the UK government's advisory panel on inoculations, said the evidence shows there's no immediate need to introduce a second booster shot, or fourth dose, to the most vulnerable.
Coronavirus Updates: 37 new COVID-19 cases in Arunachal, tally rises to 55,558
Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 tally rose to 55,558 on Monday as 37 more people tested positive for the infection, 22 less than the previous day, a senior health official said.
The death toll remained unchanged at 282 as no fresh fatality was registered in the last 24 hours, he said.
The northeastern state is witnessing a spurt in COVID-19 cases since January 4, with 206 infections detected since then.
Arunachal Pradesh now has 222 active cases while, 55,054 people have recuperated from the disease so far, including one on Sunday, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.
Tamil Nadu begins administering COVID19 vaccine 'Precaution dose' to frontline workers and senior citizens above 60 years of age with co-morbidities.
COVID-19 vaccine 'Precaution dose' being administered to senior citizens above 60 years of age with co-morbidities at Govt Unani Hospital in Hyderabad.
Telangana Health Minister T Harish Rao present.
Delhi begins administering COVID-19 vaccine 'precautionary dose' to frontline workers and senior citizens above 60 years of age with co-morbidities. "We feel fine. There are no side-effects, everyone should take the jab," people said.
COVID-19 vaccine 'precautionary dose' being administered to senior citizens above 60 years of age with co-morbidities at a vaccination center in Patna, Bihar.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai launches rollout of 'Precaution dose' vaccination for healthcare workers, frontline workers and persons aged above 60 with co-morbidities at Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College in Bengaluru.
Coronavirus Updates: Mizoram logs 518 new COVID-19 cases, 3 fresh fatalities
Mizoram's COVID-19 tally soared to 1,46,045 on Monday as 518 more people tested positive for the infection, 385 less than the previous day, a health bulletin said.
The northeastern state's coronavirus death toll rose to 561 as three more patients, including a Myanmarese, succumbed to the infection, it said.
The single-day positivity rate stood at 19.23 per cent as the new cases were detected from 2,694 samples.
Champhai district reported the highest number of new cases at 216, followed by Aizawl (110) and Mamit (108), it said.
Coronavirus Updates: Odisha registers 4,829 fresh COVID-19 cases
Odisha on Monday registered 4,829 new COVID-19 cases, marginally higher than the previous day, while no fatality was recorded for the third consecutive day, a health bulletin said.
As many as 448 children are among the new patients. The daily positivity rate declined to 6.5 per cent from 6.72 per cent on the previous day, it said.
The new cases jumped more than 11-fold from 424 infections a week ago. The state had logged 4,714 cases on Sunday, while 4,852 infections were registered on June 12 last year.
Khurda district, where Bhubaneswar is located, reported 993 cases, followed by 869 in Sundargarh, 644 in Sambalpur, 401 in Cuttack and 210 in Balasore, it said.
4,033 Omicron cases in the country, highest in Maharashtra; 1,552 recoveries
COVID-19: India records 1,79,723 cases, 146 deathsIndia saw a single-day rise of 1,79,723 coronavirus infections taking the total tally to 3,57,07,727, including 4,033 cases of the Omicron variant reported across 27 states and union territories so far, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Monday.
The number of active cases has increased to 7,23,619, the highest in around 204 days, while the death toll has climbed to 4,83,936 with 146 fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.
Of the total 4,033 cases of Omicron variant, 1,552 have recovered or migrated.
Maharashtra recorded the maximum number of 1,216 Omicron cases, followed by Rajasthan 529, Delhi 513, Karnataka 441, Kerala 333 and Gujarat 236.
A total 1,79,723 new coronavirus infections were reported in a day, the highest in around 227 days.
Coronavirus Live Updates: 175 new cases in Andamans, COVID-19 tally rises to 8,150
The COVID-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 8,150 on Monday as 175 more people tested positive for the infection, 89 more than the previous day, a health bulletin said.
A total of 129 new patients have travel history, while 46 infections were detected during contact tracing, it said.
The Union territory's coronavirus death toll remained unchanged at 129 as no fresh fatality was registered.
The archipelago now has 322 active cases, while 7,699 more people have been cured of the disease thus far, including 40 in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.
Just In| 1.79 lakh fresh Covid cases in India, 12.5% higher than yesterday
Coronavirus Updates: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao holds COVID-19 review meeting, urges people to follow protocols
In view of the surging COVID-19 cases, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao held a review meeting and urged people to follow COVID protocols issued by the government.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said, "People should not entertain any fear against COVID-19. Wear masks, sanitize your hand, maintain social distancing and follow COVID protocols."
Mr Rao asked people to take the COVID-19 vaccine and informed further that "the precaution doses will be given to frontline workers, health workers and people above 60 years of age from Monday."
The Chief Minister appealed to people not to move in groups especially during the Sankranti festival and try to remain in homes to celebrate taking precautions.
Update| Over 300 Delhi Police personnel, including the Public Relations Officer (PRO) & Additional Commissioner Chinmoy Biswal, test COVID-19 positive: Delhi Police
Coronavirus Updates: Over 55 per cent people in UP's Ayodhya fully vaccinated against COVID-19
More than 55 per cent of people in Ayodhya are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, District Magistrate Nitish Kumar informed.
"93.61 per cent of Ayodhya inoculated with a first dose and more than 55 per cent with a second dose. The percentage staus are good, we are further trying to complete 100 per cent," he said.
The District Magistrate also said that political posters in the district will be removed within three days as the model code of conduct has come into effect with the Election Commission announcing polls dates for the state.
"COVID protocols have been instructed, there will be proper guidance and precautions during the voting. People will be provided with hand gloves, sanitiser and other precautionary measures," Mr Kumar said.
Deltacron, New Strain That Combines Delta, Omicron, Found In CyprusA strain of Covid-19 that combines delta and omicron was found in Cyprus, according to Leondios Kostrikis, professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus and head of the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Virology.
"There are currently omicron and delta co-infections and we found this strain that is a combination of these two," Kostrikis said in an interview with Sigma TV Friday. The discovery was named "deltacron" due to the identification of omicron-like genetic signatures within the delta genomes, he said.
Booster Doses For Frontline Workers, Seniors Begin TodayPrecautionary third doses of vaccines -- announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month -- will be given to health and frontline workers and immuno-compromised seniors starting today as Covid numbers spike in the country, driven by Omicron.
The health ministry has said there is no need to register for the precautionary vaccine doses. Those eligible can directly take an appointment or walk into any vaccination centre. There is no decision yet on booster doses for all adults.