Omicron cases in India Updates: Maharashtra reports 8,067 COVID cases in 24 hours

Considering the rising COVID cases in the state, the Tamil Nadu government has announced new restrictions effective till Jan 31. According to the new guidelines, "Malls, jewellery & textile shops, theatres, beauty parlours, showrooms, amusement parks, and metro trains will operate at 50% capacity". 

Gujarat has reported 654 fresh COVID cases with 63 recoveries in the last 24 hours. The state has recorded 16 new Omicron cases, the total tally stands at 113. 

West Bengal has reported 3,451 fresh COVID cases, 1,510 recoveries, and 7 deaths in the last 24 hours. 

Maharashtra Minister Yashomati Thakur has informed that she has tested positive for COVID-19. 

Maharashtra has reported 8,067 fresh COVID, 1,766 recoveries, and 8 deaths in the last 24 hours. The State has also recorded four Omicron cases today. 

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and ICMR DG Dr. Balram Bhargava wrote to chief secretaries of all states/UTs to set up round-the-clock functional RAT booths at different locations, engage medical and paramedical staff, and encourage the use of home test kits.

Kerala has reported 2,676 fresh infections, 11 deaths, and 2,742 recoveries in the last 24 hours. The state's active caseload stands at 19,416. 

Sikkim has announced new restrictions to be followed till January 10, 2022, amid the Omicron threat. As per the guidelines, "Pubs, discos, cinema halls, restaurants, fast food centres, bakeries, gymnasiums, barbershops, spas, and salons to operate with only 50% of seating capacity". 

Pune reports 412 fresh COVID19 cases today, active cases 1,799, Pune Municipal Corporation, Maharashtra, informed. 

According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, 34 fresh COVID19 cases have been reported in Dharavi in the last 24 hours, active cases in the area rise to 95. 

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has said his government will impose more curbs to check the Coronavirus spread in state capital Jaipur as the situation may turn explosive and can't be taken lightly.

"23 new cases of Omicron confirmed in Karnataka today, of which 19 are international travellers from USA, Europe, Middle East and Africa," State Health Minister Dr Sudhakar K said in a tweet. 

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed that India has crossed the milestone of 145 crore COVID vaccinations. The Health Minister said, "My gratitude to our doctors, scientists, healthcare & frontline workers for displaying immense grit, determination & resolve in the challenging 2021 year".

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inspected Hamidia Hospital in Bhopal. CM Chouhan said, "As COVID cases are rising, we've to be fully prepared to tackle any situation. ICU beds, oxygen beds, ventilators should be ready & available at hospitals. I've reviewed preparations for vaccination of 15-18 age group". 

Tour of Rashtrapati Bhavan & Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum for the general public will remain closed from January 1. The Change of Guard ceremony will also not take place till further notice, Rashtrapati Bhavan informed. 

Kerala records 44 fresh confirmed cases of Omicron, taking total cases of the coronavirus variant to 107 in the state, State Health Minister Veena George informed. 

Official sources have confirmed that Omicron 'variant of concern' has started replacing Delta Variant in India. As per an update by the Health Ministry earlier today the 'highly transmissible' strain tally stands at 1,270. 

Amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reviewed its COVID-19 policies and adjusted some recommendations. According to Sputnik, the health agency shortened the isolation period for people infected with COVID-19 from 10 to five days if they show no symptoms. The CDC renewed mask rules and additionally also lowered the number of people who received at least one vaccine dose from 99.5 to 95%. 

Now, the new rules and CDC’s updates have triggered an online tease. Several Twitter users mocked CDC’s bewildering updates and posted parody advice. “CDC now recommends…” started trending on the microblogging website, with users offering to do obvious or weird things. “CDC recommends applying leeches directly to the parts of you that have Covid,” wrote one user. “The CDC just announced you can walk right up to bin of carrots at the grocery store and start eating outta there like a horse,” said another. 

Amid COVID-19 & Omicron surge, West Bengal has banned direct flights departing from the UK starting from January 3. 

A 73-year-old man who was tested positive for Covid's Omicron strain on Dec 15, died today. Later, he was tested negative two times, so this will not be called a COVID death but a post-Covid death, as per Dr Dinesh Kharadi, Chief Medical and Health Officer Udaipur Division

The doctors have said that the 49-year-old BCCI head is 'doing fine' and will be under home isolation. He is said to have received Monoclonal Antibody Cocktail therapy. 

Amid the alarming rise in Omicron infection & COVID-19 cases across the financial capital, local civic body BMC has announced to have extended Section 144 restrictions until January 15. 

In less than a month, the 'highly mutated' Omicron variant has spread rapidly around the world, contributing nearly 90% of new cases in some countries. However, according to an article published in The Spectator on Thursday, data presented to the British government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) committee on December 22 stated about the new information which confirms that patients with the Omicron variant have shorter stays in the hospital.  

The recent SAGE reports demonstrate the average length of stay in hospital for Omicron patients, which could be a potential game-changer amid the spike of COVID-19 cases. If the length of the hospital stay is decreased, then the National Health Service's (NHS) COVID-handling capacity would increase, and the danger of hospitals becoming overburdened is greatly reduced, according to The Spectator.  

According to the report, it revealed that after December 1, the average hospital stay for COVID patients has been drastically reduced as compared to the cases during the third wave in early to mid-2021. As per a graph from the Spectator report, admission rates have decreased from four to three days for those under the age of 50, while for another age bracket of 50 to 69, the days have reduced from 6.5 to 4.5. Further, the days have decreased from eight to less than five for the patients in their 70s, and from nearly 12 to five days for those who are over the age of 80. 

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Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi on Friday expressed his concerns over COVID-19 and massive political rallies happening for the upcoming polls. According to the Congress leader, 'lacs together in multiple rallies seriously jeopardises their health, common man’s well being, while netas (politicians) speak from a distance & have protection'. He further urged all the political leaders to find a 'solution' along with Election Commissioner. 

In a significant development, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla announced that his firm had applied for the full market authorisation of Covishield in India. Making this revelation on Twitter, he said on Tuesday that the Centre has enough data to grant this permission as it has supplied more than 1.25 billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine. If the Union government gives its nod, Covishield will become the second vaccine in the world to get such authorisation as the Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine received full US FDA approval for ages 16 and above in August.

On January 3, the Drug Controller General of India accepted the recommendations of the Subject Expert Committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation paving way for the emergency use authorisation of Covishield. Manufactured by the Serum Institute of India with technology transfer from Oxford University-AstraZeneca, COVISHIELD is a Recombinant Chimpanzee Adenovirus vector vaccine with an overall efficacy of 70.42%. On February 15, the World Health Organization decided to include it in its Emergency Use Listing.

While the country continues to witness a marginal rise in cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19, Dr Sandeep Nayar, Director of Chest and Respiratory department at BLK-Max hospital, has now said that the variant is spreading at an alarming speed. The health expert informed that the Omicron variant is spreading three times faster than the previous Delta variant of Coronavirus. Dr Nayar also informed that the assumption of Omicron being mild was wrong.

Speaking about the newly spreading Omicron variant of Coronavirus, Dr Sandeep Nayar said that the situation is ‘concerning’. “Omicron spreads three times faster than the Delta variant. There is a wrong assumption that Omicron is mild in nature,” he told ANI. The health expert further urged public to remain safe against the virus.

“Be careful, the positivity rate is increasing. This is concerning,” Dr Nayar said. He further stated that the people were failing to follow COVID appropriate behaviour resulting in the rise in fresh cases. “There is no social distancing among people. Strict measures should be taken,” Dr Nayar added. His comments came as the country witnessed a sharp rise in number of Omicron cases. Earlier on Thursday, December 30, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain asserted that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is a fast-spreading variant of concern. However, he claimed that the variant was less effective than the previous variants.

In view of rising COVID-19 cases in the Union Territory, the Puducherry administration imposed a night curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. The restriction has been imposed until 31st January 2022, except on the occasion of Vaikunta Ekadashi. In the latest update, Puducherry registered 15 fresh coronavirus cases with one death. 

Night curfew in Puducherry:

Israel has approved a fourth vaccine dose for people most vulnerable to COVID-19, becoming the first country to do so as it braces for a wave of infections fueled by the WHO-acclaimed 'variant of concern'.

The director-general of the Health Ministry, Nachman Ash, announced the decision at a press conference late on Thursday, AP reported. 

The district health department in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh declared a living person “dead” due to negligence at work. Rahul Kulshrestha, Nodal COVID-19 Sampling, Aligarh, on Friday informed that the former Chief Medical Officer mistakenly added the name of a living person to the list of victims who died due to COVID-19. He clarified that the mistake has since been corrected.

Speaking about the incident, Rahul Kulshrestha said, "The former Chief Medical Officer of the district had prepared a list of the victims who died due to COVID-19 during the second wave of the deadly virus in the months of April-May. In the list, then CMO inadvertently added the victim, Shakunthala Devi’s name." He further added that the incident came to light when the present CMO Dr Anand ordered the cross-checking of the list.

According to Kulshrestha, CMO Dr Anand directed the health officials to call up every victim’s family member with regards to collecting the compensation amount. A sum of Rs 50,000 was announced for families of the victims which could be collected from the respective health department office. During the calls, the victim came forward and informed that she was doing fine.

Amid concerns over the non-adherence to COVID-19 guidelines during political rallies, the Union Health Ministry stressed that this was the domain of the Election Commission of India. Concerns about a spike in novel coronavirus cases have intensified as many people have been seen flouting social distancing norms and not wearing masks in public meetings taking place in the poll-bound states of Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Manipur. Answering a specific question in this regard during the press briefing on Thursday, NITI Aayog's Dr. VK Paul opined that the EC could take a call on the issue. 

"I have explained to you and (Health Ministry Joint Secretary) Lav Agarwal has explained the framework of our responsibilities and expectations from all of us for ensuring suppression of chain of transmission as well as protection. In regard to the specific issue of elections, as we communicated last time, this is for the honourable Election Commission to (decide). It is in the domain of the honourable Election Commission. And this is not the forum to take up such issues at this moment," Dr. VK Paul observed. 

"With the administration of 66,65,290 vaccine doses in the last 24 hrs, India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage exceeds 144.54 Crore. The recovery rate stands at 98.36%. Weekly positivity Rate at 0.89% remains less than 1% from last 47 days," Union Health Ministry.

Fresh COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom (UK) hit 1,89,213 on Thursday in addition to a 53% increase in London and 332 deaths. However, the average death toll within four weeks of a positive test slumped below 100 per day for the first time since August, further featuring a downward trend, the United Kingdom Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) reported.

The lowering statistics, as analysed by experts, have been witnessed in the wake of the increasing cases of Omicron variant, which now accounts for 93% is the new infections, Sputnik reported. 

The daily figure of positive tests hit 1,83,000 on Wednesday, which was reportedly four to five times the daily averages seen in autumn. In addition, the Omicron variant cases across the UK have totalled 2,29,666, with 19,544 new cases Thursday. Nevertheless, the newly infected individuals displayed far milder symptoms than the Delta variant, UKSHA said.

However, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government is yet to order strict measures for mandating face masks in communal indoor spaces and public transport. 

Read about the Omicron variant of COVID-19 fuelling concern.

Delhi| Commuters face difficulties as city buses operate at 50% seating, in view of Covid restrictions imposed in national capital "We're facing several problems. We've to stand for hours because of which we are late for our work," say commuters Visuals from Seelampur Bus Stop

As many as 141 Mumbai residents who had not traveled abroad recently tested positive for the Omicron variant of coronavirus on Thursday, the civic body said.

Out of 153 persons who were found to have Omicron infection in the city during the day, only 12 had international travel history, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

But as per the Maharashtra government's release, issued earlier in the evening, out of 198 Omicron cases reported in the state, a whopping 190 were from Mumbai. The difference in state and BMC statistics could not be reconciled.

As per the BMC update, the tally of Omicron-infected Mumbai residents without history of overseas travel rose to 160. The total of Omicron cases in the city rose to 290.

Of 141 Mumbai residents without travel history who tested positive to Omicron, the highest 21 are from the K-west ward which includes Andheri West, Juhu and Versova, followed by D ward that includes Malabar Hill, Mahalaxmi and Tardeo areas.

Researchers reported on December 30 that a booster dose of Johnson & Johnson Inc's single-dose Covid-19 vaccine was almost 85% effective at preventing hospitalisation in South African healthcare workers who became infected as the Omicron variant spread. Preliminary findings from the Sisonke research, which have not been peer-reviewed, indicated that among those who had already had one vaccine dose, the booster increased protection against hospitalisation from 63% to 85%.

The non-peer-reviewed real-world study was based on a second dosage of the J&J vaccine provided to 69,092 healthcare workers. The trial took place in November and December but participants were enrolled before the current wave that is sweeping the country, allowing researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of the company's Covid-19 vaccine specifically as Omicron became the dominant variant in the country, according to a statement from Johnson & Johnson.

The authors of the study stated that it showed the first evidence of the efficiency of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, known as Ad26.COV.2, when administered six to nine months after the initial dosage. In US, the Johnson & Johnson booster was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in October, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that consumers obtain the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna boosters instead, citing worries about exceedingly uncommon blood clots.

Amid the urgency to ramp up vaccination, Corbevax’s approval would not only be helpful for India but also for the rest of the world as discussion for WHO's nod are underway, said Baylor College's Professor Peter Hotez after the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on Tuesday approved the jabs. Corbevax, the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Hyderabad-based vaccine giant  Biological-E in collaboration with US-based Dynavax and Baylor College of Medicine, is also India’s first indigenously developed protein sub-unit vaccine against Coronavirus infection.  

Weighing in on the emergency use approval of Corbevax, Hotez told ANI on Friday, “Given the urgency, Corbevax will be helpful not only for India but globally as most of the African continent, neighbouring countries around India remain largely unvaccinated…”

“We have started discussions with WHO to make this vaccine as widely available as possible, especially to people who live in poverty. It's easy to scale, has a great record of safety, simple refrigeration...It has an ideal profile,” said Hotez.

Amid the Omicron spike in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Thursday that the Pfizer COVID vaccination for children aged 5 to 11 has proven to be as safe as predicted, however, 100 "serious" incidents have been recorded in the first 8.7 million doses.

To analyse the safety of COVID vaccines for kids between the age group of 5-11 years, US CDC has examined adverse systemic reactions of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination receipt and reported it to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a passive vaccine safety surveillance program co-managed by CDC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

According to the CDC report, after receiving the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine, nearly 34.7% of the 42,504 youngsters reported a "systemic reaction", most often pain in the injection site, lethargy or headache. Almost 29,899 of the same children with second-dose data exhibited comparable systemic responses, with 40.9% having similar symptoms. Fever was observed more frequently after the second dosage than the first. 

• Initially, ten schools will be selected in the smaller districts and a further 15 to 20 schools in the bigger districts for the vaccination drive.
• Separate rooms must be made arranged for vaccinating both girls and boys in schools. 
• Individual resting and or waiting rooms must also be arranged inside the school campus for vaccinated students.
• Mobile numbers of the students must be registered and in case if not available, they can register their parents' mobile numbers.
• In case, the parents don't have a mobile, students must register the mobile number of the principal or headmaster.

Apart from this, several other instructions have also been provided to the Inspector of Schools for carrying out the vaccination drive including coordination with district officials, collecting the list of educational institutes, and further covering all students of private schools and venture schools throughout.

Meanwhile, a total of 3,73,82,57 doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered to people above the age of 18 in Assam including the first and second jabs. 

Following Centre's cue, the Assam government is all set to vaccinate children between the age of 15 to 18 years from January 3, 2022. According to an official notice order issued by the Secondary Education Department along with the Government of Assam, the exercise to administer COVID-19 vaccines to all the students and children between the mentioned age group will be completed by the first week of March and will further cover all the students. 

Speaking about the same, Assam Health Minister Keshab Mahanta said that the vaccination drive will begin with educational institutions. Meanwhile, the order issued for vaccinating children provides a series of instructions for the smooth conduct of the vaccination drive for students in the state. Also, Additional Deputy Commissioners of all the respective districts across the state have been directed to supervise the conduct of the vaccination drive in coordination. 

India reports 16,764 new cases, 7,585 recoveries and 220 deaths in the last 24 hours. Active caseload currently stands at 91,361. Recovery Rate currently at 98.36%

Amid the Omicron surge during the time of New Year, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus has voiced hope about the fact that the world's COVID-19 outbreak will be over by 2022. 

During a media briefing on Wednesday, the head of the UN's health agency recalled that two years earlier, people gathered for New Year's Eve festivities when the new worldwide hazard surfaced. Ever since there have been 1.8 million fatalities in 2020 and 3.5 million in 2021. However, he believes that the true figure is significantly greater.

WHO has previously urged nations to vaccinate 40% of their people by the end of 2021 and 70% by the middle of 2022 during conferences of the G7 and G20. However, with barely a few days remaining in the year, 92 of the 194 Member States failed to meet the deadline. 

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus linked this issue to low-income nations obtaining a restricted supply of COVID vaccine for most of the year, followed by vaccines that were close to expiry and missing crucial components such as syringes.

The WHO chief cautioned that COVID booster shots in developed nations might force low-income countries to fall behind again, and urged wealthy governments and manufacturers to work together to meet the 70% target by July. "This is the time to rise above short-term nationalism and protect populations and economies against future variants by ending global vaccine inequity", UN reported citing Tedros.

In addition to this, Tedros acknowledged that combating the new health hazard would need science, solutions, and unity. While praising certain achievements, such as the creation of new vaccinations, which he described as a "scientific masterclass", the WHO official also criticised the fact that politics frequently prevailed over unity.

Lastly, the WHO director-general urged for the creation of a new international agreement, calling it "a key pillar" of a world better equipped to deal with the next pandemic. 

Amid concern over the rising COVID-19 cases in the country, the Karnataka government has now issued a revised guideline to follow for new year celebrations in the state. As per the latest order, the government has imposed prohibitory order section 144 from 10 pm to 6 pm on Friday. With this, the Bengaluru police will restrict people from moving around or gathering between 6 pm on Friday to 5 am Saturday. The state government had earlier decided to ban public celebrations on New Year's Eve in Bengaluru city.

Informing the newly issued guidelines for the city, the government issued a fresh order on Thursday. "In view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the limits of Bengaluru City and the emergence of a new variant of concern Omicron, it is absolutely essential to enforce all preventive and precautionary measures to contain the spread of the disease in Bengaluru City,” the order issued by the government read. “In this regard, guidelines of Government of Karnataka with regard to celebrations in connection with New Year vide reference-I are already in force," it added.

It further informed that certain “additional restrictions” have been imposed, “especially in view of New Year Eve celebrations on 31-12-2021." The government has also ordered the police to charge any violators of the new guidelines with provisions under the Disaster Management Act 2005, Epidemic Disease Act along with other relevant sections of law. Here are the additional guidelines issued by the Karnataka government for Bengaluru city.  

• Gathering of five or more persons or any form of gatherings in public places, main roads, and open areas for the purpose of celebrations for New Year in any form is strictly prohibited.

• No New Year celebration of any type, involving a large gathering shall be held in any open place, park grounds etc. However. in-house celebrations in residential complexes and private clubs may be held for their residents and members, respectively without organizing any special events etc.

• Hotel, malls, restaurants, clubs, pubs, clubhouses or any similar type of establishment shall not organize any special DJ, events, shows, programmes or performances, music nights and musical bands or dance programmes etc. However. they may carry out their regular business activity, including music within permissible decibels, following COVID-19 protocol.

• Managements of the hotels, Malls. Pubs/ Restaurants shall take all precautionary measures in accordance with prevalent COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Government, in order to ensure the safety of the citizens. Along with this the guidelines issued by the Police department, Pollution Control Board, Fire Service and other local authorities should also be followed.

India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 144.45 Crore landmark milestone (144,45,62,025) today. More than 59 lakh (59,53,308) Vaccine Doses have been administered till 7 pm on December 30. 

On December 30, Goa reports 261 COVID-19 cases, one fatality. Infection tally rises to 1,80,660, death toll 3,521. Number of active cases stands at 856

Gujarat reported 573 new cases of coronavirus during the last 24 hours, taking the tally of positive cases in the state to 8,31,078, the health department said in a release on Thursday evening.

In good news, no new case of the Omicron variant was reported in the state.

On Wednesday, daily coronavirus cases in Gujarat had crossed the 500-mark for the first time after over six months.

Two COVID-19 patients also succumbed to the infection on Thursday, taking the death toll to 10,118.

The release said that in a total of 2,371 active cases, 11 patients are on ventilators.

So far, 97 cases of Omicron strain have been reported in Gujarat. Of these, 44 infected persons have recovered, including three on Thursday, while 53 are still under treatment.

At 33, Ahmedabad city accounts for the highest number of Omicron cases, followed by 21 in Vadodara city, nine in Surat city, and eight in Anand district.

No new cases of COVID-19 were registered in the adjoining Union Territory of Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu in the last 24 hours, said an official release.

Five persons, who returned to West Bengal from foreign countries recently, were found to be infected with the omicron variant of COVID-19, an official said on Thursday.

With this, the state's omicron tally rose to 16, he said.

Samples of six people diagnosed with COVID-19 were sent for genome sequencing as all of them returned from foreign countries. Of them, five people were found to be omicron-positive, the official said.

Among the new omicron patients is a five-year-old girl who returned from the UK, he said.

International passengers testing positive for COVID upon arrival at the IGI Airport to isolate at institutional designated paid and free facilities set up by in various districts: Delhi Government

After the COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra continued to rise exponentially, the state government on Thursday imposed further curbs to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. While not more than 100 persons in enclosed spaces and 250 persons in open spaces were allowed to attend a marriage function or a social, cultural, political and religious gathering at any point in time, the maximum number of attendees has now been restricted to 50 persons. Moreover, the new order stipulates that only 20 persons can attend the last rites. 

Apart from this, the competent authority has been empowered to impose Section 144 of the CrPC in places that attract large crowds such as tourist spots, beaches, open grounds, etc. Earlier on Thursday, Maharashtra recorded 5368 novel coronavirus cases, a spike of 1468 cases from a day before. This propelled the state's COVID-19 tally to 66,70,754. At present, there are 18,217 active cases in the state. 

Meanwhile, 198 new cases of the Omicron variant were reported in the state on December 30 out of which 30 had returned from abroad. Overall, a total of 450 persons have been infected with Omicron in Maharashtra so far whereas 125 of them have already tested negative.

Gautam Buddh Nagar on Thursday logged 38 new COVID-19 infections that pushed the number of active cases in the district to 135 – a figure it last saw over six months ago, official data showed.

Ghaziabad, adjoining Gautam Buddh Nagar, also recorded 17 new cases that pushed its tally of active infections to 90, the data showed.

Gautam Buddh Nagar currently has the highest number of active cases in Uttar Pradesh followed by Lucknow (109) and Ghaziabad, according to the data shared by the state's health department for a 24-hour period.

Uttar Pradesh has 645 active cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, up from 473 on Wednesday, the data showed.

So far, Gautam Buddh Nagar has recorded 468 deaths due to the pandemic, while Ghaziabad has logged 461 such fatalities, according to the official data.

Gautam Buddh Nagar had on June 18 recorded 135 active cases of coronavirus.

COVID-19 cases had reduced to single digit figures both in Gautam Buddh Nagar as well as Ghaziabad but surged again this month amid fears of a third wave of the pandemic, as night curfews were also brought back in UP from December 25.

Omicron is gradually spreading in the community and the new, fast-spreading variant of concern has been found in 54 per cent of the latest samples analysed in Delhi, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Thursday.

He said stringent curbs have been put in place as part of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to check the spread of COVID-19 and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) will decide on implementing more restrictions.

However, a statement from Jain's office said, "According to GRAP, a Yellow alert has been issued in Delhi. For the time being, the government has decided not to issue a Level 2 alert. Alerts will be issued according to GRAP in Delhi." It also said 54 per cent of the new cases in the capital have tested positive for the Omicron variant.

Of the hospitalised Covid patients in Delhi, 115 do not have any symptoms and have been kept in hospitals as a precautionary measure. None of the hospitalised patients is on oxygen support, Jain said.

"Indeed, the variant is gradually spreading in the community and its proportion will increase in the coming days," Jain said when asked if Omicron will be the dominant variant in an imminent third wave of the pandemic.

He also said of the 200 coronavirus cases in Delhi hospitals, only 102 belong to the city. Also, 115 patients are those who were directly taken to hospitals from the airport.

India's tally of the highly contagious Omicron variant of COVID on Thursday crossed 1,000 on the back of Maharashtra reporting its highest single-day infection with the new strain, as states further tightened measures to deal with the surge in coronavirus cases.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, meanwhile, said Omicron is gradually spreading in the community and the variant of concern has been found in 46 per cent of the latest samples of regular COVID cases analysed in the national capital.

The Goa government has decided to test for COVID all international passengers, including those travelling from 'non-high risk' countries on their arrival at the airport while West Bengal is to suspend all direct flights from the UK and other 'high-risk' countries from January 3.

According to the latest data available from the Centre and the states in the night, the total number of Omicron cases in the country was around 1,200.

Maharashtra reported 198 new cases of the Omicron variant, including 190 in Mumbai alone, the state health department said in a release. With this, the tally of these cases in the state rose to 450.

With stringent measures imposed by the Delhi government for the New Year’s celebrations in the backdrop of surging COVID cases, Delhites have started preparing to celebrate the event in their own way. As all restaurants, bars and clubs have been prohibited from holding celebratory parties on New Year's eve in the national capital, people in Delhi were seen queuing up outside the liquor and wine shops on Thursday.

On Dec 30, in a video that went viral, a huge crowd was seen lining up outside a liquor shop in Delhi’s Karol Bagh area. The video was uploaded by Viral Bhayani on his Instagram account. Reportedly, the incident was recorded at the Kikar wala chowk in Karol Bagh.

While some people were startled to see such a massive crowd, others called it ‘history repeating itself,’ as in the past when stringent lockdowns were announced, people were seen crowding outside the liquor shop to hoard up alcohol.

Around 263 Omicron cases have been detected in the NCR. According to health department data, Delhi recorded 1,313 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the greatest single-day increase since May 26, while the positive rate increased to 1.73 per cent. In the national territory, no new deaths have been reported. Earlier, on May 26, the national capital reported 1,491 cases, 1.93 per cent of which were positive, and 130 deaths.

Amid the surge of the new Omicron variant in the United States, children admitting in the hospitals is creating near-record numbers, with specialists lamenting the fact that most of the children have been unvaccinated. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an average of 334 children, who are 17 and under that age, were admitted to hospitals with the coronavirus disease each day during the week of December 21 to 27, which is a 58% rise than the previous week. 

Further, the pandemic's last high point was in early September, when hospital admission of children was an average of 342 per day, according to the CDC. The CDC data also revealed that roughly 14% of 5- to 11-year-olds are totally vaccinated two months after immunizations were approved. However, the percentage among 12- to 17-year-olds is greater, at over 53%. 

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The first shipment of Pfizer's antiviral COVID tablet arrived in Israel on December 30, at Ben-Gurion airport, according to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. According to PM Bennett, Paxlovid, Pfizer COVID-19 antiviral therapy tablet, will aid the country in combating the current omicron variant outbreak. Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, along with officials of his ministry, negotiated the contract to bring in the Paxlovid pills with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.

"Pfizer's medication has arrived today in Israel, among the first countries in the world (to receive it). It is an important addition to our toolbox in fighting the pandemic," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said.