India registered 7,495 fresh Covid-19 cases and 434 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said on Thursday morning. With the addition of fresh fatalities, the death toll has mounted to 4,78,759.
Meanwhile, the Omicron infection tally has climbed to 236 across the nation. However, out of the total Omicron positive, 104 have been discharged after they recovered. So far, 16 states have reported Omicron infection, the Ministry added.
Reports said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting today to review the situation in view of increasing Omicron cases with the states and health ministry officials.
So far, Maharashtra reported 65 Omicron cases, followed by Delhi (64), Telangana (24), Rajasthan (21), Karnataka (19), Kerala (15) and Gujarat (14).
Three cases have been reported in Jammu and Kashmir and two each in Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Ladakh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have reported one case each so far.
Several chief ministers, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, have initiated curbs ahead of the festive gatherings for Christmas and New Year Eve in the country.
AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria has cautioned people to adhere to COVID-appropriate behaviour, as people have become lax in recent days. He has also advised people to get vaccinated and those who have taken the first shot not to miss out on the second dose.
"Omicron is highly transmissible which means this variant spreads rapidly and therefore adhering to Covid norms is very important. People should regularly wear masks, maintain physical distance and avoid gatherings which can become super spreading events," Guleria told the PTI news agency.
Centre's Advisory
Two days ago, the Centre had asked states and union territories to activate 'war rooms' and keep analyzing all trends and surges, ensure proper data analysis, and take strict and prompt containment action at the local and district level.
In a letter to states and union territories, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan advised states and UTs to implement strategic interventions for containment like imposition of night curfew, strict regulation of large gatherings, curtailing numbers in marriages and funerals besides increasing testing and surveillance.
India has so far conducted over 66.86 crore tests and the weekly positivity rate stands at 0.59 per cent, that is less than one per cent for the last 39 days. The daily positivity rate stands at 0.62 per cent, which has also remained below two per cent for the last 80 days and less than three per cent for 115 consecutive days.
With the administration of 70,17,671 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's Covid inoculation coverage has reached 139.70 crore, with more than 18.12 crore balance and unutilised Covid vaccine doses still available with the states and union territories.
