New Delhi: With Christmas eve and New Year approaching closer, several states have once again started witnessing a surge in daily Coronavirus cases fueled by the advent of new Covid-19 variant Omicron.
States such as Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala witnessed a spike in daily Covid-19 cases on Wednesday. While Delhi reported 125 cases of Coronavirus on Wednesday, highest spike in over 6 months, Maharashtra recorded over 1,000 infections today.
Curbs and guidelines have been announced by state governments to deflect the resurgence of third wave. In Delhi, CM Arvind Kejriwal called a review meeting on preparedness and management of Omicron with focus on the availability of beds, oxygen, medicines along with isolation wards if needed.
India Covid Update | Key Points
1. Delhi reported 125 cases of Coronavirus on Wednesday, highest spike the national capital witnessed in over 6 months. The city had recorded 134 cases of Covid on June 22. Meanwhile, 57 cases of new variant Omicron has been reported in Delhi so far.
2. Maharashtra too witnessed a massive surge in daily Coronavirus cases with 1,201 new infections being recorded in the last 24 hours. This is state's highest daily Covid tally since November 17. Mumbai also alone reported as many as 490 new Coronavirus positive cases, a spike of more than 160 from the previous day.
3. Three deaths were also reported in Maharashtra today. Meanwhile, no new cases of Omicron variant were reported in the state. Maharashtra currently has 65 cases of the new Covid variant.
4. Karnataka reports 321 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours. The state health department also informed that 253 recovered from the virus and 4 died in the last 24 hours.
5. Gujarat reported 91 new coronavirus cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours, highest in the last several months. Notably, on September 19 this year the daily tally had dwindled to singe-digit. The caseload in the state rose to 8,28,794 on Wednesday while the death toll reached 10,106.
6. In the view of sudden rise in daily Covid cases and Omicron scare, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting on the COVID-19 situation in the country on Thursday. Official sources close to news agency PTI said that PM Modi will take stock of the pandemic situation across the country.
7. India has so far recorded close to 250 cases of Omicron across 15 states and union territories even though at least 90 of the infected people have either recovered or migrated.
8. Several state governments have announced curbs and issued guidelines to restrict further surge of Covid-19. Delhi has announced a complete ban on all public events all events and gatherings to celebrate Christmas and New Year, while in Mumbai, people (up to 50 per cent capacity) are allowed in closed spaces and 25 per cent capacity are allowed in open spaces.
9. Health Ministry has also cautioned all states and UTs that Omicron variant of the coronavirus is at least thrice more transmissible than its Delta variant and asked them to "activate" war rooms, keep analysing even small trends and surges and keep taking strict and prompt containment action at the district and local levels.
10. Other states including Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir have also enhanced surveillance to trace, track and quarantine contacts of Covid-19 positive persons.