Omicron variant Updates: Delhi logs 13,785 fresh cases, 35 deaths, positivity rate at 23.8%

Following Centre's instruction to states and union territories to enhance Covid testing, all districts in Delhi have been given targets according to the active cases there to increase the number of tests being conducted, officials said on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Delhi Health Minister said no one is being denied a Covid test in the city and the authorities are following the guidelines issued by the Centre.

An expert panel of India's central drug authority on Wednesday recommended granting regular market approval to Covid vaccines Covishield and Covaxin, which are currently only authorised for emergency use in the country, subject to certain conditions, official sources said. Pharma companies Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech had submitted applications to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) seeking regular market authorisation for their respective COVID-19 vaccines Covishield and Covaxin.

The WHO has warned that increased and rapid spread of the Omicron variant, combined with greater social mixing around the end of year holiday period and challenges with adherence to public health and social measures are expected to lead to a spike in cases, hospitalisations and deaths in the coming weeks.

In its weekly report on the pandemic, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday that the incidence of COVID-19 has increased globally, initially driven predominantly by transmission of the Delta variant, particularly in the European Region.

Delhi reported 13,785 fresh COVID-19 cases and 35 more fatalities due to the viral disease on Wednesday, while the positivity rate climbed to 23.
86 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. The national capital had logged 11,684 Covid cases and 38 deaths due to the disease on Tuesday, while the positivity rate had declined to 22.47 per cent.

Even as Assam logged record number of new COVID-19 cases over the last two days, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that no new restrictions related to the pandemic will be imposed as long as the hospitalisation rate of infected patients remains under control. He said the state government is targeting to complete full vaccination of the entire eligible population before February 15.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday announced his government's decision to lift all the additional restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the Omicron, including mandatory wearing of face masks anywhere, from next Thursday after analysis showed that the new variant of COVID-19 has now most likely peaked in the country.

This means people in England will no longer be told to work from home where possible and mandatory COVID-19 vaccine certification required for large venues will also come to an end.

Assam on Wednesday reported the highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases for the third day in a row, with 8,339 people testing positive for the disease, Health Minister Keshab Mahanta said. The tally in the northeastern state climbed to 6,70,128 with the detection of the fresh cases, according to official data.

Kerala on Wednesday reported 54 more Omicron, a variant of coronavirus, and took the total affected by the variant to 645, said the State Health Department. Of the 54, two belong to outside States and have come to Kerala from various countries.

The Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday revised the price charged for RT-PCR tests by private laboratories. The price has now been fixed to Rs. 350. RTPCR tests are conducted to ascertain the presence of Covid-19 in an individual.

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Confirming that Kerala is witnessing a third wave of COVID-19, Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday cautioned people against the "super-spread" of the pandemic and said both Delta and Omicron variants of the virus are contributing to the ongoing unprecedented surge in daily cases. Contrary to the first and second waves, there is rapid spread of the disease in the third wave in the beginning itself, she said at a press conference

People should not take the Omicron variant of coronavirus as lightly as common flu and must follow precautions like social distancing, members of the Gujarat government's COVID-19 task force said here on Wednesday. A day after Gujarat recorded its highest one-day surge of 17,119 new cases, five eminent doctors who are members of the task force spoke to the media. Omicron infections do not require hospitalizations the way it was seen during the second wave, but as the variant is spreading faster, a lot of people can still end up in hospitals, they said.

Former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19. The 94-year-old Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch has been admitted to Dayanand Medical College & Hospital (DMCH ) 

The Omicron variant of coronavirus may reduce the incidence of severe COVID-19 disease, and the infection may become less disruptive to individuals and society in future, according to a study conducted by researchers in South Africa.

The findings of the yet-to-be peer-reviewed study are consistent with the previous observations of Omicron displacing Delta, since the variant can elicit immunity which neutralises Delta.

As much as 30 per cent individuals lose vaccine-acquired immunity after six months, according to a study conducted by AIG Hospitals along with the Asian Healthcare Foundation on Vaccine Immunity. The study was conducted on 1,636 healthcare workers who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, a press release from AIG Hospitals said.

"Our study results were at par with other global studies where we found that almost 30 per cent individuals had antibody levels below protective immunity level of 100 AU/ml after six months.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said his government will re-examine the COVID-19 curbs that are in place, and will take a decision regarding relaxation, including the weekend curfew on January 21. The Chief Minister, who had tested positive for COVID on January 10, today resumed his day-to-day work from office, after recovery.

"On Friday, I will hold a meeting with experts, and will re-examine the curbs that have been enforced," he said.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain on Wednesday said COVID-19 positivity rate in the city is not low enough to lift the restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the infection and that the government will monitor the situation for three to four days. He also said the city is likely to see around 13,000 cases on Wednesday, with a positivity rate of around 24 per cent.

A traders body, dealing with essential supplies, on Wednesday announced its decision to observe weekend lockdown here to support the efforts of the Jammu and Kashmir administration to contain the spread of COVID-19 infection. On January 15, the Union Territory administration imposed "complete restriction on non-essential movement" during weekends amid a surge in Covid cases.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Tuesday cautioned people against the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the state during the third wave and said both Delta and Omicron variants of the virus are contributing to the ongoing unprecedented surge in daily cases. Though its severity is lesser, Omicron variant has the potential to spread the disease 5-6 times more than the Delta variant and so it should not be taken lightly. Every single person should adhere to COVID protocol strictly to keep the pandemic under control, she told reporters.

The third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India may peak on January 23 with daily cases likely to remain below the four lakh mark, according to a scientist at the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur.
 
Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata have already reached their peak in case numbers in the past seven days, said Manindra Agrawal, a professor at IIT Kanpur and one of the researchers associated with the Sutra Covid model.

Russia has confirmed 33,899 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which brings the cumulative total to 10,899,411, the federal response center said on Wednesday. In comparison, the number of new COVID-19 cases was estimated at 31,252 on Tuesday and 30,726 on Monday.

Amid rising concerns over the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday extended the ban on commercial international passenger flights till February 28. In a circular issued by DGCA, it said that the competent authority has decided to extend the suspension of Scheduled International commercial passenger services to/from India till 23.59 hrs IST of February 28, 2022. It further reads this restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA.

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The positivity rate has come down from 30% to 22.5% and the total number of cases in Delhi has also decreased. However, the positivity rate is not low enough that we can relax the COVID restrictions. There is not much occupancy in hospitals and beds are also vacant. We are doing more testing in Delhi. Today, around 24% positivity rate will come with around 13,000 COVID cases: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain. 

India'a cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 158.88 crore on Wednesday after over 76 lakh vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. A statement from the ministry stated that with the administration of 76,35,229 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage reached 1,58,88,47,554, as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 1,70,80,295 sessions, it read. Over 56 lakh precautionary doses of the vaccine have been administered. The ministry informed that 56,66,263 precautionary doses have been administered so far. Of these, 21,52,696 doses were given to healthcare workers, 18,65,300 to frontline workers and 16,48,267 to those above 60 years with co-morbidities.

A decision on relaxation in COVID-19 norms will be taken after discussing the overall situation with experts: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai in Bengaluru.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up state governments for failing to disburse claims to the next of kin of COVID-19 victims, and issued a show cause notice to the Andhra Pradesh chief secretary as to why contempt action be not initiated against him. The apex court asked the chief secretaries of Andhra Pradesh and Bihar to remain present virtually at 2 PM on Wednesday and explain why disbursals- Rs 50,000 ex gratia for COVID-19 death- have been so few in their states. A bench of Justices M R Shah and Sanjiv Khanna said that it will pass orders at 2 PM and asked the state legal service authorities (SLSA) to reach the families who have lost their near and dear ones to COVID-19 to facilitate registration and disbursal of claims like it was done during the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. The top court said that it rejects the COVID-19 death toll given by Bihar, and said that these are not actual but government figures.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said his government will re-examine the COVID-19 curbs that are in place, and will take a decision regarding relaxation, including the weekend curfew on January 21. The Chief Minister, who had tested positive for COVID on January 10, today resumed his day-to-day work from office, after recovery. "On Friday, I will hold a meeting with experts, and will re-examine the curbs that have been enforced," he said. Speaking to reporters here, he said, "The COVID numbers are increasing, but it has not put a load on hospitals with very less admissions, attention should be given to OPD (Outpatient Department), with all this, let's see what experts have to say." Asked whether the weekend curfew will be withdrawn, the CM maintained that all those things will be decided after consulting the experts and going through their report.

The number of daily new COVID-19 cases is decreasing and the overall situation is under control; Hospitalisations are less in number. We are using our full potential to increase testing and vaccination coverage: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope.

Ladakh has reported 164 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of cases in the union territory to 23,700, officials said on Wednesday. The union territory has recorded 222 Covid-related deaths- 164 in Leh and 58 in Kargil- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, they said. There was no death reported from the union territory on Tuesday, they said, adding that active cases rose to 965. A total of 43 patients were cured and discharged from hospitals in Ladakh. The total number of cured patients is 22,513, they said. Of the total 164 fresh cases from Union territory, 118 such cases were reported from Leh district and 46 from Kargil district, they said. A total of 672 sample reports in Ladakh were found negative, they said.

Delhi government has decided to deploy senior nursing officers from state government-run hospitals as nodal officers in the private healthcare facilities to monitor the Covid situation and vaccination at private facilities. The government-run hospitals have been asked to find suitable replacement for retired and transferred nursing personnel. "The competent authority is pleased to deploy senior nursing officers as nodal officers in various private health care facilities from Delhi government hospitals to monitor management of Covid-19 patients along with monitoring of Covid vaccination," read an order issued by the Delhi health department on Tuesday late night. The letter states that these senior nursing officers stand relieved from their respective hospitals with immediate effect, with the directions to report to their place of posting in private hospitals without waiting for any formal relieving orders form their hospitals. The order has been directed to all medical directors and medical superintendent of state government-run hospitals.

Odisha on Wednesday recorded 11,607 new COVID-19 cases, 521 more than the previous day, with the tally rising to 11,67,094, a health department bulletin said. The death toll mounted to 8,494 with six fresh COVID fatalities, the highest single-day count in more than three months, it said. Fifty-three other coronavirus-positive patients have died due to comorbidities so far, the bulletin said. At least 991 children were among the new patients and the positivity ratio stood at 16.
7 per cent as the fresh infections were detected from 69,502 sample tests in the last 24 hours, it said.

India reported 2,82,970 fresh Covid cases in the last 24 hours, which is a rise of over 18 per cent from the previous day's count. In the same time, 441 deaths were registered taking the toll to 4,87,202, said the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Wednesday. On Tuesday, India recorded 2,38,018 new infections and 310 deaths. Meanwhile, the active caseload has jumped to 18,31,000 which constitutes 4.83 per cent of the country's total positive cases. The Omicron infection tally has risen to 8,961 across the nation, an increase of 0.79 per cent from Tuesday's. The recovery of 1,88,157 patients in the last 24 hours has increased the cumulative tally to 3,55,83,039. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 93.88 per cent.

More than 158.46 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been provided to states/UTs; over 12.84 crore balance and unutilized vaccine doses are still available with States/UTs to be administered: Union Health Ministry.

India reported 8,961 total Omicron cases so far. There is an increase of 0.79% since yesterday (January 18). 

China's capital Beijing has reported three more COVID-19 cases since Monday, weeks before the Winter Olympics are scheduled to kick off in the capital on February 4.Health authorities have been stepping up anti-epidemic measures such as locking down places where the three visited recently and carrying out PCR tests targeting those who may have come into contact with the infected people, raising tensions in the city, Kyodo News reported. Beijing on Saturday reported the first local infection of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, involving a person who had visited multiple malls and restaurants in the previous 14 days. The person had not left the city since the start of this year, reported Taipei Times.

Germany passes 100,000 new Covid-19 infections in past 24 hours, reports AFP News Agency quoting health authorities.

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Women seeking to participate in shaping and building peace and defending human rights face a “vastly worse” situation now than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations human rights chief said Tuesday. Michelle Bachelet told the U.N. Security Council that in 2020 her office verified 35 killings of women human rights defenders, journalists and trade union members in seven conflict-affected countries where data is available. “This number, which is certainly an undercount, surpassed the confirmed number of killings in 2018 and 2019,” she said in a virtual briefing. Bachelet said her Geneva-based office also documented patterns of attacks against women working on gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, corruption, labour rights and environmental and land issues.

Vaccines are helpful for children above 5 years of age and reduce 90% of COVID deaths and even more in some cases. I appeal to people to take vaccines: Dr Faheem Younus, Chief of Infectious Diseases at US' University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health. 

China on Tuesday reported 55 new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases amid the emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant cases in the country. According to Xinhua News Agency, out of the new local cases, 33 infections were reported in Henan, 14 in Tianjin, seven in Guangdong, and one in Beijing, the National Health Commission said on Wednesday. Across the Chinese mainland, a total of 32 imported COVID-19 cases were also newly reported.

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases jumped to over 5,000 for the first time in 20 days on Wednesday amid growing concerns over the spread of the omicron virus variant ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. The country added 5,805 new Covid-19 infections, including 5,431 local infections, raising the total caseload to 705,902, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the figures released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload had stayed below 5,000 since December 30, when it stood at 5,034. The number of critically ill Covid-19 patients stood at 532 on Wednesday. The country reported 74 Covid-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 6,452. The fatality rate was 0.91 per cent. The number of imported cases was tallied at 374, bringing the total imported cases to 22,304.

21 more police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 in Pune city yesterday (January 18). The number of infected police personnel in the city rises to 504: Pune Police. 

Asymptomatic animal handlers at a private zoo in South Africa transmitted the Delta variant of COVID-19 to captive lions, who were placed in quarantine and developed symptoms like breathing problem, runny nose and dry cough, according to a recent study by a team of scientists from the University of Pretoria. The research report, published recently in the journal ‘Viruses’, also urged members of the public to be aware of the possibility of infecting their pet cats and dogs if they have COVID-19. The team was led by Professor Marietjie Venter, Head of the Zoonotic, Arbo-and Respiratory Virus Programme at the university's Department of Medical Virology; and Professor Katja Koeppel, Associate Professor of Wildlife Health at the Faculty of Veterinary Science. They conducted a study on three sick lions at the zoo during South Africa’s third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic late in 2021. “The team of transdisciplinary scientists found that reverse zoonotic transmission of COVID-19 from asymptomatic animal handlers at a private zoo in Gauteng (province) posed a risk to big cats kept in captivity,” the university said in a statement.

Mumbai Police says 28 of its personnel tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the number of active cases in the force to 1,273. 

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Tripura Cabinet has decided to impose the COVID-induced night curfew from 8:00 pm instead of 9:00 pm, starting January 21. Multiplexes, shopping malls, amusement parks, picnic spots, exhibitions and fairs shall remain closed until further orders: State Minister Sushanta Chowdhury.

Indian Council of Medical Research's Head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases Dr Samiran Panda on Tuesday said that the Omicron variant of coronavirus is gradually replacing the Delta variant in many states across the country. Speaking with news agency ANI, Dr Panda said, "We are seeing a change in India that Omicron is gradually replacing Delta in many of the states and the determining factor is spread of population and people's behaviour. That's why we have to ensure COVID appropriate behaviour."Responding to whether Delhi has crossed its peak for the wave according to its present trajectory of COVID cases, the head of ICMR's epidemiology said that it is too early to infer a downward trend. 

The Covid-19 situation continues to worsen in France, with 464,769 new cases detected in a day, it was announced by the country's public health agency on Tuesday. This broke the previous daily record of 368,149 cases. The agency said that 3,881 Covid-19 patients were being treated in intensive care, accounting for over 70 per cent of the French health system's current capacity, Xinhua news agency reported. Also on Tuesday, French Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced two new measures providing government aid to companies that have been struggling due to the pandemic. The first measure will help small companies (with less than 250 employees) that lost more than 30 per cent of their turnover in December 2021 and January 2022, by covering 20 per cent of their social contributions.