Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Eight cases came to light following screening at the Mumbai airport while one case each was found at Pimpri-Chinchwad, Osmanabad and Navi Mumbai, the release added.
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Maharashtra reported 11 new infections of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, taking the tally of such cases in the state to 65, the health department said here. “As reported by the National Institute of Virology, 11 more patients have been found to be infected by Omicron,” it said in a release. Eight cases came to light following screening at.
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 10:19 AM IST
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | As Omicron surges, Bill Gates says ‘we could be entering worst part of the pandemic’
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said has cancelled most of his holiday plans because of the threat of the fast-spreading Omicron variant of COVID-19. The billionaire cautioned that the variant will impact most people. “Just when it seemed like life would return to normal, we could be entering the worst part of the pandemic. Omicron will hit home for all of us. Close friends of mine now have it, and I’ve canceled most of my holiday plans,” Gates tweeted on Tuesday.
Omicron cases are rising rapidly across countries, with the variant becoming the dominant strain of coronavirus in the United States, the country with the highest number of Covid cases in the world. “If there’s good news here, it’s that omicron moves so quickly that once it becomes dominant in a country, the wave there should last less than 3 months. Those few months could be bad, but I still believe if we take the right steps, the pandemic can be over in 2022,” Bill Gates said in another tweet.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday said the country was “prepared” to fight it. In India, the government has asked the state and district authorities to consider imposing containment measures in areas where a surge in Covid positivity rate is reported. The assessment of Omicron being more contagious than Delta raises concern as the latter is considered to have triggered the devastating second wave of the pandemic in India, between April and June this year. On December 11, World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also noted that there is considerable evidence which suggests Omicron is “spreading significantly faster” than the Delta variant.
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 09:41 AM IST
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Out of the total 213 Omicron cases, Delhi and Maharashtra have reported 57 and 54 cases, respectivelyOut of the total 213 Omicron cases, Delhi and Maharashtra have reported 57 and 54 cases, respectively. Till now, 90 patients have been discharged after recovery, as per the Union Health Ministry
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 09:40 AM IST
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | 10 persons including 8 police personnel have been found COVID-19 positive in Maharashtra
10 persons including 8 police personnel have been found COVID-19 positive in RT-PCR testing done before the start of the Winter Session of the Maharashtra Assembly. Nearly 3,500 samples were tested, says State Health Department.
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 09:34 AM IST
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | India reports 6,317 new COVID-19 cases, 318 deaths
India reports 6,317 new cases, 318 deaths and 6,906 recoveries in the last 24 hours; Active caseload currently stands at 78,190; lowest in 575 days. Omicron case tally at 213, says Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 09:30 AM IST
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | “Tourists are coming in good numbers. Occupancy in our hotel is increasing day by day. We are checking RTPCR tests, vaccine certificates and are following all Covid protocols,” says Biplab Saha, a hotel owner in Siliguri
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 09:25 AM IST
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | “Another storm coming”: WHO warns of omicron surge in Europe
The World Health Organization’s top official in Europe urged governments on Tuesday to prepare for a significant surge in coronavirus cases across the continent due to the omicron variant, which is already dominant in several countries. We can see another storm coming, WHO Europe regional director Dr. Hans Kluge said at a press conference in Vienna.
Within weeks, omicron will dominate in more countries of the region, pushing already stretched health systems further to the brink. Omicron has been detected in at least 38 of the WHO European region’s 53 members, Kluge added, noting that it is already the dominant variant in the United Kingdom, Denmark and Portugal.
Last week, 27,000 people died from coronavirus in the region and an additional 2.6 million cases were reported, Kluge said. Although these cases include all variants, not just omicron, he noted this figure is 40 per cent higher than during the same period last year. The sheer volume of new COVID-19 infections could lead to more hospitalisations and widespread disruption to health systems and other critical services, he said.
Thus far, Kluge said 89 per cent of those with confirmed omicron infections in Europe reported symptoms common with other coronavirus variants, including cough, sore throat, fever. The variant has mostly been spread by young people in their 20s and 30s in the region, he added. Although much remains unknown about omicron, Kluge said it appears to be more infectious than previous variants, leading to previously unseen transmission rates in countries with a significant number of omicron cases. In those countries, cases of the variant are doubling every 1.5 to 3 days.
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 09:11 AM IST
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Gurugram officials claim to achieve 100% coverage of COVID-19 vaccination
The Gurugram health department on Tuesday claimed to have achieved 100 per cent coverage of both doses of COVID-19 vaccine, thereby, becoming the first district in Haryana to do so. Releasing a statement, civil surgeon Dr Virendra Yadav said the district has also become the first in the national capital region (NCR) to have achieved this status.
Congratulating the entire team of the health department, Yadav said 100 per cent vaccination is just a milestone in a district like Gurugram, where the floating population is a major factor. According to the data released by the health department, 128 per cent of the population in the district have been given the first dose and 100 per cent have been given the second dose.
“The vaccination process is still on as we have a huge floating population,” said Yadav. He added that data of children between 0 to 6 years and 6 years to 18 years is being collected whenever the vaccines for children get approved in future. As soon as the vaccination process is started, it can be accelerated to cover all the children.
In the vaccination campaign, our team had started many new initiatives under various programmes like drive-through in malls, third gender vaccination and to vaccinate every section of the society, which was later implemented in other cities of the country also,” added Yadav. Deputy civil surgeon Dr M P Singh, who is also the nodal officer for vaccination campaign, said the campaign started from January 16 this year with the vaccination of health workers. To reach 100 per cent population, 40,441 sessions were conducted. At the same time, over 2.56 lakh people were vaccinated by visiting more than 6 lakh houses in the district under the ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign.
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 09:01 AM IST
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | No evidence to suggest that existing vaccines don’t work on Omicron: Govt
There is no evidence to suggest that existing vaccines do not work on Omicron variant of coronavirus, though some of the mutations reported on spike gene may decrease the efficacy of existing vaccines, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday. “There are limited available data, and no peer-reviewed evidence, on vaccine efficacy or effectiveness to date for Omicron,” Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a written reply.
He was responding to a question on whether the vaccinations that are given in the country are effective to develop immunity for this variant. “However, vaccine protection is also by antibodies as well as by cellular immunity, which is expected to be relatively better preserved. Hence vaccines are expected to still offer protection against severe disease and, vaccination with the available vaccines remains crucial,” he added.
Listing the steps taken by the government after the news of the spread of Omicron variant of COVID-19 in various countries, Mandaviya said his ministry on the basis of risk assessment reviewed the existing travel guidelines and revised rules for international arrivals were issued on November 28 which were further amended two days later.
According to the guidelines, regions or countries have been re-classified as ‘at-risk’ based on epidemiological situation of COVID-19 there and reporting of Omicron variant from these countries. List of such ‘at-risk’ regions or countries is dynamic in nature and has been updated from time to time. All travellers coming from countries deemed ‘at-risk’ will also mandatorily undergo COVID-19 testing on arrival through RT-PCR, followed by mandatory home quarantine for 7 days, Mandaviya said.
A repeat RT-PCR testing shall also be done on eighth day of arrival in India to be monitored by state health authorities. Two per cent of travellers from ‘non-at-risk’ countries will be tested at random for COVID-19. Individuals tested positive shall be subjected to Whole Genomic Sequencing at identified INSACOG network laboratories to determine the presence of SARSCoV-2 variants (including Omicron). States and union territories have been asked to undertake several activities which include strict monitoring of international travellers in the community, contact tracing of positive individuals and follow up for 14 days, genome sequencing of positive samples through INSACOG Labs in a prompt manner, Mandaviya said.
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 08:50 AM IST
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Omicron at least three times more contagious than Delta variant: Centre warns states
The recently-detected Omicron variant of coronavirus is thrice as contagious as the Delta variant, the Centre informed the state governments on December 21, as it instructed them to take proactive measures to contain its spread. The Centre has asked the state and district authorities to consider imposing containment measures in areas where a surge in positivity rate is reported.
“Omicron is at least three times more transmissible than Delta. Hence, even greater foresight, data analysis, dynamic decision making and strict and prompt containment action are required at the local and district level,” news agency ANI quoted Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan as saying in his letter to the state governments.
“The decision making at the State/UT and district level must be very prompt and focused and take containment measures and restrictions even before these thresholds are reached,” Bhushan added. The health secretary stressed that there should be constant review at the district level of the population infected by COVID-19, the geographical spread of the latest identified cluster, the prevalent hospital infrastructure and its utilization.
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 08:41 AM IST
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Scotland axes New Year’s Eve street party due to Omicron
Edinburgh’s hugely popular New Year’s Eve street party has been cancelled because of the surge in coronavirus cases driven by the Omicron variant, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced Tuesday. Tens of thousands of revellers from around the world typically descend on the Scottish capital on December 31 for Hogmanay, which is marked by live music and fireworks above Edinburgh Castle.
But this was the second successive year that the festivities have been axed, as Scotland and the rest of Britain grapple with spiralling Covid-19 infections. Britain reported another 90,629 cases on Tuesday as the new variant rages and hospitalisation rates in London climb. Daily case rates have frequently broken records over the last week as the country — one of Europe’s worst-hit by the virus, with more than 147,000 deaths during the pandemic — struggles to contain Omicron.
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 08:33 AM IST
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Delhi with buffer stock of 421 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen to tackle Covid cases
Delhi has a buffer stock of 421 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen to tackle a surge in COVID-19 cases, according to government data. The Delhi government has ramped up the medical oxygen infrastructure to tackle a possible third wave and in view of the threat posed due to the new variant Omicron. It has also procured 6,000 D type cylinders, while it did not have such cylinders till May 31.
According to government data, the national capital has a buffer stock of 421 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen, something which was not there when Delhi grappled with the second wave of the infection. The city also has Pressure Adsorption plants that have a capacity of producing 130.7 metric tonnes of oxygen. There were no such facilities in Delhi till May 31.
Two cryogenic bottling plants with capacity of 12.5 metric tonne will be commissioned this week, and these will have the capacity to refill 1,400 jumbo cylinders in a day. Till May 31, the government had three refillers that could fill about 1,500 cylinders per day. Delhi was hit by a brutal second wave of the pandemic in April-May, which claimed a massive number of lives daily, and the oxygen supply shortage issue at various hospitals had added to the woes.
Since April 19, both COVID-19 daily cases and single-day deaths count had been spiralling up, with over 28,000 cases and 277 deaths recorded on April 20; rising to 306 fatalities on April 22. On May 3, the city registered a record 448 deaths, according to official data.
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 08:22 AM IST
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Maharashtra reports 11 new Omicron cases, tally reaches 65
Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 11 new infections of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, taking the tally of such cases in the state to 65, the health department said here. “As reported by the National Institute of Virology, 11 more patients have been found to be infected by Omicron,” it said in a release.
Eight cases came to light following screening at the Mumbai airport while one case each was found at Pimpri-Chinchwad, Osmanabad and Navi Mumbai, the release added. Of the eight cases detected in Mumbai, one each is from Kerala, Gujarat and neighbouring Thane district, while other patients are residents of Mumbai itself.
Two of these patients had arrived from Uganda (via Dubai), four from the UK and two from Dubai. Two of them are minor. The 13-year-old daughter of an Omicron-infected patient from Osmanabad in central Maharashtra was also found to be infected by the new variant. She has no symptoms, the release said. Elsewhere, a 19-year-old man from Navi Mumbai who had arrived from Kenya via Hyderabad tested positive for Omicron. He is fully vaccinated and has no symptoms, officials said.
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 8:10 AM IST
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Israel reports country’s 1st omicron death
Israeli health officials are reporting what is believed to be the country’s first death from the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Soroka Hospital, located in the southern city of Beersheba, said a man in his 60s died Monday, two weeks after he was hospitalised. It said the man had suffered from pre-existing health issues but gave no further details. Israel has greatly restricted air traffic in and out of the country and is considering a series of restrictions on the public to prevent the spread of the highly contagious variant
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday that he was waiting impatiently for approval from health authorities to approve a fourth booster shot for older citizens and people with serious illnesses. Israel was one of the first countries to widely vaccinate its population early this year and became the first to offer boosters over the summer. Israel, a country of 9.3 million people, has reported over 8,200 deaths from COVID-19.
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 8:00 AM IST\
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Joe Biden pledges 500 million free virus tests to counter omicron
With the omicron variant on the march, President Joe Biden plans to announce 500 million free rapid tests for Americans, increased support for hospitals under strain and a redoubling of vaccination and boosting efforts. In a speech scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, Biden is detailing major changes to his COVID-19 winter plan, his hand forced by the arrival of the fast-spreading variant, whose properties are yet not fully understood by scientists.
The world is confronting a second straight COVID-19 holiday season as families and friends begin to gather. Scientists don’t yet know for sure how serious the disease caused by omicron can usually be, but they do know that vaccination should offer strong protections against severe illness and death.
The White House provided details on the proposals Biden will announce in his speech.A cornerstone of the plan is Biden’s decision for the government to purchase 500 million coronavirus rapid tests for free shipment to Americans starting in January. People will use a new website to order their tests, which will then be sent by US mail at no charge, the White House said
It marks a major shift for Biden, who earlier had called for many Americans to purchase the hard-to-find tests on their own and then seek reimbursement from their health insurance. For the first time, the US government will send free COVID-19 tests directly to Americans, after more than a year of urging by public health experts
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 7:50 AM IST
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Facebook, Twitter, T-Mobile drop CES plans over COVID-19 concerns
Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc, Twitter Inc and Pinterest Inc separately said on Tuesday they will not send teams to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next month as concerns grow about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. U.S. wireless carrier and conference sponsor T-Mobile additionally said the vast majority of its contingent would no longer be going and that its chief executive would no longer be delivering a keynote speech in person or virtually. The other companies had not planned large in-person gatherings at the show.
While we are confident that CES organizers are taking exhaustive measures to protect in-person attendees, we are prioritizing the safety of our team and other attendees with this decision,” T-Mobile said. CES in the past has attracted over 180,000 people from around the world to a sprawling set of casinos and convention spaces in Las Vegas, serving as an annual showcase of new trends and gadgets in the technology industry. The Consumer Technology Association, which runs CES, said on Tuesday that the show is going forward from Jan. 5 through Jan. 8. Health precautions will include vaccination requirements, masking and the availability of COVID-19 tests, the association said.
DECEMBER 22, 2021 / 7:49 AM IST
Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Chinese city orders residents to stay at home, cuts public transport, due to one COVID-19 case
One local COVID-19 case has forced a Chinese border city next to Vietnam to ordered its residents to stay at home, halted public transport and some school classes and postponed the clearing of travellers and cargo to pass through its port of entry. China has increased COVID-19 vigilance along its borders and at ports to prevent the virus from being brought in from sources overseas, after several small border towns, which have fewer health resources than major cities, suffered outbreaks over the past three months.
Dongxing city in the autonomous Chinese region of Guangxi, which has a population of more than 200,000, demanded all its residents remain at home from Wednesday and avoid going out unnecessarily, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The measures came after Dongxing detected one domestically transmitted infection with confirmed symptoms during routine testing. The city has also suspended public transport services, shut down all tourist sites, cinemas and other entertainment venues and cut face-to-face school classes at primary and middle schools and kindergartens, according to CCTV.
