Here are the top coronavirus related developments of the day:
- Karnataka reported 50,210 new cases and 19 deaths. The state’s positivity rate stands at 22.77%. Delhi recorded 9,197 new coronavirus cases, taking the infection tally in the city to 17,91,711, reported ANI. With 34 deaths, the toll climbed to 25,620. There are 54,246 active cases and the positivity rate stood at 13.32%. Mumbai reported 2,550 new cases, which is 28% lower than Saturday’s tally. The city’s positivity rate has also dropped to 5.5% from 7.15%. Maharashtra logged 40,805 new cases.
- Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday tested positive for the coronavirus disease, said an announcement on his Twitter handle run by his secretariat. It said that Naidu has decided to self-isolate for a week and has advised all those who came in contact with him to isolate themselves and get tested.
- The Omicron variant of the coronavirus disease is in the community transmission stage in India and has become the dominant strain in multiple metro cities where new cases have been rising exponentially, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium, the country’s genome sequencing body has said in its latest bulletin. It also said that while most Omicron cases have so far been asymptomatic or mild, hospitalisations and intensive care unit cases have been increasing in the current wave.
- Karnataka Health Minister Sudhakar K said that the state has achieved 100% coverage of first dose of Covid-19 vaccine among its eligible population. He also claimed that Karnataka was the first state in the country with over 4 crore adult population to achieve this feat.
- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Sunday called off her wedding as she tightened Covid-19 restrictions amid an outbreak of the Omicron variant, reported AFP. The new restrictions include a limit of 100 people at wedding events.
- RS Trivedi, the superintendent of the civil hospital in Gujarat’s Rajkot city, said that around 50 staff members of the medical facility have tested positive for the coronavirus disease, reported PTI. He added that the health condition of all the infected staff was not serious and that most of them were in home isolation.
- The reproduction rate, or R value, of Covid-19 in India has reduced to 1.57 in the week between January 14 and January 21, PTI reported, citing a preliminary analysis by the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. The analysis also said that the national peak of the third Covid-19 wave is expected to come in the next fortnight. The R value measures how many people are being infected by one Covid-positive person on an average. The number of infections keeps rising if the R value is more than 1. If the value declines, the infection will eventually stop spreading.
- The Kerala health department has instructed private hospitals in the state to set aside 50% of their beds for coronavirus patients, reported PTI. The department asked private hospitals to hand over details of daily admissions in the intensive care units, use of ventilators and availability of beds to the district medical officers.
- The deputy sarpanch of Kasor village in Gujarat’s Anand district was among 100 people booked for allegedly flouting COVID-19 norms by taking part in a victory procession, reported PTI, citing the police. An official said that the roadshow was taken out in support of Baluben Parmar after she was elected as the deputy sarpanch.
- India recorded 3,33,533 new coronavirus cases on Sunday morning, taking the infection count in the country to 3,92,37,264 since the pandemic broke out in January 2020. The toll rose to 4,89,409 as 525 more people died due to the virus in the last 24 hours, government data showed. The number of daily cases was 1.23% fewer than Saturday’s count of 3,37,704 infections. The country’s active caseload rose by 73,840 infections to 21,87,205.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!