A look at the latest coronavirus-related developments:

  1. Karnataka on Tuesday recorded 41,400 new coronavirus cases, down from Monday’s infection count 46,426. Of Tuesday’s cases, 19,105 infections were reported from Bengaluru. As many as 52 people died in the state of which 19 were recorded in Bengaluru. There are 3,50,742 active cases in Karnataka and 53,093 people were discharged on Tuesday. The positivity rate was 26.70%. State Health Minster Dr Sudhakar K said it was the first time in the third Covid-19 wave that the daily cases were fewer than discharges. 
  2. Delhi and Mumbai on Tuesday recorded a decrease in test positivity rates. In Delhi, the test positivity rate dropped to 10.55% from Monday’s 11.79%. The daily cases, however, increased to 6,028 from 5,760 a day ago. As many as 31 people died in 24 hours. In Mumbai, the test positivity rate dropped marginally to 5.27% from 5.41% a day ago. The cases also fell from Monday’s tally of 1,857 to 1,815 on Tuesday. Eleven patients have died in the Maharashtra capital in 24 hours and there are 22,185 active cases.         
  3. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that Covid-19 curbs in the national Capital will soon be lifted as the city’s positivity rate was dropping fast, reported ANI. “Covid positivity rate has reduced by 20% in the span of last 10 days,” he said on the sidelines of a Republic Day event. “Today it’s about 10%, opposed to 30% positivity rate on January 15. All of this is because of the consistent pace of vaccination.”
  4. The Kerala government on Monday said that educational institutions in the state which registered less than 40% attendance for three consecutive days will be closed for two weeks, reported PTI. According to a new set of rules, a maximum of 20 people will be allowed at weddings and funerals. Cinema, theatres, swimming pools and gyms will be shut.
  5. India on Tuesday registered 2,55,874 new Covid-19 cases, taking the overall tally in the country to 3,97,99,202. The number of new cases on Tuesday were 16.39% fewer than Monday’s figure of 3,06,064 infections. The positivity rate declined significantly to 15.52% from 20.75% on Monday, showed data from the Union health ministry.
  6. For the upcoming Budget Session, the two Houses of Parliament will function at different times of the day with a dispersed seating arrangement, reported the Hindustan Times. The Rajya Sabha will function from 10 am to 3 pm while and the Lok Sabha will hold its sessions from 4 pm to 9 pm.     
  7. The United Kingdom will do away with Covid-19 tests on arrival for fully-vaccinated travellers to England from February 11, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday, according to The Guardian. Rules have also been eased for unvaccinated travellers, who will no longer have to undergo isolation, or get tested for a second time on the eighth day after their arrival.      
  8. School closures due to the pandemic have caused “nearly insurmountable” losses among children around the world, the UNICEF said on Monday. The United Nations agency said more than 61.6 crore students are still being affected by full or partial closures of schools.
  9. The World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday said it was not right to assume that Omicron was the last variant of coronavirus or that the world was in the “endgame” of this pandemic. However, he said that the acute stage of the pandemic could end this year if primary targets to eradicate the disease are met.  
  10. South Korea for the first time reported more than 8,000 daily coronavirus cases, reported Reuters citing the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Monday urged people to refrain from travel and gatherings. “It is no different to adding fuel to the raging flames if many people move around the country and meet each other,” he said.