The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is dangerous, and especially so for those who have not been vaccinated against the disease, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with chief ministers over the COVID-19 situation on Thursday amid the surge in coronavirus cases due to its Omicron variant, according to sources. The number of new coronavirus infections in the last week jumped by about 55%, although the number of deaths remained stable, the World Health Organization said in its latest pandemic report.You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.Here are the updates:National
Mallikarjun Kharge tests COVID-19 positive
Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has tested positive. He is asymptomatic but is in home isolation as per guidelines. A statement issued by his office says 5 of staff members had tested positive few days back. -TH Delhi BureauNational
Active COVID-19 cases in country highest in 216 days
India logged 2,47,417 new coronavirus infections, the highest in 236 days, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,63,17,927 which includes 5,488 cases of the Omicron variant, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.The country saw a single day jump of 620 cases of the Omicron variant, the highest so far, taking the total tally of such cases to 5,488, out of which 2,162 people have recovered or migrated so far.The active cases have increased to 11,17,531, the highest in 216 days, while the death toll has climbed to 4,85,035 with 380 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.Maharashtra recorded the maximum number of 1,367 cases of Omicron variant followed by Rajasthan at 792, Delhi 549, Kerala 486 and Karnataka 479.The active cases comprise 3.08% of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate decreased to 95.59%, the ministry said. -PTINational
India Open: Seven players withdrawn after testing positive for COVID-19
The India Open tournament has been rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic with as many as seven Indian players withdrawing from the event after testing positive for the dreaded virus, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on Thursday.”The players returned a positive result to a mandatory RT-PCR test conducted on Tuesday. Doubles partners deemed close contact of the seven players have also been withdrawn from the tournament,” the world governing body said in a statement.”The players will not be replaced in the main draw and their opponents will be given a walkover to the next round.” The BWF announced the news in the wee hours on Thursday but didn’t reveal the names of the seven players. -PTINew Delhi
Vaccination centres for 15-18 age group to be opened in schools with operational health clinics
The Delhi government has directed its officials to open temporary vaccination centres for children in the age group 15-18 years in its 20 schools where health clinics are operational.The vaccination drive for children in the age group began on January 3.”All DDEs (Distts.) and DDEs (Zones) are hereby directed to open temporary vaccination centres for students in age group of 15-18 years in the 20 schools wherein School Health Clinics are operational,” Directorate of Education (DoE) said in an official order. -PTIOdisha
HC to be shut for 5 days as Covid cases surge in Odisha
The Orissa High Court will be closed for five days from Thursday due to the ‘unprecedented surge’ in Covid-19 cases in the state and infection among its staff.In an order on Wednesday, the HC registrar said the court and its offices would be closed from January 13 to 17 and the benches notified will stand cancelled.It will resume functioning from January 18. -PTITelangana
120 students and faculty of IITH test COVID positive, kept in isolation
As many as 120 students, including two faculty of the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IITH), located at Kandi in Sangareddy district, tested positive for coronavirus and they are being kept in isolation. All of them are having mild symptoms.Confirming this, an official from the IITH informed The Hindu that the spike in cases was not a sudden development and for the past few days, the numbers are increasing. It was reported that after recent admissions of students in the first year, the number of cases have increased.
New Delhi
Data suggest current wave may have peaked: Delhi Health Minister
On a day when the Capital recorded the second-highest number of fresh COVID-19 cases — 27,561— since the start of the pandemic, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said there were indications that the current wave may have peaked and may decline in two-three days.As many as 40 COVID-related deaths were reported over 24 hours, the highest in the current wave, taking the total toll to 25,240, stated a health bulletin released by the Delhi government on Wednesday. Delhi’s highest COVID-19 cases so far — 28,395 — were recorded on April 20 last year during the peak of the second wave of the pandemic.
National
Omicron to become dominant strain: CCMB scientists
Omicron is sure to become the predominant COVID strain across the country soon as it has been spreading rapidly and although it is causing “mild” symptoms in infected individuals, it is capable of circumventing the protection offered by vaccines, said scientists of Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) on Wednesday.The latest strain, first noticed in Africa, has been behaving like a typical pandemic-causing pathogen in being more infectious, yet with “mild” symptoms of cold, fever, headache, sore throat, etc. This could, however, prove dangerous for the immuno-compressed and the elderly, and so it cannot be taken lightly, they asserted in an online interaction.
International
AstraZeneca says U.S. to buy additional 500,000 Evusheld doses
AstraZeneca said on Wednesday the U.S. government has agreed to purchase an additional 500,000 doses of its antibody cocktail Evusheld used to treat COVID-19.The company said the delivery of the doses was expected in the first quarter of 2022 and additional details about the deal would be announced in the coming weeks. -ReutersInternational
Moderna expects COVID-19 vaccine trial data for children aged 2-5 in March
Moderna Inc said on Wednesday it expects to report data from its COVID-19 vaccine trial in children aged between 2 to 5 years in March.”If the data is supportive and subject to regulatory consultation, Moderna may proceed with regulatory filings for children 2-5 years of age thereafter,” the company said. -ReutersNew Delhi
Hospital admissions double the number of recoveries
The number of COVID-19 patients admitted to Delhi hospitals every day over the past week was double than those who got discharged, government data accessed by The Hindu show.While 449 hospital admissions were reported on an average per day between January 5 and 11, an average of 217 discharges were reported daily. In all, 3,146 patients were admitted against 1,525 recoveries. The data show the admission rate grew steadily over the period, while the discharge rate fluctuated.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra faces shortage of Covaxin
Maharashtra is facing a shortage of Covaxin, which has been prescribed for the 15-18 age group by the Central government. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will be placing the State’s demand for 40 lakh more doses to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a videoconference on Thursday.The State government has also clarified that restrictions implemented are unlikely to be lifted before the end of January, as curve of new COVID patients does not seem to be flattening.
National
Ayush ministry recommends host of Ayush drugs for prevention, management of Covid
The current understanding of COVID-19 indicates a good immune system is needed to safeguard from the disease, and clinical and preclinical trials had established the efficacy of Ayush medicines, the government said on Wednesday.At a press conference, Pramod Kumar Pathak, special secretary in the Ministry of Ayush, said based on clinical and preclinical studies Ayush medicine has been recommended for prophylaxis and management.For COVID-19 management, he said the ministry suggests AYUSH 64 and Kubasura Kudineer.”Seven clinical studies were done and were found effective for management through AYUSH 64 of which two tablets of 500 mg twice a day are recommended for management of asymptomatic cases and two tablets of 500 mg thrice a day for mild to moderate Covid,” he said. -PTIWest Bengal
Strictly follow COVID-19 norms: Mamata to Gangasagar pilgrims
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday urged pilgrims visiting Gangasagar Mela to strictly follow COVID-19 guidelines and asked the Mela (Religious gathering) committee not to allow too many people to Sagar Island for the annual fair.She requested pilgrims not to overcrowd vehicles in trying to reach Sagar Islands in South 24 Parganas district, to wear double masks and cooperate with the administration, and seek the police’s help if needed.“I will request them (Gangasagar Mela committee) not to send too many people to Gangasagar Mela.”Restrictions have been imposed by the Calcutta High Court and we must follow them diligently,” Ms. Banerjee said while inaugurating the fair at Outram Ghat here on Wednesday. -PTINational
Govt warns against overuse, misuse of Covid medicines
Warning against overuse and misuse of COVID-19 medicines, the government on Wednesday asked people to adopt a rational approach to the drugs used for treatment of coronavirus.Addressing a press conference, NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr V.K. Paul expressed concern over the “overuse and misuse” of drugs.”There is a concern that whichever medicines we give it should be rationally used, there should not be any overuse. Last time, we saw a very scary situation when the contribution of medicine was to a very large extent responsible for mucormycosis,” he said. -PTIInternational
Australian Open crowds capped at 50% over Covid
Crowds at the Australian Open will be capped at 50% capacity as COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations continue to rise in Melbourne, the Victoria state government said Thursday.”These updates to arrangements for the Australian Open will mean that fans, players and the workforce can look forward to a terrific Covid-safe event,” Victorian tourism minister Jaala Pulford said in a statement ahead of the first tennis Grand Slam of the year, which starts on Monday. -AFPDenmark
Denmark to offer 4th vaccine dose to vulnerable
The Danish government said Wednesday it is proposing a fourth Covid vaccine dose for people deemed highly vulnerable amid a spike in cases of the Omicron variant.Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said the move marked a “new chapter” in the fight against the spread of the Covid-19 virus. -AFPItaly
Italian government agrees new sport Covid protocol
The Italian government agreed on Wednesday a new Covid-19 protocol for professional sport which means teams cannot play if over 35% of their squad has the virus.The protocol, seen by AFP, was agreed between the government and regional authorities after a wave of infections across Serie A and fragmented decision-making caused chaos to fixtures and infuriated clubs.It will now go to the government’s scientific committee (CTS) for final approval on Friday. -AFPJammu
IIT Jammu to conduct all classes online after 18 tested positive at campus
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jammu on Wednesday said it will conduct all classes online after 18 members of the faculty, staff and the students tested positive for coronavirus.The IIT Jammu said it has been conducting periodic COVID-19 testing amid a spurt in the infection.“Out of RT-PCR tests conducted on 300 people last week on campus, 18 members of the faculty, staff and the students have tested positive for the virus. However, everyone is under quarantine as per protocol and reports of mild to no symptoms while being constantly monitored and supported by the medical unit. The IIT Jammu campus is currently under sanitisation,” the IIT Jammu said in a statement. -PTINational
Don’t treat Omicron as common cold, weekly case positivity in 300 districts over 5%: Govt
As many as 300 districts in India are reporting weekly Covid case positivity of more than 5%, the Union government said on Wednesday as it warned against treating the infection due to the Omicron variant as common cold and urged people to get vaccinated.At a press conference, Joint Secretary in the Union Health Ministry Lav Agarwal said Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Gujarat are emerging as states of concern due to the rise in Covid cases there.A sharp rise in COVID-19 infections has been noted in India with the case positivity climbing to 11.05% on Wednesday from 1.1% on December 30, he said. -PTISwitzerland
Swiss slash quarantine, hoping Omicron is ‘beginning of the end’
Omicron could be the beginning of the end of the pandemic, the Swiss government said Wednesday as it slashed quarantine times and prolonged restrictions to control the COVID-19 variant.”We are perhaps on the eve of a turning point which could be decisive in passing from a pandemic to an endemic phase,” with high levels of immunity in the population, Health Minister Alain Berset told a news conference.”We don’t know, but Omicron could be the beginning of the end of this pandemic.”Switzerland is facing its fifth wave of cases, though hospitals are not yet overwhelmed. -AFPMaharashtra
Maharashtra’s COVID-19 curve not flattening despite drop in numbers, cautions Tope; stresses vaccination
Maharashtra Health minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday cautioned that the coronavirus curve in the State is not flattening despite a dip in the number of daily COVID-19 cases in the last couple of days.He said there is a silver lining that out of the 2.25 lakh active cases, only 14% are under hospitalisation.Mr. Tope said he doesn’t expect the situation to stablise by January end or by early February, and urged those who have not undergone vaccination to take jabs, besides masking-up by all.Vaccination and restrictions are key to arrest the spread of the infection, he stressed. -PTI