India Sees Highest One Day Rise of Omicron Infections; Delhi Sounds Yellow Alert As Cases Rise

India reported over 150 fresh Omicron infections with Goa and Manipur on Monday registering their first cases as the total tally of this latest variant of Covid-19 touched nearly 600.

With the surge in cases, the Centre issued a fresh advisory to all states and union territories, asking them not to let the guard down.

According to Union Health Ministry data updated in the morning, 156 fresh cases of Omicron were logged, taking the tally of such cases to 578. However, 151 out of the 578 people, who contracted the infection, have recovered or migrated.

The 578 cases have been detected across 19 states and union territories with Delhi recording the maximum number of 142 cases followed by Maharashtra at 141, Kerala 57, Gujarat 49, Rajasthan 43, and Telangana 41.

Reuters

India's total tally of Covid-19 cases rose to 3,47,93,333, while the active cases declined to 75,841, according to the data updated at 8 am. The death toll has climbed to 4,79,997 with 315 fresh fatalities, the data stated. Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said states and union territories may consider imposing need-based, local curbs and restrictions, to control the crowd during the festive season. A number of states have already imposed curbs on the congregation of people besides night curfew. A 48-year-old returnee from Tanzania tested positive for Omicron variant in Manipur, making him the first patient of the strain in the northeastern state.

The Directorate of Health Services in Imphal said the man, a resident of Imphal West district, recently returned via Delhi. He tested positive on the eighth day of his return to India. He has been placed under isolation at the state-run Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal, and he has not exhibited any severe symptoms, officials said.

COVID cases to increase in Delhi in next two months

With the number of fresh Covid-19 cases going up by 10 times from what it was at the beginning of the month in Delhi, experts on Monday said the number of cases will see an increase in the next couple of months due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, with the peak likely to be attained in February.

The Delhi government has also issued a Yellow alert in the capital in wake of rising cases.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal today said, "As the COVID-19 positivity rate has been above 0.5% for the past few days, we are enforcing Level-I (Yellow alert) of the Graded Response Action Plan. A detailed order on restrictions to be implemented will be released soon."

Delhi reported 290 fresh Covid cases on Sunday with a positivity rate of 0.55 per cent, while the number of new cases and the positivity rate rose to 331 and 0.68 per cent respectively on Monday.

BCCL

The national capital reported 39 fresh cases of the infection with a positivity rate of 0.07 per cent on December 1. The following day, the positivity rate had declined to 0.06 per cent, while the number of fresh cases was 41. Between December 9 and December 15, Delhi logged 48 daily cases on an average, which rose to 95 between December 16 and December 22. According to official data, it was a rise of 49.47 per cent on a weekly basis.

Epidemiologist Giridhar R Babu said, "It is very unlikely that the number of cases has risen due to the festive season because in that case, the impact would have been seen 14 days after Diwali in November and the number of cases would have risen by November-end. The number is rising due to the Omicron variant, which is highly transmissible. The cases will see a rapid ascent and a rapid descent and the peak is likely to come between mid-January and mid-February."

Those who have not been vaccinated and have not been infected with the virus are more susceptible and it is that population that needs to be looked after.

While vaccination does not mean one would not contract the infection, it certainly reduces the severity of the infection.

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