COVID-19: India adds 156 Omicron cases, biggest single-day spike
India on Monday added 156 new COVID-19 cases involving the Omicron variant. Notably, this is the biggest single-day jump in Omicron cases since the variant was first detected in India. With an active caseload of over 75,000, India Monday reported over 6,500 COVID-19 cases overall. Active cases now account for just 0.22% of the total cases, the lowest since March 2020.
Why does it matter?
India on Monday reported fewer COVID-19 cases than the day before. However, India's Omicron tally is rising at an alarming rate. India's Omicron cases crossed the 500-mark on Monday within a month since the detection of the variant in the country. Kerala—the state reporting most cases—is witnessing a gradual decline in its number of daily COVID-19 infections.
98.40% recovered from COVID-19
Meanwhile, India's COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.40%, the highest since March 2020. Currently, the daily positivity rate stands at 0.87%. It has been under 2% for the last 84 days.
Over 7K patients discharged
According to the Union Health Ministry, India reported a total of 3,47,93,333 COVID-19 cases till Monday morning. The death toll reached 4,79,997. With 7,141 fresh discharges, India's recoveries stand at 3,42,37,495. In the past 24 hours, 6,531 new cases and 315 fresh fatalities were reported. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 0.63%. It has remained under 1% the last 43 days.
India's second wave peaked on May 7
India's second wave peaked on May 7, when 4.14 lakh single-day cases were reported, over four times the number of cases reported during the first wave in mid-September 2020. Although infections have declined since the second wave peaked, India crossed the three crore-mark on June 23. India had crossed the one crore-mark on December 19, 2020, and the 2 crore-mark on May 4, 2021.
Kerala, Maharashtra adds majority of cases
Maharashtra reported 1,648 new COVID-19 cases along with 918 more recoveries. Kerala, the second worst-hit state after Maharashtra, reported 1,824 new cases and 3,364 discharges. The third worst-hit Karnataka added 348 new cases and 198 recoveries. Tamil Nadu, the fourth worst-hit state, reported 610 new cases and 679 recoveries. Andhra Pradesh reported 82 new cases and 164 recoveries.
Over 142 crore vaccine doses administered
Till 2 pm on Monday, India had administered over 142 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses. Overall, over 58.2 crore people have been fully vaccinated, while over 83.8 crore people received at least one dose. On Monday alone, India administered more than 41.7 lakh more COVID-19 vaccine doses till 2 pm, including over 33 lakh second doses and roughly 8.6 lakh first doses, according to Co-WIN.
India's Omicron tally reaches 578
Meanwhile, India's tally of Omicron cases has reached 578, with cases detected in 19 states and union territories. Maharashtra and Delhi topped the list of worst-hit states with 141 and 142 cases, respectively. The other worst-affected regions include Kerala (57 Omicron cases), followed by Gujarat (49), Rajasthan (43), Telangana (41), Tamil Nadu (34). A total of 130 patients infected with Omicron have been discharged.
Vaccine registration for teens from January 1
Children between 15-18 years of age will be able to register for COVID-19 vaccinations on the Co-WIN app from January 1, the platform's chief Dr. RS Sharma announced. The platform has added an additional ID card option for students' registration as some may not have Aadhaar or other identity cards, he said. Students can register for vaccination using their student ID card, he added.
