COVID-19: India reports nearly 2.5L cases; Omicron tally nears 5.5K
India on Thursday added 620 new COVID-19 cases involving the Omicron variant. Maharashtra topped the list of worst-hit states with a total of 1,367 Omicron cases, followed by Rajasthan (792 cases). Meanwhile, India also reported nearly 2.5 lakh new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. The active caseload rose to 11 lakh, accounting for 3.08% of the total cases. Currently, India's recovery rate stands at 95.59%.
Why does this story matter?
India on Thursday reported a higher number of COVID-19 cases than the day before. This comes as India's daily tally has been witnessing a sharp rise over the last few weeks. Meanwhile, the country's Omicron tally also crossed the 5,000-mark on Thursday, with the variant being detected in 28 states and union territories. Notably, the test positivity rate has also risen sharply.
Over 84K patients discharged
According to the Union Health Ministry, India reported a total of 3,63,17,927 COVID-19 cases till Thursday morning. The death toll reached 4,85,035. With 84,825 fresh discharges, the recoveries stand at 3,47,15,361. In the past 24 hours, 2,47,417 new cases and 380 fresh fatalities were reported. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 10.80%, while the daily positive rate is at 13.11%.
India's second wave peaked on May 7, 2021
India's second wave peaked on May 7, 2021, 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 crossed the one-crore mark on December 19, 2020, and the two-crore mark on May 4, 2021.
Maharashtra adds most new cases
Maharashtra reported 46,723 new COVID-19 cases along with 28,041 more recoveries. Kerala, the second worst-hit state after Maharashtra, reported 12,742 new cases and 2,552 discharges. The third worst-hit Karnataka added 21,390 fresh cases and 1,541 recoveries. Tamil Nadu, the fourth worst-hit state, reported 17,934 new cases and 4,039 discharges. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh reported 3,205 new cases and 281 recoveries.
Over 154 crore vaccine doses administered
Till 9:30 am on Thursday, India administered over 154.6 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses. Overall, more than 64.4 crore people have been fully vaccinated, while nearly 90 crore people have received at least one dose. On Thursday alone, India administered more than 1.2 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses till 9:30 am, including over 57,000 second doses and over 42,000 first doses, according to Co-WIN.
Over 26L precautionary doses administered
Meanwhile, India has administered over 26 lakh "precautionary" doses since Monday. On Thursday alone, over 16,000 healthcare/frontline workers and over 14,000 elderly people were given the precautionary dose till 9:30 am.
India's Omicron tally near 5.5K mark
India's tally of Omicron cases has reached 5,488, with cases being detected in 28 states and union territories. The worst-affected regions include Maharashtra (1,367 Omicron cases), Rajasthan (792) Delhi (549), Kerala (486), Karnataka (479), West Bengal (294), Uttar Pradesh (275), Telangana (260), Gujarat (236), and Tamil Nadu (185). Overall, a total of 2,162 patients infected with Omicron have recovered, migrated, or been discharged.
Government concerned over positivity rate, active caseload
The central government on Wednesday said that COVID-19 cases are spreading on a large scale in India. It said a twin concern is emerging in several pockets of the country: a high positivity rate and an increase in active caseload. In just one week, 300 districts have reported over a 5% positivity rate, compared to just 78 districts in the previous week, it added.
