COVID-19: India reports 37K+ cases; Omicron tally nears 1,900
India on Tuesday added 192 new COVID-19 cases involving the Omicron variant. Maharashtra topped the list of worst-hit states with 568 total Omicron cases, followed by Delhi (382 cases). Overall, India reported over 37,000 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. The active caseload rose to 1.71 lakh, accounting for 0.49% of the total cases. Currently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.13%.
Why does it matter?
India has been witnessing a fresh surge in COVID-19 cases over the past week. On Tuesday, India reported a higher number of cases than Monday. The weekly positivity rate and active caseload have also witnessed a sharp rise following a steep decline for weeks. Meanwhile, India's Omicron tally is also nearing the 2,000-mark, with the variant being detected in at least 23 states/union territories.
Over 11K patients discharged
According to the Union Health Ministry, India reported a total of 3,49,60,261 COVID-19 cases till Tuesday morning. The death toll reached 4,82,017 With 11,007 fresh discharges, India's recoveries stand at 3,43,06,414. In the past 24 hours, 37,379 new cases and 124 fresh fatalities were reported. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 2.05%, while the daily positive rate is at 3.24%.
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.
Maharashtra adds most new cases
Maharashtra reported 12,160 new COVID-19 cases along with 1,748 more recoveries. Kerala, the second worst-hit state after Maharashtra, reported 2,560 new cases and 2,150 discharges. The third worst-hit Karnataka added 1,290 new cases and 232 recoveries. Tamil Nadu, the fourth worst-hit state, reported 1,728 new cases and 662 recoveries. Andhra Pradesh reported 122 new cases and 103 recoveries.
Nearly 147 crore vaccine doses administered
Till 1 pm on Tuesday, India administered over 146.8 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses. Overall, nearly 61.3 crore people have been fully vaccinated, while over 85.5 crore people have received at least one dose. On Tuesday alone, India administered more than 33 lakh more COVID-19 vaccine doses till 1 pm, including over 22 lakh second doses and roughly 11 lakh first doses, according to Co-WIN.
India's Omicron tally reaches 1,892
Meanwhile, India's tally of Omicron cases has reached 1,892, with cases detected in 23 states and union territories. The worst-affected regions include Maharashtra (568 Omicron cases), Delhi (382), Kerala (185), Rajashthan (174), Gujarat (152), Tamil Nadu (121), Telangana (67), and Karnataka (64).
Surge in cases indicates a third wave: NTAGI chief
The spike in COVID-19 cases in the major Indian cities over the last week is indicative of a third wave of the pandemic, said Dr. NK Arora, the chairperson of the COVID-19 working group of the NTAGI. The Omicron variant accounts for over 50% of these fresh COVID-19 cases, Dr. Arora said on Tuesday. However, he said there is no need to panic yet.
