COVID-19: India reports 90K+ cases; Omicron tally crosses 2,600
India on Thursday added 495 new COVID-19 cases involving the Omicron variant. Maharashtra topped the list of worst-hit states with 797 total Omicron cases, followed by Delhi (465 cases). Worryingly, India reported over 90,000 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. The active caseload rose to 2.85 lakh, accounting for 0.81% of the total cases. Currently, India's recovery rate stands at 97.81%.
Why does it matter?
India on Thursday recorded 56% higher COVID-19 cases than the day before. The nation is recording such a huge number of daily infections following a steep decline for months. The weekly positivity rate and active caseload are also increasing at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, India's Omicron tally has reached the 2,600-mark, with the variant being detected in at least 26 states and union territories.
Over 19K patients discharged
According to the Union Health Ministry, India reported a total of 3,51,09,286 COVID-19 cases till Thursday morning. The death toll reached 4,82,876. With 19,206 fresh discharges, the recoveries stand at 3,43,41,009. In the past 24 hours, 90,928 new cases and 325 fresh fatalities were reported. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 3.47%, while the daily positive rate is at 6.43%.
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 two-crore mark on May 4, 2021.
Maharashtra adds most new cases
Maharashtra reported 26,538 new COVID-19 cases along with 5,331 more recoveries. Kerala, the second worst-hit state after Maharashtra, reported 4,801 new cases and 1,813 discharges. The third worst-hit Karnataka added 4,246 new cases and 362 recoveries. Tamil Nadu, the fourth worst-hit state, reported 4,862 new cases and 688 recoveries. Andhra Pradesh reported 434 new cases and 102 recoveries.
Over 148 crore vaccine doses administered
Till 9:30 am on Thursday, India administered nearly 148.7 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses. Overall, nearly 62 crore people have been fully vaccinated, while over 86.7 crore people have received at least one dose. On Thursday alone, India administered more than 93,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses till 9:30 am, including over 36,000 second doses and roughly 58,000 first doses, according to Co-WIN.
India's Omicron tally reaches 2,630
Meanwhile, India's tally of Omicron cases has reached 2,630, with cases being detected in 26 states and union territories. The worst-affected regions include Maharashtra (797 Omicron cases), Delhi (465) Rajasthan (236), Kerala (234), Karnataka (226), Gujarat (204), Tamil Nadu (121), and Telangana (94).
6.3X rise in COVID-19 cases: Government
Further, the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday said India witnessed over 6.3 times rise in COVID-19 cases in the last eight days. It also expressed concern that the case positivity rate rose from 0.79% on December 29, 2021, to 5.03% on January 5, 2022. Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand, and Gujarat have emerged as states of concern, it added.
