India adds 2.68 lakh COVID-19 cases; Omicron tally crosses 6,000
India added more than 2.68 lakh new COVID-19 cases to its tally on Saturday. A total of 402 related deaths were also reported in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, the country's tally of infections involving the new Omicron variant has crossed 6,000, up from 5,753 on Friday. The daily positivity rate stands at 16.66% while the weekly positivity rate is currently at 12.84%.
Why does this story matter?
Daily COVID-19 cases in India have been on the rise since late last year. In fact, infections have jumped from nearly 20,000 to over 2.60 lakh in a span of two weeks. Further, India's recovery rate has come down to 94.83%. Experts say the Omicron strain is driving the fresh wave of infections, which is expected to peak by the end of January.
Active cases zoom past 14 lakh
With the updates, India's COVID-19 tally has climbed to 3.67 crore while the death toll has reached 4,85,752. Active cases in the country have zoomed past 14 lakh, with an addition 1,45,747, according to data from the Union Health Ministry. Active infections now comprise 3.85% of the total cases. The number of Omicron cases in the country stands at 6,041.
Delhi's positivity rate at 30%
Of the latest figures, Maharashtra accounted for 43,211 cases and 19 related fatalities. In the national capital Delhi, 24,383 new cases were registered as the positivity rate touched 30%. The southern state of Tamil Nadu recorded 23,459 new cases and 26 more deaths due to the disease. Kerala, one of the worst-hit Indian states in the pandemic, witnessed 16,338 fresh cases.
India's vaccination drive
Meanwhile, under India's COVID-19 vaccination drive, more than 156 crore vaccine doses have been administered to the eligible population so far. This number includes the over 40 lakh "precautionary" or booster doses given to healthcare workers, frontline staffers, and senior citizens.
PM Modi urges caution
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, urged people to follow coronavirus-related protocols and get vaccinated against the disease, if eligible. "I again appeal to you all to follow all COVID-19 related protocols, wear masks and get vaccinated if eligible," he said in a post on Twitter. The PM recently held a meeting with the Chief Ministers of several states to discuss the COVID-19 situation.
