Government flags COVID-19 concerns in 8 states; urges immediate action
The central government has advised eight states to take swift action amid a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases across 14 cities. It has urged states to take immediate action to minimize any increase in mortality, sources told NDTV. Delhi's Graded Action Response Plan (GRAP) is also being considered for implementation across the country, the sources said.
Why does it matter?
Fourteen cities have reported a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases. While Delhi and Mumbai had the most increase in cases, the numbers are also going up in other cities such as Chennai, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad. Experts surmise India may experience a severe but short rise in infections due to the Omicron strain. Omicron is the most mutated variant of SARS-CoV-2 detected yet.
What is GRAP?
The four alert levels — Yellow, Amber, Orange, and Red — in GRAP, are based on the severity of the pandemic, taking into account parameters such as positivity rate, cumulative new positive cases, etc.
India reports 961 Omicron cases; most in Delhi
The total number of Omicron in the country rose to 961 on Thursday, including 320 patients who have recovered, migrated, or been discharged. Delhi has the highest number of cases (263), followed by Maharashtra and Gujarat with 252 and 97 cases, respectively. Overall, India added 13,154 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. The daily positivity rate stood at 1.10%.
Which cities reported a surge in cases?
On Wednesday, Mumbai and Delhi reported 2,510 and 923 cases of COVID-19, respectively. Between December 15 to 21, the number of COVID-19 cases in Gurugram went up to 738 from 194 cases. Over the same time period, Chennai reported a surge from 1,039 to 1,720 cases. Kolkata saw a rise from 1,494 to 2,636 cases, while cases in Bengaluru increased from 1,445 to 1,902.
States rush to impose curbs
Delhi issued a series of restrictions under the Yellow Alert earlier this week, by shutting down shopping malls, restaurants, etc. New Year's festivities and gatherings have already been prohibited in most states. Other restrictions include a cap on marriage-related ceremonies and strict enforcement of COVID-19 appropriate behavior such as wearing face masks, maintaining social distancing, etc.
