Modi's Council of Ministers meet today; what's on agenda?
Amid rising cases of Omicron variant cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday. The meeting is expected to take place at 4 pm, Hindustan Times reported. Almost all ministers will reportedly attend the meeting. The rising Omicron cases and the upcoming state assembly elections will be on the primary agenda of the meeting, the report said.
Why does it matter?
The meeting comes days after Modi chaired a high-level meeting with health officials to take stock of India's preparedness for the Omicron variant of coronavirus. Notably, India's Omicron tally is rising at an alarming rate. It currently stands at 781. Concerns have been raised over the upcoming assembly elections in five states as many fear poll campaigning activities can potentially turn into COVID-19 hotspots.
Modi held high-level meeting on Omicron last week
Last week, Modi chaired a high-level meeting with health officials to take stock of the pandemic situation in the country. In that meeting, he reportedly asked officials to maintain a high level of vigil and alertness amid the Omicron spread. Following the meeting, Modi also directed officials to send teams to states with low vaccination, rising cases, and insufficient health infrastructure to assist them.
Centre asked states to 'activate' war rooms to fight Omicron
On December 22, the Centre asked states/union territories to "activate" war rooms to contain the spread of the Omicron variant. It also said Omicron is three times more transmissible than the Delta variant. Further, the Centre listed a series of prevention and containment measures that included extensive testing, night curfews, and regulation of gatherings.
Boost vaccination in poll-bound states: Centre
A day later, the Centre asked poll-bound states to ramp up vaccination to protect the vulnerable population. It asked states to lay emphasis on districts with low vaccination coverage as it felt pockets with low coverage and low COVID-19 exposure are more vulnerable to Omicron.
India's Omicron tally reached 781
Meanwhile, India's tally of Omicron cases has reached 781, with cases detected in 21 states and union territories. Delhi topped the list of worst-hit states with 238 cases. The other worst-affected regions include Maharashtra (167 Omicron cases), followed by Gujarat (73), Kerala (65), Telangana (62), Rajasthan (46), and Karnataka (34). A total of 241 patients infected with Omicron have been discharged.
