Coronavirus Vaccine Registration, Coronavirus Omicron Variant Cases in India Dec 25 Live Updates: Rajasthan has reported 21 new cases of ‘Omicron’, taking the number of people infected with the new variant of COVID-19 to 43, an official said.
The threat of a third Coronavirus wave in the country on the back of the new Omicron variant of the virus appears to be increasing as the tally of the Omicron variant across states reached 415 in the last 24 hours. As per the latest health bulletin issued by the government, the state of Maharashtra has the maximum cases of the new variant at 108 followed by the national capital which has traced 79 such cases so far. Other states which have traced a large number of Omicron variant cases include Gujarat (43), Telangana (38), Kerala (37) and Tamil Nadu (34). The tally of Coronavirus cases also seems to be inching up in the last few days with the positivity rate of the infection increasing rising across several regions including Delhi and Maharashtra. The total number of Covid-19 cases reported in the country in the last 24 hours is 7,189 new infections. The number of Covid-19 patients who succumbed to the disease remained 387 in the last 24 hours.
After weeks of wait and watch, the center as well as the state governments have articulated in clear terms that the threat of a fourth Covid-19 wave in the country is real and the governments have also started taking preventive measures. On Friday, the central government said that the world is witnessing the fourth wave of Coronavirus and requested the populace not to lower their guard and take all possible steps to curb the spread of the disease. The government also warned that the Omicron variant is even more transmissible among the household than the previous variants.
The government shared a crucial set of data related to the recent Omicron cases found in the country. The health ministry said that 90 percent of the Omicron infections have contracted among people who are fully vaccinated and hence sole reliance on vaccines will not help in curbing the new wave.
As the threat of Coronavirus third wave looms large, the state governments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have imposed night curfews in order to contain the spread of the virus. Both the state governments have also put a cap on the number of guests permissible at social and public gatherings at 200. Earlier, the Delhi government had banned all Christmas and New Year celebrations fearing that festivities could set off the fresh wave of Coronavirus in the city.
Watch this space for more updates on Omicron cases, fresh curbs from India and around the globe:
Live Updates
Coronavirus India Live News: New Omicron Variant Symptoms and Cases in India, Coronavirus Vaccine Registration Latest Update, Covid-19 India Latest News Live
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Lockdown in Maha only if daily oxygen demand touches 800 MT: minister
Fresh lockdown will be imposed in Maharashtra only if the demand for medical oxygen touches 800 metric tons per day, public health minister Rajesh Tope said on Saturday. The day before, the state government banned assembly of more than five persons in public places between 9 pm to 6 am and restricted the number of people allowed at public functions in view of a spurt in coronavirus cases. Omicron cases were increasing “rapidly”, but in general such patients were not ending up in ICU nor did they need supplementary oxygen, Tope said, speaking to reporters in Jalna. – PTI
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: South Africa stops tracing and quarantining contacts of COVID-19 cases
South Africa has stopped tracing and quarantining contacts of confirmed cases of COVID-19 cases with immediate effect, the health department has said, as the country tries to bounce back from economic downturn precipitated by the pandemic. The Director-General of the Department of Health, Dr Sandile Buthelezi, confirmed on Thursday that contact tracing would be stopped with immediate effect except in congregate settings and cluster outbreak situations or self-contained settings. – PTI
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Now night curfew in Assam
Night curfew to be in force from 11.30 PM to 6 AM, tomorrow onwards across Assam. This curfew, however, will not be applicable on December 31, 2021: Assam Govt – ANI
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Puducherry posts 12 COVID-19 cases, tally touches 1.29 lakh
Puducherry confirmed 12 new cases of coronavirus during the last 24 hours pushing the total case count to 1,29,406. The 12 fresh cases were identified at the end of examination of 1,700 samples and the cases were spread over Puducherry 7, Karaikal and Mahe regions 2 cases each, while Yanam registered one new case. Director of the Department of Health G Sriramulu said in a release that the active cases were 145 of whom 34 patients were in hospitals and the remaining 111 patients in home isolation. No fresh fatality was reported during last twenty-four hours from any of the four regions of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam and the toll remained 1880. – PTI
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: 33 medical students of a medical college in Kolar have tested COVID19 positive
Karnataka | 33 medical students of a medical college in Kolar have tested COVID19 positive. All the students have been isolated in a hospital: District Surveillance Officer Dr Charani
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Rajasthan reports 21 new ‘Omicron’ cases
Rajasthan has reported 21 new cases of ‘Omicron’, taking the number of people infected with the new variant of COVID-19 to 43, an official said. Of these, 11 are from Jaipur, six from Ajmer and three from Udaipur. One of the patients is from Maharashtra. Results from National Institute of Virology Pune showed all of them positive for Omicron, a spokesperson of the health department said on Saturday. Among these infected, five had returned from foreign countries while three others had come in contact with foreign travellers. Of the total 43 cases of Omicron in the state, 28 are from Jaipur, seven from Ajmer, four from Sikar, three from Udaipur, and the other being the patient from Maharashtra. The number of active COVID-19 cases in Rajasthan is 244, the official said. PTI
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Christmas celebrations muted in Delhi amid Omicron fears
The Christian community in the national capital celebrated Christmas on Saturday with caution as fewer people reached churches amid concern over the Omicron variant of coronavirus. On Wednesday, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) had directed district magistrates to ensure that no Christmas and New Year gatherings take place in the national capital. However, after receiving various communications seeking clarity, it said on Thursday that religious places will remain open on Christmas and New Year’s Eve for celebrations and prayers subject to strict compliance of Covid-appropriate behaviour. Talking about the midnight mass across churches in the city, Anil Joseph Thomas Couto, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Delhi, said not many people stepped out for Christmas this year. – PTI
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Shops in Sarojini Nagar market open on odd-even basis to avoid overcrowding
Shops in Sarojini Nagar market opened on an odd-even basis on Saturday, with enforcement teams of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) removing encroachments in order to ensure there is no overcrowding in the market amid rising Covid cases in the city. According to the Sarojini Nagar Market Traders’ Association, the shops have opened on an odd-even basis but the crowd continued to swell up at the market due to weekend rush and Christmas. Following the Delhi High Court’s rap, the Delhi government on Friday ordered the shops at Sarojini Nagar market to operate on an odd-even basis over the weekend in view of the large footfalls seen at the place in the last few days, amid a spike in COVID-19 cases and the threat of Omicron variant. The decision was taken at a meeting of stakeholders of the market. It was also decided that all shopkeepers in the market shall ensure 100 per cent vaccination of their staff in the vaccination camp set up in the market. – PTI
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Japan’s Fukuoka finds Omicron case in possible community transmission
Japan’s Fukuoka prefecture has confirmed its first infection with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, its governor Seitaro Hattori said on Saturday.The case was a result of possible community transmission as the infection route was unclear, Hattori told a news conference. – Reuters
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: China’s COVID-hit Xian city reports rise in infections
Xian in northwest China reported an increase in daily COVID-19 infections for Friday, and local companies curtailed activity as the country’s latest COVID-19 hot spot entered its third day of lockdown.The city of 13 million detected 75 domestically transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms for Friday, its highest daily count of the year and reversing the previous day’s decline, official data showed on Saturday.In the southern city of Shenzhen, five passengers who arrived on Wednesday, on a flight from Los Angeles, tested positive for coronavirus, and three were confirmed to be Omicron infections on Dec. 24, China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported.Xian, which started a new round of mass testing on Saturday, has announced no infections caused by the Omicron variant. – Reuters
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Will hold meeting with officials on Sunday regarding COVID situation: K’taka CM Bommai
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said he would hold a meeting with experts on COVID-19 on Sunday in Bengaluru in view of the rising COVID-19 cases in the country. “Omicron is rising in the country. My fear is that the COVID-19 cases are rising in Maharashtra, Kerala as well as in Tamil Nadu. This scares me. After reaching Bengaluru, I will discuss with all the important people and will decide the next course of action keeping in view the present situation,” Bommai said. Regarding night curfew, he said it will be decided in the meeting. To a query on the possibility of giving booster dose, Bommai said the Centre will take a call on it. He also said that the guidelines issued earlier are still continuing in the state. However, after reviewing the situation, more strict measures can be initiated. Karnataka has seen 31 Omicron cases and a majority of infected persons were asymptomatic. Barring the minors, all of them have been vaccinated. PTI
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: 124 more COVID-19 cases in Odisha
Odisha logged 124 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, 17 less than the previous day, taking the tally to 10,53,769, the health department said in its bulletin. The toll mounted to 8,451 as a 46-year-old man from Bhubaneswar succumbed to the infection. Fifty-three other COVID-19 patients have died due to comorbidities in the past, the bulletin said. Seventeen children were among the 124 new cases. Khurda district, where the state capital in located, registered 61 cases. Odisha currently has 1,664 active cases, while 210 people recuperated from the disease on Thursday, taking the total number of recoveries to 10,43,601. – PTI
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Three COVID-19 micro-containment zones identified in Ahmedabad city
In light of the rise in COVID-19 cases, the civic body in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad city has identified three micro-containment zones for the first time in over a month, an official said on Saturday. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) demarcated two areas as micro-containment zones on Thursday and one on Friday, the official said. Eight houses with 28 residents were demarcated as two micro-containment zones in the city’s northwest and west zones on Thursday, while five more houses with 17 residents in the west zone were added to the list on Friday, he said. Ahmedabad city had on Thursday reported 43 coronavirus positive cases, its highest single-day count in nearly six months, and its first COVID-19 death on Friday after a gap of five months. – PTI
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Ladakh sees 23 fresh COVID-19 cases
Ladakh’s coronavirus caseload increased to 22,059 on Saturday with 23 fresh infections, officials said. Of the new cases, 13 were detected in Leh and 10 in Kargil district, they said. So far, Ladakh has recorded 218 deaths — 160 from Leh and 58 from Kargil. The officials said the number of active coronavirus cases in the union territory stands at 210 — 153 in Leh and 57 in Kargil. Fourteen patients were discharged from hospitals in Leh the previous day, taking the total number of recoveries in Ladakh to 21,631, they said. PTI
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: India will see Omicron surge but cases will be mild, vaccines will help: Angelique Coetzee
India will see a surge in Omicron-driven Covid cases and a high positivity rate but the infection will hopefully be mild in most people as is being seen in South Africa, says Dr Angelique Coetzee who first identified the variant. The chairperson of the South African Medical Association also said existing vaccines will definitely control the contagion but those unvaccinated are at 100 per cent “risk”. “Existing vaccines will greatly help reduce the spread of the Omicron variant,” Coetzee told PTI in a phone interview from Pretoria. In the case of a vaccinated person or one who has had a history of being infected by COVID-19, it will spread to fewer people, she said, adding that unvaccinated people will potentially spread the virus 100 per cent. – PTI
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Harris tests negative for coronavirus after close contact – (A)
Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative Friday for the coronavirus following her close contact earlier this week with an aide who later tested positive, her office said. Harris, who is spending the holidays in Los Angeles, had tested negative Wednesday after she was told that the aide who had accompanied her throughout the day Tuesday had tested positive. Her office said she would be tested again Friday. A pair of tests ‘ a rapid test and a more sensitive laboratory test ‘ found no trace of the coronavirus, her office said. Harris is fully vaccinated, has received a booster COVID-19 vaccine dose and is regularly tested under White House COVID-19 protocols. She is to be tested again on Monday. AP
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Singapore increasing virus managing facilities in preparation of Omicron surge
Singapore is planning to nearly double the number of designated facilities for close contacts of COVID-19 patients in preparation for a possible surge in cases due to the Omicron variant, having confirmed on Friday 82 new cases of the fast spreading virus. The Ministry of Health (MOH) is looking to convert additional 12 designated facilities over the next month, if required, reported The Straits Times. As of Wednesday, there were 14 active designated facilities. These facilities will be able to accommodate up to 11,000 people in total, according to the Singapore daily. The MOH said 65 of Friday’s new Omicron cases were imported or those arriving here, and 17 were local infections. – PTI
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Centre deploys teams in 10 states
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: California nearing 5 million coronavirus cases
California health officials say the omicron variant is evident in 50 per cent to 70 per cent of new coronavirus cases in parts of the most populous state heading into the holidays, with the state nearing a total of 5 million virus infections for the pandemic. The US recorded its first confirmed omicron infection just three weeks ago in a San Francisco resident who had recently travelled to South Africa. On Friday, the state had 4,990,016 confirmed coronavirus cases to date and more than 75,000 deaths from COVID-19, the disease that can be caused by the virus. Case reporting is expected to lag because of the holidays. (AP)
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: US Navy warship sidelined with COVID-19 outbreak
A US Navy warship has paused its deployment to South America because of a coronavirus outbreak, the Navy said on Friday. The USS Milwaukee, a litorral combat ship, is staying in port at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, where it had stopped for a scheduled port visit. It began its deployment from Mayport, Fla., on December 14 and was heading into the US Southern Command region. The Navy said in a statement that the ship’s crew is ‘100 per cent immunized’ and that all of those who tested positive for COVID-19 have been isolated on the ship away from other crew members. The number of crew testing positive was not disclosed. The ship has a crew of a little more than 100. – AP
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Thane district reports 178 new cases, one death
The COVID-19 infection tally in Thane district of Maharashtra rose by 178 to reach 5,71,847, while the death toll went up to 11,604 with the death of one patient, an official said on Saturday. These cases and fatality were reported on Friday, he said. Thane’s mortality rate due to the infection is 2.03 per cent. In neighbouring Palghar district, the caseload has gone up to 1,39,119, while the death toll is 3,309, another official said. PTI
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Spain’s king urges renewed caution amid surge
Spain’s King Felipe VI has warned citizens to remain cautious as the coronavirus can still inflict widespread damage. His annual Christmas Eve speech came amid a record number of infections in the country Friday. Spanish health authorities have reported three days in a row of record-breaking caseloads and have reinstituted mandatory mask-wearing in open spaces with few exceptions. “We all have to do everything possible not to take steps backwards in this health crisis that has caused so much suffering,” Felipe said. (AP)
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: COVID-19 makes Biden’s 1st White House Christmas less merry
So long eggnog, shrimp cocktail and pet-shaped sugar cookies. It’s been a less merry holiday scene at the White House this year under COVID-19’s shadow. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have replaced the packed parties and overflowing buffet tables of the past with food-free open houses, face masks and testing for the unvaccinated. Beyond the impact on Biden’s first Christmas in office, the virus and its variants largely put the kibosh on the entire White House social scene for 2021, starting with an inauguration that positioned flags in place of people on the National Mall. – AP
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: India’s Omicron tally rises to 415
A total of 415 cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected in India so far, out of which 115 have recovered or migrated, according to the Union Health Ministry’s data updated on Saturday. Maharashtra has recorded a maximum of 108 Omicron cases, followed by Delhi at 79, Gujarat 43, Telangana 38, Kerala 37, Tamil Nadu 34 and Karnataka 31. India’s Covid tally rose to 3,47,79,815 with 7,189 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, while the active cases have declined to 77,032, according to the data updated at 8 am. The death toll climbed to 4,79,520 with 387 more fatalities, the data showed. The daily rise in new coronavirus cases has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 58 days now. – PTI