Mumbai Reports 922 New Covid-19 Cases, Two Deaths

Kerala reports 19 more cases of Omicron, taking the total tally of the state to 57, said Kerala Health Minister Veena George

Two more people, including an 80-year-old man, were found to be infected with Omicron, taking the total cases of the latest variant of coronavirus reported in the city so far to three. Of the three cases, two have been discharged and there is now only one active Omicron case in the city, according to an official statement.

Rajasthan recorded 62 fresh coronavirus cases on Sunday, raising its tally to 9,55,480. The number of active cases has risen to 318 in the state. Of the fresh cases on Sunday, Jaipur reported 46, Udaipur (4), Bikaner and Ganganagar (3 each), Ajmer and Pratapgarh (2 each), Jodhpur and Sikar (1 each), an official medical report said.

Karnataka has reported 348 new cases of COVID-19 and 3 deaths, taking the total number of infections to 30,04,587 and the toll of fatalities to 38,312, the Health Department of the State said.

Gujarat reported 177 new cases, 66 recoveries and no deaths today, as per data released by the State Health Department. Active cases: 948 Total Omicron cases: 49

Maharashtra on Sunday recorded 31 new cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus, taking the total number of variant cases in the state to 141. The state reported 1,648 new cases, 918 recoveries and 17 deaths in the last 24 hours. Active cases 9,813

Delhi on Sunday reported 290 new Covid-19 cases, one death, and 120 recoveries in the last 24 hours. Active cases now at 1,103.

Delhi government on Sunday imposes night curfew from tomorrow (December 27) from 11:00 PM to 5:00 AM, in view of surge in Covid-19 cases.

The Election Commission of India will convene a meeting on December 27 with senior officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare including Secretary Rajesh Bhushan. The meeting will discuss the prevailing COVID19 situation for upcoming Assembly elections in five states.

France has recorded more than 100,000 virus infections in a single day for the first time since the pandemic struck, and COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled over the past month as the fast-spreading omicron variant complicates the governments efforts to stave off a new lockdown. More than 1 person in 100 in the Paris region has tested positive in the past week, according to the regional health service. Most new infections are linked to the omicron variant, which government experts predict will be dominant in France in the coming days.

Due to the State imposed night curfew from 9 pm-6 am, Sai Baba Temple will be closed for devotees during the night hours. The regular early morning and night ‘aartis’ will also be closed for devotees, the Shri Sai Baba Sansthan in Shirdi said in a statement.

A 57-year-old returnee from Nigeria, four other members of his family and their domestic help have tested positive for COVID-19 in Assam, an official said on Sunday. Their samples have been sent for whole-genome sequencing to find out whether they have been infected by the Omicron strain, Tinsukia Deputy Commissioner Narsing Pawar Sambhaji said. The man had returned from Nigeria’s Lagos more than a week ago, he said. READ MORE

Odisha logged 112 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, 12 less than the previous day, taking the tally to 10,53,881, the Health Department said. The COVID-19 death toll mounted to 8,452 with another patient succumbing to the infection in Khurda district. Fifty-three other COVID-19 patients have died due to comorbidities in the past, a bulletin stated.

Andhra Pradesh on Sunday reported two more cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, taking the tally to six, official sources said. The two new cases were reported from Anantapuram and Prakasam districts, and both persons arrived from foreign countries, the Director of Public Health said in a statement. A 48 year-old male who recently came from South Africa to Hyderabad and then to Ongole on December 16 tested COVID-19 positive on December 20. His samples were sent to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, for genome sequencing, it said. He was declared positive of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 on December 25.

At least four returnees from the United Kingdom on Sunday tested positive for COVID-19 upon their arrival at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here, following which they were placed under isolation at a city hospital, a senior health official said. Two men aged 44 and 24, a 31-year-old woman, and a five-year-old boy are among the new patients. They have been admitted to Beliaghata ID Hospital, he said.

A senior epidemiologist at AIIMS who is the principal investigator of Covaxin trials for adults and children at the institute on Sunday termed the Centre’s decision to vaccinate children against Covid “unscientific” and said it will not yield any additional benefit. Dr Sanjay K Rai, who is also the president of the Indian Public Health Association, said before implementing the decision, data from countries that have already started vaccinating children should be analysed.

Madhya Pradesh has reported eight Omicron cases in Indore. Out of them, six patients have been discharged, said MP Medical Education Minister Vishvas Sarang.

Himachal Pradesh reports first case of Omicron. The person had returned from Canada on December 18. The patient’s latest RTPCR is negative and her three close contacts have also tested negative, said the state health department. 

Madhya Pradesh recorded its first Omicron cases after state home minister Narottam Mishra on Sunday said eight overseas travellers had been infected by the new variant out of 26 who tested positive for the novel coronavirus at Indore.