Covid-19 Curve Begins to Dip in Mumbai With 643 Cases, 4 Deaths

Tamil Nadu reported 7,519 new Covid-19 cases, 23,938 recoveries, and 37 deaths, in the last 24 hours.

India’s cumulative vaccination coverage crossed 169 crore after more than 40 lakh vaccine doses administered today till 7 pm, said Union Health Ministry.

Gujarat reports 4,710 new Covid-19 cases, 11,184 recoveries, and 34 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Delhi reported 1,604 new Covid-19 cases and 17 deaths in the last 24 hours. Positivity Rate is at 2.87%.

Tripura logged 52 new Covid-19 cases and one death, taking the tally to 1,00,637 and toll to 913.

COVID-19 cases inside Beijing’s Winter Olympic Games bubble hit the second highest since arrivals began after 45 new cases were detected on Feb. 4, but organisers say the situation is under control and cases confined to the ‘closed loop’. The cases among Olympics-related personnel were up from 21 a day earlier while cases in the bubble that restricts the movements of Games participants, reached 19, compared with seven a day earlier.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday said though the active coronavirus cases in Pune have come down by nearly 50 per cent, the administration will adopt a wait and watch policy. Pawar, who is also the guardian minister of Pune, was speaking to reporters after reviewing the COVID-19 situation in the district. “As far as COVID-19 cases are concerned worldwide, there has been a decline in new infections, but there is a marginal increase in daily casualties. It has been observed at the district, state, national and global levels,” the minister said. Active cases have come down by 30 per cent in the country, while in state, they have declined by 42 per cent, he said.

A total of 45 new positive tests for COVID-19 have been announced by organizers of the Beijing Olympics.

fter a worrisome peak in January, the number of Covid-19 cases is on a decline across the country. The Union Health Ministry on Thursday said that the daily coronavirus cases have reduced to half in the last two weeks. In view of that, several states/union territories have started relaxing the coronavirus-induced restrictions to kick-start the economy. While Rajasthan and Karnataka have lifted night curfews, other states such as Maharashtra and Delhi have relaxed restrictions due to the falling caseload. READ MORE

Throughout the day, vans loaded with bags full of Covid PCR test kits arrive at a Vienna laboratory, currently analysing an average of 370,000 tests per day. With more than 144 million tests carried out since the beginning of the pandemic, the Alpine nation of nine million is a leader in Covid testing. But with the latest Omicron wave sending cases spiralling, health experts and policymakers are asking if widespread testing — paid by taxpayers’ money — is necessary and efficient. The Lifebrain laboratory, which accounts for a major part of the country’s testing, has been expanding rapidly since it began work just over a year ago on the sprawling ground of a public hospital on Vienna’s outskirts.

Arunachal Pradesh reported 196 fresh COVID-19 cases, while 407 more patients recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours, a health department official said on Saturday.TThe state’s coronavirus tally rose to 63,315 with the single-day infections, and the recovery count stood at 61,039, he said. he death toll remained at 291, as no new fatality was reported since Friday, State Surveillance Officer Lobsang Jampa said. Arunachal Pradesh now has 1,985 active cases, with the Capital Complex Region, comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas, topping the list with 669 active infections, followed by Lower Subansiri (246) and West Kameng (127).

Ladakh’s COVID-19 caseload increased to 26,710 on Saturday as 150 more people tested positive for the viral disease, officials said. The death toll remained unchanged at 226. While Leh reported 86 fresh cases, Kargil reported 64, the officials said. Of the total 226 deaths, 167 were reported from Leh and 59 from Kargil. As many as 218 more COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the disease. Of these, 125 patients were discharged in Leh and 93 in Kargil, the officials said.

The COVID-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 9,883 on Saturday as 16 more people tested positive for the infection, a health bulletin said. One new patient has travel history, while 15 infections were detected during contact tracing, it said. The Union territory now has 211 active cases, while 9,543 people have recovered from the disease so far, including 53 in the last 24 hours. The death toll remained unchanged at 129 as no fresh fatality was recorded. The administration has tested over 6.88 lakh samples for COVID-19, and inoculated over 3 lakh people with two doses of the vaccine.

It’s official: From Saturday, Austrians over the age of 18 must be vaccinated against Covid-19 or face the possibility of a heavy fine, an unprecedented measure in the European Union. The new measure, adopted on January 20 by Parliament, was signed into law by President Alexander Van der Bellen on Friday, the culmination of a process that began in November in the face of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. The government decided to pursue its new tougher approach despite criticism within the country. “No other country in Europe is following us on compulsory vaccines,” said Manuel Krautgartner, who has campaigned against the new approach.

With the addition of 408 coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra grew to 7,05,037, an official said on Saturday. These cases were reported on Friday, he said. As the virus claimed the lives of five patients during the day, the death toll in the district rose to 11,812. Thane’s COVID-19 mortality rate is 1.67 per cent now, he added. In neighbouring Palghar district, the caseload has gone up to 1,62,691 and the death toll to 3,384, another official said.

Claiming that the COVID-19 situation in Madhya Pradesh has come under control, state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced lifting of the restriction on the number of people attending wedding ceremonies from Saturday. Due to a spike in coronavirus positive cases, the state government had capped the number of people attending weddings at 250 starting January 15. “Wishing you all a very happy Basant Panchami. It is a matter of satisfaction that COVID-19 is under control in the state, hence the restrictions on the number of guests in marriages and other auspicious functions are being lifted from Basant Panchami,” Chouhan said in a tweet on Friday night, in which he also urged people to follow guidelines.

As on January 31, the COVID-19 trajectory seems to be stabilizing and even declining in certain states and UTs, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar informed the Lok Sabha on Friday. The Union Health Ministry continues to closely monitor COVID-19 trajectory in the country, he said. An upsurge of COVID cases in the country was observed by the end of December, 2021, which was primarily driven by the Omicron variant, Pawar said in a written reply. In April-May, 2021, a high number of cases were reported on a daily basis across the country. On May 7, 2021, 4,14,188 new COVID cases were reported in the country.

The Six Nations Championship starts on Saturday with European rugby in buoyant mood just over a year out from the 2023 World Cup in France. England’s 2003 triumph remains the only time a northern hemisphere side have been crowned world champions.