Covid LIVE: Mumbai, Delhi again report sharp rise in daily new cases

2,510 new Covid cases reported in Mumbai on Wednesday, 82% higher than Tuesday, while Delhi reports 86% jump at 923 new infections

11:46 PM

Gujarat reports 19 Omicron, 548 Covid-19 cases

Gujarat on Wednesday reported 19 Omicron cases, taking the state's tally of the latest Covid variant to 97. The state also reported 548 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking Gujarat's active Covid caseload to 1,902. Of the total 97 Omicron cases in the state, 41 have been discharged, including 17 on Wednesday.

 

Among the fresh cases reported on Wednesday, 10 persons had a history of international travel, while nine had no travel history, the health department said in a release.

 

Ahmedabad reported eight cases of the new variant on Wednesday, followed by Surat (6), Vadodara (3), and Anand (2).

 

Gujarat also reported 548 fresh Covid cases and one death in the 24 hours ending 5 p.m. on Wednesday against 65 recoveries. Ahmedabad reported the maximum cases at 278, followed by Surat (80), Vadodara (39) and Rajkot (27).

10:24 PM

New Covid-19 cases in US soar to highest levels on record

More than a year after the vaccine was rolled out, new cases of COVID-19 in the US have soared to the highest level on record at over 265,000 per day on average, a surge driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant.

 

The previous mark was 250,000 cases per day, set in mid-January, according to data kept by Johns Hopkins University.

 

The fast-spreading mutant version of the virus has cast a pall over Christmas and New Year's, forcing communities to scale back or call off their festivities just weeks after it seemed as if Americans were about to enjoy an almost normal holiday season. Thousands of flights have been cancelled amid staffing shortages blamed on the virus.

9:56 PM

Delhi Health Minister says rise in cases due to international flights coming in

Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in the city, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said many international travellers, who have tested negative at the airport, are testing positive for the virus after a few days and infecting others during the period.

 

"The cases have increased due to international flights. Even during the earlier wave, the cases rose with flights coming in," the minister told reporters.

 

Jain also said preparations for the vaccination of children and booster doses for the elderly in the first week of January have been completed and up to three lakh people can be vaccinated on a daily basis.

 

Delhi on Wednesday reported a massive jump in daily COVID-19 infections with 923 fresh cases, the highest since May 30. After six months, the positivity rate crossed 1 percent to reach 1.29 percent.

9:33 PM

Delhi reports 923 new infections; 86% jump in daily cases

Delhi on Wednesday reported 923 fresh Covid-19 cases -- the highest single-day rise since May 30 when the national capital recorded 946 new cases. The fresh infections have pushed the overall caseload to 14,45,102.

 

No Covid fatality, however, has been reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll stands at 25,107.

 

Meanwhile, the Covid positivity rate in the city has crossed 1 per cent, and currently stands at 1.29 per cent -- the highest in the last seven months. According to the Delhi Health Department, the city had recorded 1.58 per cent positivity rate on May 28.

 

The number of active Covid cases has also climbed to 2,191 -- the highest in the last 6 months. According to the Health Department, Delhi had recorded the highest (2,372) active Covid cases on June 19.

9:24 PM

Mumbai reports 2,510 new coronavirus cases

Mumbai reported 2,510 fresh COVID-19 cases and one death in the last 24 hours, informed the state health bulletin.

 

As per the bulletin, the financial capital has reported 2,510 new cases, one death and 251 recoveries on Wednesday.

 

Mumbai has 8,060 active cases and the recovery rate stands at 97 per cent.Presently, 45 buildings have been sealed in Mumbai. Meanwhile, Maharashtra cabinet minister Aditya Thackeray chaired a meeting at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters. In the meeting, BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar and other health officials were also present.

9:10 PM

38 per cent of samples analysed at Delhi labs in last one week detected with Omicron: Data

About 38 per cent of the total samples analysed at various genome sequencing laboratories in Delhi in the past one week have been detected with Omicron variant of Covid, according to officials documents, as the cases of the new variant saw a record spike in this period in the national capital.

 

The documents shared by official sources also showed that of the 468 samples analysed during December 21-28, the Delta variant of coronavirus was detected in 31 per cent of these samples, and the rest constituted other variants.

 

These samples were analysed at labs at NCDC, ILBS and LNJP Hospital, the sources said. A senior official in the South East district administration said that out of 14 Omicron cases, seven did not have any travel history. The official also claimed that the new variant has been "spreading in the community", even as he didn't divulge any further details.

8:48 PM

WHO's Tedros concerned about 'tsunami of cases' from Covid variants

8:02 PM

Delhi reports 923 new cases in a day

7:36 PM

Gujarat reports 19 new Omicron cases in the last 24 hours

7:02 PM

Mumbai reports 2,510 new cases in last 24 hours

5:21 PM

15 notices issued against e-commerce entities and sellers found selling pressure cookers online

4:56 PM

Andhra Pradesh reports 10 Omicron cases on Tuesday

4:23 PM

Mumbai may cross 2,000 daily Covid cases today, says Aaditya Thackeray

3:46 PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to UAE postponed: Report

3:38 PM

Curbs likely if Mumbai's positivity rate above 5%, says Tope