Covid LIVE: Maharashtra reports 11 new cases of Omicron, tally rises to 65

Union Health Ministry writes to states regarding measures that need to be taken in view of initial signs of surge in Covid cases

8:57 AM

Nagaland creates three new districts Tseminyu, Niuland, Chumukedima

Nagaland government on Monday created three new districts in the state, taking the total number of districts to 15.

 

The three new districts are Tseminyu, Niuland and Chumukedima.

 

"The Governor of Nagaland is pleased to upgrade Tseminyu subdivision to a full-fledged district with immediate effect. The jurisdiction of the new district shall comprise of the existing Tseminyu subdivision under Kohima district, Nagaland," read a notification issued by the Nagaland government.

8:50 AM

Malaysia reports 2,589 new COVID-19 cases, 43 deaths

Malaysia recorded 2,589 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours until midnight Monday, bringing the total tally to 2,721,544, according to the health ministry.

 

Of the new cases 46 are imported and 2,543 are local transmissions, showed data released on the ministry's website.

 

The ministry reported 43 more deaths from the pandemic, bringing the overall coronavirus death toll to 31,135.

8:49 AM

Delhi's AQI slips to 369, remains in 'very poor' category

The air quality in the national capital slipped back into the 'Very Poor' category with the overall Air Quality Index recorded at 369 on Tuesday morning, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This comes as the city is experiencing a cold wave and residents woke up to fog and mist.

 

As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the air quality over Delhi-National Capital Territory (NCT) is likely to remain in the upper end of the 'Very Poor' category till Christmas, owing to slow/calm winds and poor ventilation conditions but is predicted to improve after that.

 

"The air quality is likely to deteriorate and remain in upper end of Very Poor category but improve after December 26," IMD said.

8:49 AM

45 new Omicron cases detected in Singapore

Singapore has reported 195 fresh COVID-19 cases, including 45 Omicron infections, while a cluster of the latest variant was detected at a gym studio in an upmarket shopping centre, according to local media reports.

 

According to the latest infection statistics on the Ministry of Health's (MOH) website, 42 Omicron cases arrived from abroad and three are local.

 

A suspected Omicron cluster has been detected at an Anytime Fitness outlet, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday.

8:47 AM

President Kovind's Kerala visit begins today

The President of India Ram Nath Kovind will visit Kerala today for his official visit to the state.

 

As per the official statement, President Kovind will visit Kerala from December 21 to 24.

 

"On December 21, the President will grace and address the fifth convocation of the Central University of Kerala in Kasargod," reads the release.

8:39 AM

Omicron becomes dominant variant in US as holiday gatherings begin

Omicron has taken the hold to become the dominant Covid-19 variant in the US as more people are travelling and gathering for holidays.

 

The infection cases caused by Omicron amounted to 73.2 per cent of all infection cases in the week ending December 18, from 12.6 per cent of all infection cases in the week ending December 11, according to the latest model estimates of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

 

At the beginning of this month, Omicron only accounted for 0.7 per cent of all infection cases.

8:17 AM

Kejriwal to visit poll-bound Goa today

Ahead of 2022 Goa Polls, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal will commence his two-day visit to Goa from today.

 

He will land at Dabolim Airport and will address a public meeting at Bandodkar Ground in Panaji at 5 pm.

 

Kejriwal will also hold a press conference at Cidade, Goa at 5 pm on December 22.

7:56 AM

PM to visit Prayagraj today, transfer Rs 1,000 cr to SHGs benefitting around 16 lakh women

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj today and will transfer around Rs 1,000 crore in the bank accounts of Self Help Groups (SHGs), benefitting around 16 lakh women members of the SHGs.

 

According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), this transfer is being done under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), with 80,000 SHGs receiving Community Investment Fund (CIF) of Rs 1.10 lakh per SHG and 60,000 SHGs receiving Revolving Fund of Rs 15,000 per SHG.

7:55 AM

Omicron sweeps across nation, now 73 pc of US COVID-19 cases

Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the US, accounting for 73 per cent of new infections last week, federal health officials said Monday.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showed nearly a six-fold increase in omicron's share of infections in only one week.

 

In much of the country, it's even higher. 

7:54 AM

Canada's COVID-19 cases continue to rocket

Canada's COVID-19 cases continued to surge on Monday as the Omicron variant rapidly took hold in the country.

 

Canada reported 9,294 new COVID-19 cases as of Monday afternoon, raising the cumulative total to 1,892,511 cases including 30,054 deaths, according to CTV.

 

Quebec, a populous province of Canada, reported 4,571 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, most cases of COVID-19 in a single day, as new measures aimed to limit the spread of the Omicron variant come into effect.

7:54 AM

COVID-19: Gujarat extends night curfew in eight districts till December 31

Gujarat government has extended night curfew till December 31 in eight major cities of the state amid rising COVID-19 variant Omicron cases in the state.

 

The curfew timing will be 1 am to 5 am, reads the official order.

 

The eight cities which continue to witness night curfew are Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and Junagarh.

7:53 AM

Covid-19 virus harms human immune system: Israeli research

Israeli researchers have found that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, harms the human immune system, Ben-Gurion University (BGU) in southern Israel said on Monday.

 

In a genetic study published in the journal iScience, BGU researchers tried to find out what causes the "stormy" nature of Covid-19, which is also manifested in an extreme reaction of the immune system, Xinhua news agency reported.

 

For this purpose, they analyzed for a year, using computational biology, gene expression in patients from around the world.

7:52 AM

COVID-19: Two suspected to be infected with Omicron variant in Dehradun

Two people in Dehradun is suspected to be infected with the COVID-19 variant of Omicron after meeting their relative in Delhi who have been tested positive with the Omicron variant of the virus, said R Rajesh Kumar, District Magistrate, Dehradun.

 

"A COVID-positive couple in Dehradun is Omicron suspected, after returning from meeting their Omicron positive relatives in Delhi with a travel history to Qatar," said Kumar.

 

To confirm the presence of the Omicron variant the samples of the suspected patients have been sent for genome sequencing.

7:52 AM

Linking Aadhaar with Electoral roll optional, not mandatory, says Rijiju

Amid uproar by the opposition, Lok Sabha passed the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill which contains the provision of linking Aadhaar to an electoral roll to churn out fake voters, said Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, adding that linking Aadhar is optional, not mandatory.

 

Speaking to ANI here in New Delhi, Kiren Rijiju said the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill would allow the electoral roll to be linked with Aadhar cards. It will be optional, not mandatory but it will help us to sieve out fake voters.

 

Rijiju said that there should be a proper discussion on election reforms. The Opposition was asked to participate and voice their opinions in the discussion, but they created chaos.

7:52 AM

DU issues notification saying it will hold entrance tests for UG admissions from next year

The Delhi University on Monday issued an official notification saying it will hold entrance tests for admission to undergraduate courses from next year.

 

The move was criticised by the Left-affiliated teachers' body Democratic Teachers' Front (DTF).

 

"The Executive Council of the University of Delhi at its meeting held on 17th December, 2021 resolved that the admissions for the Academic Session 2022-2023 onwards in all Under-Graduate (UG) courses of the University of Delhi shall be made through Central University Common Entrance Test (CUCET) or Delhi University Common Entrance Test (DUCET). Further details of the CUCET/DUCET shall be released in due course of time," the notification read.