Omicron tally in India rises to 1,892

New Delhi: A total of 1,892 cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected across 23 states and Union Territories so far, out of which 766 have recovered or migrated, according to the Union health ministry’s data updated on Tuesday.Maharashtra has recorded the maximum number of 568 cases, followed by Delhi (382), Kerala (185), Rajasthan (174), Gujarat (152), and Tamil Nadu (121).
India’s Covid tally rose to 3,49,60,261 with 37,379 new cases, while the active cases increased to 1,71,830, according to the data updated at 8 am.The death toll climbed to 4,82,017 with 124 more fatalities, the data showed. The active cases comprise 0.49 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.13 percent, the health ministry said.
An increase of 26,248 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.The daily positivity rate was recorded at 3.24 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 2.05 per cent, according to the health ministry.The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,43,06,414, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.38 per cent.
The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 146.70 crore.India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.
The Centre on Tuesday asked states and Union territories to review infrastructure preparedness, including re-establishment of field and makeshift facilities, so that they are not found wanting if there is a surge in hospital admissions due to escalation in Covid cases.
To tackle a possible rise in COVID-19 cases, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on January 1 advised states to start setting up makeshift hospitals, constitute special teams to monitor patients in home isolation as he emphasised the significance of upgrading health infrastructure timely and swiftly.
Referring to the letter of Bhushan, Additional Secretary in the ministry Arti Ahuja wrote to all states, saying it is expected that the work for re-establishment and re-commissioning of field and makeshift hospital facilities would have begun.
States and Union Territories must have also started the exercise to repurpose the beds in public and private hospitals for Covid cases to ensure maximum preparedness against another potential surge in cases, the officer said in the letter additional chief secretary, principal secretary and health secretary of all states.
“You may review this matter at your level regularly to ensure that in the eventuality of a potential surge in hospital admissions, the state and UT is not found wanting,” she stated. States are also expected to develop Covid care centres in hotel rooms and other similar accommodations to be linked with dedicated Covid hospitals mild or asymptomatic cases, Ahuja reiterated.
“It is imperative that logistical supplies like testing reagents and kits (both for RT-PCR and rapid antigen testing) are procured and maintained in ample supply to avoid any stock shortages, in case of a sudden increase in the number of cases. It is advised that these preparatory measures must be taken up with the highest priority and regular monitoring may be ensured.”