About 1,525 people in India have contracted the Omicron variant since the first case was reported in late November, data from Health Ministry showed. Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit state with 460 cases.

The country also reported a 21 per cent jump in new Covid cases as it reported 27,553 infections today. About 284 people died due to the virus during the period, the data showed.

Twenty-three states in India have reported the fast-spreading Omicron variant so far. Maharashtra, which has reported the most number of COVID-10 cases, has 460 Omicron cases, followed by Delhi with 351 infections.

Delhi recorded a massive 50 per cent jump in coronavirus cases on Saturday, at 2,716, with around 3.64 percent of COVID-19 tests returning positive - a high positivity rate considered one of the first signs of an impending wave of infections.

The city also recorded one death.

Meanwhile, Cinema halls and sports complexes will be closed in Gurgaon and four other cities in Haryana as part of restrictions imposed on Saturday by the state government in view of a surge in coronavirus cases and the emergence of Omicron variant. Schools are also closed till January 12.

India saw 22,775 new infections being reported on Saturday, while the number of deaths climbed to 4,81,080 with 220 daily fatalities, the data stated.

The active cases comprised 0.30 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.32 per cent, the health ministry said.

Source: NDTV

BDST: 1645 HRS, JAN 02, 2021
SMS