India reported 2,82,970 fresh Coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, 44,889 cases more than yesterday, taking its overall tally of Covid-19 cases to 3,79,01,241, which includes 8,961 cases of the Omicron variant, according to data from the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday. 

The number of active Covid-19 cases in the country has increased to 18,31,000, the highest in 232 days. The active cases stood at 18,95,520 on May 31 last year. 

With 441 fresh fatalities, the Covid-19 death toll has surged to 4,87,202, the Health Ministry said.

The recent Covid-19 surge, led by the Omicron variant, has started showing a declining trend in most of the cities in India. 

Mumbai has witnessed the sharpest fall in new Coronavirus infections. Delhi and Kolkata, along with a few other cities, too, have seen a similar trend. Chennai is also showing distinct signs of a slowdown, though the cases have not begun to decline. 

The number of fresh Coronavirus infections in the country has started declining significantly in the past few days. The positivity rate has also dropped. Infections in the top 15 districts have declined to 37.4% in January, from 67.9% in December, according to Union Health Ministry’s data.

Has the third wave peaked in India? Not yet! As many as 10 of these top 15 districts are major cities and among them, Bengaluru and Pune still have higher infection rates. 

Even though the share of rural districts in new caseloads has increased significantly since December, a report by SBI Research said the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to peak much earlier than anticipated and may take a maximum of three more weeks. So, the worst is not over yet.

Source: Financial Express 

BDST: 1230 HRS, JAN 19, 2022
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