415 Omicron cases detected in India, Maharashtra tops with 108 cases
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Meanwhile, 7,189 new Covid cases were reported in the last 24 hours
India detected 415 cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19, out of which 115 have recovered or migrated, Union health ministry’s data updated on Saturday.
Maharashtra reported the maximum with 108 Omicron cases, followed by Delhi at 79, Gujarat (43), Telangana (38), Kerala (37), Tamil Nadu (34) and Karnataka (31).
Meanwhile, 7,189 new Covid cases were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 3,47,79,815, while the active cases have declined to 77,032, according to the data updated at 8 am.
The death toll climbed to 4,79,520 with 387 more fatalities, the data showed.
The daily rise in new coronavirus cases has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 58 days now.
The active cases have declined to 77,032 comprising 0.22 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.40 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the health ministry said.
A decrease of 484 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.65 per cent. It has been less than two per cent for the last 82 days.
On Friday, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan during a press conference had said that of 358 cases of Omicron reported till then, 183 were analysed and it was found that 87 of them were fully vaccinated with three having received booster doses while 70 per cent were asymptomatic.
As Omicron cases continue to gain a foothold in India, several states imposed fresh restrictions ahead of Christmas and New Year’s celebrations to curb the further spread of the virus.
Six states imposed night curfew, assembly of more than five people in public places have been banned in two cities and the national capital Delhi banned all cultural events and social gatherings.
Maharashtra banned the assembly of more than five people in public places between 9 pm and 6 am and Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have imposed a night curfew— 11 pm to 5 am—from Saturday.
Madhya Pradesh government imposed similar mobility curbs and Odisha also imposed fresh restrictions on Friday on celebrations of Christmas and New Year’s Day, while Gujarat extended the duration of night curfew in eight cities by two hours.
(With inputs from agencies)