India’s new COVID-19 cases cross 3-lakh mark on January 19, 2022

18.9 lakh active cases across India; 475 deaths were recorded, higher than the average levels last week.

January 19, 2022 11:01 pm | Updated January 20, 2022 09:14 am IST - Chennai

A COVID-19 patient is shifted to the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad on January 19, 2022.

A COVID-19 patient is shifted to the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad on January 19, 2022.

For the first time in the ongoing COVID-19 wave, the number of cases in India crossed the 3 lakh mark. The country recorded 3,13,603 new COVID-19 cases on January 19, a 27% increase from a week ago. The total number of infections has reached 3.8 crore, and the active cases have crossed the 18.9 lakh mark. Data for Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Ladakh, Lakshadweep and Tripura were not available as of 10 p.m.

Maharashtra recorded 43,697 infections on January 19, followed by Karnataka (40,499) and Kerala (34,199).

Also read | Supreme Court to steer ex gratia payment to kin of COVID-19 deceased

On January 19, 475 deaths were recorded in India, considerably higher than the average levels recorded in the last week. The total number of recorded fatalities has reached 4,87,505.

Kerala reported the most deaths with 134 fatalities (89 were from a backlog), followed by Maharashtra (49), and West Bengal (38).

On January 18, 18.6 lakh tests were conducted, the highest on a single day in the ongoing wave. The test positivity rate (TPR) was 16.4%.

Also read | 18 million COVID-19 cases last week: WHO

As of January 19, 90.4% of the eligible population has been vaccinated with at least one dose, while 65.7% have received both doses. In the 15-17 years age cohort, 51.8% of the population has received its first dose. Altogether, 92,05,14,321 first doses, 66,96,51,317 second doses, and 60,27,041 booster doses have been administered across India.

Kerala’s COVID-19 case graph has been on a relentless climb since the beginning of the year and on January 19 recorded another huge jump in cases, with 34,199 persons testing positive for COVID-19, when 91,983 samples were tested in the past 24 hours. The new cases on January 18 had been 28,481.

The State’s active case pool, which had less than 20,000 patients on January 2, now has 1,68,383 patients, of whom 3.2% are currently admitted in hospitals or field hospitals.

The Health Department’s data says that during January 12-18, new cases increased by 211% (88,062 cases), in comparison to the previous week. Hospitalisations increased by 60% and ICU occupancy by 38% in the same period.

Also read | Young India is showing the way on COVID-19 vaccination, says PM Modi

The State added 134 deaths to the official list of COVID-19 fatalities on January 19, which included 49 recent deaths and 85 deaths, which were added to the list as part of the death reconciliation exercise.

Telengana saw another spike in COVID-19 cases on January 19 when the State recorded 3,557 cases. This is the highest daily caseload reported in the State since June 2021. The infections, which were initially rising in the urban areas alone, have begun surging in rural districts too. Three more COVID-19 deaths were also reported.

The State currently has 24,253 patients in its active case pool. Occupancy of hospital beds, ICU beds and oxygen beds have been going up steadily, with 680 persons currently in ICUs and 1,135 requiring oxygen support.

Andhra Pradesh reported 10,057 fresh cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours ending January 19 morning, the biggest single day tally since June 2021, when 41,713 samples were tested. Eight new COVID-19 deaths were added to the State’s COVID-19 fatality list on the day.

The TPR stood at 24.11%.

In just 14 days, the TPR increased from 1.6% to 24.1% while an average of 36,000 samples are tested every day.

The active case burden has risen to 44,935 cases, with Chittoor and Visakhapatnam districts accounting for 42.2% of the total cases.

West Bengal on January 19 registered 11,447 new cases when 67,404 samples were tested. New cases have been showing a dip in the State since the past few days. TPR has thus dropped from 30% to 16.98% now.

However, the Opposition has been questioning the dip in the number of samples tested daily in the State

The State also reported 38 new COVID-19 deaths on January 19. An average of 30 deaths is being reported since the past few days and this is emerging as a cause for concern.

The State has an active case burden of 1,51,702 cases.

Gujarat’s COVID-19 graph has been surging, with the State reporting 20,966 new infections on January 19, its highest ever single day case count since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. The number of COVID-19 deaths reported on the day was 12.

The case surge is being witnessed in all districts, with Ahmedabad recording as many as 8,391 cases and six deaths.

The active case tally in the State stands at 90,726 cases, with as many as 125 patients among them on ventilator support.

Meanwhile, the State Government on January 19 warned people to not take the new Omicron variant lightly and to strictly follow all COVID-19 protocols, including maintaining physical distancing and avoiding public gatherings, to contain the transmission. Cases are expected to go up further in the next few days

“Omicron is not to be mistaken for the common cold. The rise in cases will push up hospitalisations too, overwhelming the surge capacity,” Sudhir Shah, COVID Task Force member, told the media in a briefing.

Maharashtra on January 19 reported 43,697 new COVID-19 cases and 49 deaths. Of these, Mumbai reported 6,032 cases and 12 deaths. Currently as many as 23,93,704 people are in home quarantine and 3,200 people in institutional quarantine.

Karnataka’s COVID-19 case graph showed a massive spike in new cases on January 19, with 40,499 testing positive for COVID-19 when as many as 2,15,312 tests were done. The State also recorded 21 deaths on the day.

The Bengaluru Urban district accounted for 24,135 cases

As of January 19, the State has 2,67,650 active cases.

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