India reported 37,379 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, according to the data updated at 8 a.m. on Tuesday by the Union Health Ministry.
The cumulative Omicron tally rose to 1,892 cases as reported from 23 States and Union Territories so far. Of these, 766 cases have recovered or migrated, according to the update.
Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of Omicron cases (568), followed by Delhi (382), Kerala (185), Rajasthan (174), Gujarat (152) and Tamil Nadu (121).
The active cases rose to 1,71,830 and the cumulative toll to 4,82,017, with 124 more fatalities reported in the past 24 hours.
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The active cases comprise 0.49 % of the infections reported in the country. The daily test positivity rate was recorded at 3.24%. The case fatality rate remains at 1.38%.
As the cases continue to rise, more States are bringing in restrictions on movement and public gatherings as well as night curfew, to keep a handle on the transmission.
Maharashtra reported a whopping 18,466 cases to take the active case tally to 66,308. In a new single-day high,10,606 of them were reported from Mumbai taking the city’s active case tally to 47,476.
The State also reported 20 fatalities, pushing the cumulative toll to 1,41,573.
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Maharashtra also reported 75 new infections of the Omicron variant — 40 from Mumbai alone — taking the tally to 653, of whom 259 have been discharged till now.
With Mumbai recording the highest cases in the State and the country, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar hinted at the possibility of a lockdown if the daily COVID-19 surge crossed the 20,000-mark.
Ms. Pednekar said the city was ready to face even a “tsunami” of coronavirus cases, adding that liquid oxygen plants, oxygen beds and jumbo care centres were in place.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said there would be no physical sessions for students of classes 1 to 8 for the rest of January.
Amid rising COVID-19 cases, the Punjab government on Tuesday ordered a series of restrictions, including curfew in all towns and cities from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. till January 15.
The authorities have been asked to issue prohibitory orders under Section 144 and ensure strict compliance, the order said.
All schools, colleges, universities and coaching institutions will remain closed till January 15.
Bars, cinemas halls, multiplexes, malls, restaurants, spas, museums, zoos, etc. shall be allowed to operate at 50% of their capacity, while all sports complexes, swimming pools and gyms will remain closed
Andhra Pradesh reported a spike reporting 334 cases in the past 24 hours. This is the highest daily case figure to have been reported in the past 55 days.
The active case pool, which had just 1,049 cases on December 29, has now increased to 1,516. In the past one week alone, 1,255 cases were reported. Over 50% of the new infections were reported from Visakhapatnam, Chittoor and Krishna districts.
Karnataka reported 2,479 cases and four COVID-related deaths in the past 24 hours. Bengaluru Urban reported 2,053 cases and three deaths.
The State now has 13,532 active patients.
Odisha on Tuesday registered a 60% jump in the daily cases (680) compared to Monday’s 424.
On the day, 31 students tested positive from the campus of the National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, an autonomous institute under the Department of Atomic Energy. The office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar ,was sealed following the detection of cases.
Only 2,888 persons are recuperating at hospitals and homes and most of the infected persons are asymptomatic.
In Gujarat too, COVID-19 cases seemed to show a spike with the State reporting 2,265 new infections, taking the active cases to 7881.
Also, two cases of Omicron variant were recorded from Ahmedabad, taking the variant tally to 154.
Ahmedabad emerged as the main hotspot with 1,324 cases on Tuesday. The city administration has declared micro containment zones in the residential societies from where the cases have been reported.
The Kerala government on Tuesday issued orders limiting the number of persons attending indoor events to 75 and that of outdoor events to 150 in anticipation of increased COVID-19 transmission fuelled by the Omicron variant.
The State reported 3,640 cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. The active case pool, which had been declining rapidly these past weeks, has begun to show a rising trend again and now has 20,180 patients. Of these patients, 2,354 persons are being treated for moderate or severe COVID-19 in hospitals across the State, according to official data. The number of patients newly admitted to hospitals on Tuesday with COVID-19 was 180.
U.P. extends hours of night curfew
The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday extended the night curfew hours from the present 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., on account of the spike in COVID-19 cases in the State.
The State recorded 992 new cases over the past 24 hours. The active cases stand at 3,173, a jump from 1,211 cases as on January 1. The State has also reported 23 Omicron variant cases
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, following a meeting with senior officials, directed that a holiday be declared in all Government and private schools for classes 1-10 till the festival of Makar Sankranti .
If active cases in any district cross 1,000, then gyms, spas, cinema halls, banquet halls, restaurants and public places would have to be run with 50% capacity, the government said.
Also, not more than 100 persons would be allowed to attend marriage events in closed spaces while only 50% capacity would be allowed in open spaces.
In Assam, 475 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Tuesday. Three deaths were also reported after a considerable period of no fatalities. The State also reported vaccinating a total of 1,86,118 children between 15-18 years since Monday. Arunachal Pradesh also reported vaccinating 3,923 children against COVID-19 in the past two days.
