Covid-19 India Live News: The number of fresh Covid-19 cases in both Delhi and Mumbai exceeded 20,000 on Saturday. While the national capital recorded 20,181 new infections, taking the city’s positivity rate to 19.6%, Mumbai added 20,318 more cases to its total tally. However, the death rate in this wave continues to be low for both the cities, with Delhi and Mumbai logging seven and five Covid-related deaths respectively in the last 24 hours, Trend reports with reference to The Indian EXPRESS.
With India fighting a third wave of Covid-19 ahead of assembly polls in five states, the election commission on Saturday banned all kinds of physical roadshows, padyatras, processions, cycle or bicycle rallies till January 15. Terming the situation as “very dynamic”, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said all the government officials on poll duty will be doubly vaccinated. The election officers will be treated as frontline workers and will be administered booster doses, he added.
India reported 1,41,986 daily Covid-19 cases on Saturday, taking the country’s total caseload to 3,53,68,372. With 40,895 recoveries, the active caseload stands at 4,72,169. The death toll increased to 4,83,463 with 285 patients succumbing to the infection.
According to data released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday, 3,071 cases of Omicron variant reported across 27 states and union territories so far, out of which 1,203 have recovered or migrated. The active cases currently stand at 1.34 per cent of the total infections. The national Covid-19 recovery rate decreased to 97.30 per cent, the health ministry said.
The three priority groups of healthcare workers, frontline workers and 60-plus population with comorbidities, who are eligible for their third “precautionary dose” 39 weeks after getting their second jab, can either book an online appointment or walk in to any vaccination centre, sources in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday.
Weekend curbs kick in across most cities in India as the states try to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. While Delhi and Karnataka have imposed weekend lockdowns, the Tamil Nadu government has ordered a shutdown on Sundays.