Delhi: The nationwide COVID19 cases in India reached more than 1 lakh for the third consecutive day on Saturday with states like Maharashtra, Delhi and Mumbai reporting the maximum number of cases. On Saturday the Election Commission has also announced the election schedule for the five poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Punjab, Manipur and Uttarakhand with adequate Covid precautions.
The third wave of India seems to be more infectious than the second wave when their state elections were conducted in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Puducherry and Kerala and the country gasped for oxygen. The maximum number of new COVID cases reported during the peak of the second wave was 97,780.
According to a preliminary analysis by IIT Madras, India's R-naught value which indicates the spread of COVID-19 was recorded at 4 this week, suggesting a very high infection transmission rate. The same study also predicted the peak of the third wave between February 1-15.
On Friday, India reported 1,41,986 fresh COVID cases and 285 deaths in the last 24 hours. The daily positivity rate reached 9.28 per cent. The active cases in the country stand at 4,72,169.
Meanwhile, bank officers' union AIBOC has urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to consider bankers as the frontline workers for administering booster shots amid rising COVID-19 cases across the country.
Maharashtra on Saturday recorded 41,434 new COVID cases and 13 deaths in the last 24 hours. The active cases in the state have risen to 1,73,238 and the death toll now stands at 1,41,627. The number of cases of the new Omicron variant has risen to 1009 in the state.
The Maharashtra government has decided to impose a state-wide night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am from January 10 except for essential purposes. The movement of people in groups of 5 or more has been barred from 5 pm to 11 pm. Swimming pools, gyms, spas, beauty salons, zoos, museums, and entertainment parks will remain closed. Hair-cutting salons and malls are permitted to operate at 50% capacity.
Mumbai, which reported a majority of cases in the state reported 20,318 fresh COVID cases and 5 deaths on Saturday. The active cases in the city is 1,06,037 and the bed occupancy rests at 21.4%. As many as 68 Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) employees working out of its Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) office here have contracted coronavirus infection, an official of the central agency said on Saturday
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The national capital on Saturday recorded 20,181 fresh COVID-19 infections with seven more fatalities on Saturday. The positivity rate has risen to 19.60 per cent.
West Bengal reported 18,802 fresh COVID cases and 19 deaths in the last 24 hours on Saturday with Kolkata accounting for 7,337 new cases today. The West Bengal government Saturday relaxed its COVID-19 curbs in the state, allowing salons and beauty parlours to operate with 50 per cent capacity till 10 pm.
Markets under Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) area remain closed for a day per week.
Karnataka recorded 8,906 fresh COVID cases on Saturday with four new deaths in the last 24 hours on Saturday. The active cases in the state have risen to 38,507 with a daily positivity rate of 5.42 per cent. The spike in cases was driven by Bengaluru Urban which contributed to 7,113 infections and three deaths.
Tamil Nadu added 10,978 fresh infections and 10 more fatalities on Saturday. The state recorded 64 cases of the Omicron variant in the last 24 hours.
Andhra Pradesh's COVID-19 count rose to 20,80,602 with another 839 fresh cases added on Saturday.
Odisha registered 3,679 fresh COVID-19 cases, a 36-per cent rise over the previous day and the biggest single-day spike in more than six months. Fourteen fresh Omicron cases were detected in Odisha on Saturday, taking the state's tally to 75.
In Rajasthan, two more people died from coronavirus on Saturday as 4,108 new cases pushed the state's infection count to 9,70517.
Kerala reported 23 more cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus on Saturday, taking the tally to 328.
Gujarat on Saturday reported 32 new cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus which raised the tally of such infections in the state to 236.
Himachal Pradesh on Saturday recorded 728 fresh COVID-19 cases, its biggest single-day jump in infections in the last several months, pushing the state's virus tally to 2,31,587, a health official said.
Uttar Pradesh which goes for a poll in February reported 6411 new COVID cases and 171 recoveries in the last 24 hours. The active cases in the state have risen to 18,551.
The COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh reached 7,99,287 on Saturday with the detection of 1,572 new cases.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had congratulated the nation over the fact that over 2 crore youngsters between the 15-18 age group have received their first dose of COVID19 vaccine in less than a week of vaccination drive for children. India also crossed the total vaccination mark of 150.06 doses on Friday.
Vikas Sheel, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission said on Friday evening informed that the feature for online appointments for 'precaution dose' for healthcare or frontline workers and senior citizens above 60 years of age is now live on the Co-WIN platform.
(With agency inputs)
