According to the Health Ministry, the new strain of Omicron has affected 1,525 people in India since its first report in November. Maharashtra and Delhi have been the most severely affected states. Therefore, 560 people have recovered so far.
Covid cases jumped 21 percent in the country today, as it reported 27,553 cases. Around 284 people were reported dead from the virus during the period.
India’s Gujarat reported 21 cases of the new strain in the last 24 hours and now has 136 cases. Tamil Nadu, which is the fourth worst-affected state, reported 117 cases and Kerala reported 109 cases. The fast-spreading Omicron variant has been reported in 23 states in India, as of June 2016. Maharashtra has reported the most COVID-19 cases, with 460 infections, followed by Delhi with 351.
According to the Health Ministry, India has 3,48,89,132 Covid cases. Active cases account for 0.35% of the total caseload. The daily positivity rate stands at 2.55 percent. Based on the data of the Health Ministry, some of the highest rates are occurring in densely populated metropolises, such as New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata.
In Delhi, coronavirus cases jumped by 50 per cent to 2,716 on Saturday; around 3.64 percent of the tests returned a positive result, a high positivity rate considered one of the first signs of an upcoming wave. A coronavirus outbreak, as well as the emergence of an Omicron variant, has forced neighbouring state of Haryana to shut down cinema halls and sports complexes in Gurgaon and four other cities. Schools are additionally closed until January 12.
Last year, India experienced a devastating second wave of COVID-19, with 400,000 new cases per day on average. Since then, cases have been trending downward. Medical experts and officials fear that the Omicron variant may be the catalyst for a third epidemic.
