India on Friday recorded 3,47,254 new cases of Covid-19, including 9,692 cases of the new Omicron variant, while 703 fatalities were reported in the last 24 hours. The active cases have increased to 20,18,825, the highest in 235 days, the Union Health Ministry data showed. The active cases comprise 5.23 per cent of the total infections.
The Test Positivity Rate surged to 43.76 per cent in Kerala, paining a gloomy picture about the Covid-19 situation in the State which recorded 41, 668 fresh cases during the last 24 hours on Friday. The samples tested on Friday stood at 95,218.
By far this is the highest positivity rate recorded by any State in India ever since Covid-19 spread in the country. Positivity rate is the percentage of people who test positive of those overall who have been tested.
The Kerala Government suffered a setback on Friday as a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court asked the Kasaragod district administration not to allow any public meetings attended by more than 50 persons. Though the District Disaster Management Authority had issued an order limiting the number of persons that could assemble for any meeting to 50, the district collector reportedly under political pressure issued a new order stating that the number of persons that could be allowed to attend public meetings should be decided based on the Test Positivity Rate as well as the number of beds available in the district.
Neighbouring Karnataka too is battling massive surge in Covid-19 cases. The State reported 48,049 new Covid-19 cases along with 22 deaths and 18,115 recoveries on Friday. Bengaluru registered 29,068 infections and six deaths.
The Karnataka Government on Friday decided to lift the weekend curfew that was in place with an aim to control the spread of Covid-19 infections. However, the night curfew hours between 10 pm and 5 am everyday will continue. This comes as Karnataka registered a steep spike in Covid-19 cases on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Delhi reported 10,756 new Covid-19 cases, 17,494 recoveries and 38 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Active cases stood at 61,954. At the same time, Mumbai recorded 5008 new Covid-19 cases, 12,913 recoveries and 12 deaths in the last 24 hours.
In the meantime, the Union Health Ministry said “isolation facility would not be mandatory for international travellers arriving from at-risk countries from January 22.
In a statement here, it added that they would still be required to undergo seven-day home quarantine. “If tested positive, their samples should be further sent for genomic testing at INSACOG laboratory network. They shall be treated/isolated as per laid down standard protocol,” tweeted the Ministry.
In India, the active Covid-19 cases comprise 5.23 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate is at 93.50 per cent, the Ministry said.
An increase of 94,774 cases has been recorded in the active Covid-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The country had reported 3,11,170 cases in a single day on May 15 last year. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 17.94 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 16.56 per cent, according to the Ministry.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,60,58,806, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.27 per cent. The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 160.43 crore, said the Ministry in the statement.
India’s Covid-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.