COVID-19: Delhi Reports 10,665 New Cases, 8 Deaths; Over 15k New Cases in Mumbai

Meanwhile, NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr VK Paul announced on Wednesday, 5 January, that the precautionary COVID-19 vaccine dose will be the same vaccine as has been given previously.

The country also reported 534 deaths in the last 24 hours. On Tuesday, 124 deaths had been reported.

A total of 2,135 cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus have been detected across 24 states and Union territories in India so far.

Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has indicated that the capital city is likely to record 10,000 new infections on Wednesday.

• A weekend curfew has been imposed in Delhi, the AAP government announced on Tuesday
• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has tested positive for COVID-19 and has said that he’s experiencing mild symptoms
• The Karnataka government has announced a weekend curfew in the state
• Several states have announced COVID curbs in light of the rise in cases.

West Bengal Reports 14,022 COVID Cases

West Bengal reported a total of 14,022 cases, 17 deaths and 6,438 recoveries on Wednesday, with 6,170 cases reported in Kolkata alone.

The positivity rate in the state is at 23.17 percent.

Mumbai Reports 15,166 COVID Cases

Mumbai reported 15,166 new cases of COVID-19, a 39 percent jump from Tuesday’s 10,860 reported cases.

Mumbai also reported three deaths on Wednesday. Of the new cases, 87 percent are asymptomatic.

1,218 COVID patients were hospitalised on Wednesday and 80 of them are on oxygen support. The active cases currently stand at 61,923.

418 COVID Cases Reported in J&K

418 new COVID cases and 140 recoveries were reported from Jammu & Kashmir on Wednesday. Out of these, 311 cases are from Jammu and 107 are from Kashmir. Active cases in the UT are currently at 1,819.

Delhi Reports 10,665 New Cases and 8 Deaths

Delhi reported 10,665 new cases and 8 deaths in the last 24 hours. Active cases currently stand at 23,307. The positivity rate has risen to 11.88 percent.

Karnataka Reports 4,246 COVID Cases

Karnataka reported 4,246 new COVID-19 cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours.

Kerla Reports 4,801 COVID Cases and 29 Deaths

Kerala reported 4,801 new COVID cases, 29 deaths, and 1813 recoveries on Wednesday. Active cases currently stand at 22,910.

The total death tally is at 48,895. Further, the Kerala government informed that 229 deaths were added to the tally as per the new guidelines of the Central government.

Andhra Pradesh Reports 434 COVID Cases

Andhra Pradesh reported 434 new cases and 102 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

Maharashtra Govt Discontinues Physical Classes in Colleges, Universities

Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant said on Wednesday, “amid rising COVID cases, Maharashtra government to discontinue physical classes in colleges, universities till 15 February.”

All exams in the said instituitions will be conducted online till then.

Precautionary Vaccine Dose To Be the Same Vaccine Given Previously

NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr VK Paul announced on Wednesday that the precautionary COVID-19 vaccine dose will be the same vaccine as has been given previously.

He was quoted by ANI as saying, “Those who’ve received Covaxin will receive Covaxin, those who’ve received primary two doses of Covishield will receive Covishield.”

27th Kolkata International Film Festival Called Off

The 27th Kolkata International Film Festival was called off in light of the rising COVID cases in West Bengal.

The film festival was scheduled to be held between 7-14 January.

108 Omicron-related Deaths Reported Globally

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Wednesday, that 108 Omicron-related deaths have been reported globally so far.

Tamil Nadu Announces Night Curfew, Sunday Lockdown

Tamil Nadu government has announced night curfew from 6 January between 10pm and 5am.

All commercial complexes, establishments, shops, hotels will not be allowed to function during this time. Public and private transport will be allowed.

Further, there will be a complete lockdown on Sunday, 9 January. Essential services alone will be allowed.All government and private events for ‘Pongal’ harvest celebration and related cultural shows have also been postponed.

28 Districts Reporting 10 Percent Weekly Positivity Rate

The Ministry of Health listed the states of concern where there has been a rise in COVID cases.

These include Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand, and Gujarat.

The ministry further added that there are 28 districts in the country that are reporting more than 10 percent weekly positivity rate.

Quarantine Period for Home Isolation Reduced to 7 Days in Delhi

Quarantine period for home isolation patients reduced from 14 days to seven days in Delhi, as per Ministry of Health guidelines, news agency ANI reported.

In these seven days, if a patient doesn’t have any symptoms for three consecutive days, then the patient can be discharged from home isolation without a COVID test.

BJP Chief JP Nadda Postpones His West Bengal Visit

In view of the evolving COVID situation and rising number of new cases in Kolkata, BJP national president JP Nadda’s scheduled visit to West Bengal on 9-10 January stands postponed, the state’s BJP unit said on Wednesday.

41 Patients From COVID-Cluster Cruise Ship Quarantined in Institutional Facilities

Forty one out of 60 COVID-19 infected passengers on board a Cordelia cruise ship, which returned to Mumbai from Goa, have so far been shifted to institutional quarantine facilities, a civic spokesperson was quoted as saying by PTI on Wednesday.

The other 19 passengers who had tested positive for the viral infection are still on the ship, he said.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has conducted RT-PCR tests of 1,827 people who were on board the cruise on Tuesday night. Their reports were expected to come later on Wednesday.

Bihar Cabinet Approves Ex-Gratia of Rs 4 Lakh for Kin of COVID-Deceased

Bihar Cabinet has approved an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of those who lost their lives to COVID-19.

Over 1 Crore Children Vaccination Against COVID-19: Mansukh Mandaviya

Over 1 crore youngsters between 15-18 age group have received 1st dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has shared.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Wendesday, that there are 7.40 crore children between 15-18 years who are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.

Gujarat HC Bans Entry for Public Amid COVID Rise

The Gujarat High Court has banned the entry of general public into its premises, and has made it mandatory for the persons to produce a negative COVID certificate not older than 48 hours for entry.

Congress Postpones All Major Rallies in UP, Other Poll-Bound States

“The Congress has decided to postpone major rallies in Uttar Pradesh and other poll-bound states. We have asked state units to assess the COVID-19 situation in their states and take a decision on holding rallies,” Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal told ANI.

Hong Kong Bans Flights From India, 7 Other Nations

Hong Kong has banned flights from eight countries amid a global Omicron outbreak.

As per news agency AFP, the ban applies to India, Australia, Canada, France, Pakistan, Philippines, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Bihar Govt Cancels CM’s ‘Janta Darbar’ Amid COVID Spike

The Bihar government has cancelled chief minister’s ‘Janta Darbar’ and all events of ‘Samaj Sudhar Abhiyan’ due to rising cases of COVID-19.

Two deputy chief ministers of Bihar and three state minister had tested positive for the viral disease earlier in the day.

Govt Releases New Rules for Home Isolation of Mild, Asymptomatic COVID-19 Cases

Amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in the country, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released new guidelines for the isolation of mild and asymptomatic coronavirus cases.

As per the government’s advisory, patients who are asymptomatic or have mild disease will remain under home isolation for at least seven days after testing positive.

Staff Member at Amitabh Bachchan’s House Tests COVID-Positive

A staff member working at actor Amitabh Bachchan’s bungalow ‘Jalsa’ in Mumbai has tested positive for COVID-19. He is asymptomatic, as per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

‘3rd COVID Wave Has Come, Delhi Likely to Report 10,000 Cases Today’: Satyender Jain

“Delhi is likely to report around 10,000 COVID infections today, with the daily positivity rate rising to nearly 10 percent. The third wave of COVID-19 has set in,” Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain was quoted as saying by ANI on Wednesday.

Jain further said that the Delhi government has instructed private hospitals to reserve 40 percent of their beds for COVID-19 patients.

“Nearly 2 percent of beds are occupied in the government hospitals,” the health minister said.

“Genome sequencing of all COVID samples is not possible now, only 300-400 samples being sequenced,” Jain was quoted as saying by PTI.

60 BEST Employees Test Positive for COVID-19

Sixty employees of BEST including bus drivers have tested positive for COVID-19, news agency ANI reported.

594 New COVID-19 Cases in Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh has reported 594 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the number of active cases in the state to 1544.

Bihar Deputy CMs, Ministers Test COVID-Positive

Bihar Deputy Chief Ministers Renu Devi and Tarkishore Prasad have tested positive for COVID-19

Ministers Ashok Choudhary, Vijay Choudhary, and Sunil Kumar have also tested positive for coronavirus.

SAD (Sanyukt) Prez Tests Positive on Way to PM Modi’s Rally

Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) president and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa has tested positive for COVID-19.

Dhindsa had been his way to Ferozepur to attend Prime Minister Modi’s rally, but returned home after the receiving the test report, ANI reported.

India Reports 58,097 Fresh Cases, Omicron Tally at 2,135

India reported 58,097 fresh coronavirus cases on Wednesday, significantly higher than the 37,379 cases on Tuesday.

A total of 2,135 cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus have been detected across 24 states and Union territories in India so far, with Meghalaya reporting its first case of the variant.

While Maharashtra tops the chart with 653 Omicron cases, Delhi comes next with 464 cases so far.

Uttar Pradesh Govt Announces Fresh COVID Curbs

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday announced fresh guidelines for the management of COVID-19.

As per the new rules, for districts in the state that cross 1,000 active cases, public places like restaurants, cinema halls, and spas will function at 50 percent of their total capacity. Gyms and pools will remain closed.

Moreover, in districts with over 1,000 cases:

• COVID-19 help desks will be set up at religious institutions and masks will be mandatorily worn at these sites.
• For weddings and other functions taking place in closed spaces, not more than 100 people can assemble. For functions taking place in open spaces, only 50 percent of a ground’s total capacity can be filled.
• Night curfew hours will be extended in the state from Thursday. Instead of the previously stipulated 11 pm to 5 am, the curfew will remain in place from 10 pm to 6 am.
• School for classes up to the 10th grade will remain shut from 6 January to 14 January.

A 48-hour-old negative RT PCR test will be required for anyone visiting the Magh mela in Prayagraj later this month, the government has announced.

Rs 200 Fine for Failure to Wear Mask in Bhopal

After a Crisis Management Committee of the Bhopal district on Tuesday, it was decided that a mask campaign would be restarted in Bhopal district from Wednesday.

Those who are seen without a mask in public places will be fined Rs 200.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan appealed to the people of the state to practise caution amid the third COVID-19 outbreak.

159 Doctors Test COVID-Positive at Patna Hospital

Fifty-nine more doctors of Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) in Patna have tested positive for COVID-19, news agency ANI reported, citing the state authorities. A total of 159 doctors at the Patna hospital have tested positive in the past two days.

Weekend Curfew in Delhi From Friday 10 pm – Monday 5 am

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Tuesday announced a weekend curfew, which will remain in force from 10 pm on Friday to 5 am on Monday.

Further, as per the latest orders, the metro and buses are permitted to operate at 100 percent seating capacity. However, no standing passengers will be allowed in the metro.

COVID Test at Mumbai Airport for International Travellers

International passengers arriving in Mumbai from at-risk nations, high-risk countries and the UAE will be asked to take the rapid RT PCR test at the Mumbai International Airport, as per the latest guidelines announced by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.

If negative, they will be allowed to leave and asked to stay under a seven-day home quarantine. Those found positive will have to undergo institutional quarantine.