New Delhi: India on Saturday morning reported 22,775 new coronavirus cases, taking the total tally since the pandemic began in 2020 to 3,48,61,579, data from the health ministry showed. This is 35% higher than Friday’s count of 16,764 cases.
The toll rose to 4,81,486 after 406 deaths were reported over the last 24 hours. India’s active caseload rose to 1,04,781.
Cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus increased from 1,270 to 1,431 on Saturday. Omicron was first reported in the country on December 2 and has now spread to 23 states and Union Territories.
The most Omicron infections have been reported from Maharashtra (454), followed by Delhi (351) and Tamil Nadu (118). Gujarat has 115 cases and Kerala is the fifth worst-affected state with 109 infections.
The health ministry said that 488 out of the 1,431 people who tested positive for the new variant have recovered or migrated.
As the country grapples with the prospect of another Covid wave, fuelled by the Omicron variant this time, children between 15-18 years can register for vaccination on the CoWIN portal from Saturday.
“I request the family members to register the eligible children for vaccination,” Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a tweet.
On New Year’s Eve, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Delhi reported a sharp jump in daily infections.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra reported 8,067 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, which constituted a rise of 50.27% from Thursday’s figure of 5,368 infections. State capital Mumbai contributed 5,428 new cases, according to government data. But, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said Mumbai added 5,631 infections.
The difference in figures is because of delay on part of the civic body to upload data on the centralised Covid-19 server.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday said that more restrictions would be imposed if cases continue to rise, PTI reported.
“We cut short the Assembly session recently,” he told reporters in Pune. “So far, over 10 ministers and over 20 MLAs have tested positive for coronavirus. Everybody wants to be part of the celebrations of New Year, birthdays and other occasions. Keep in mind that the new variant spreads fast and hence caution is needed.” Scroll. In
