New Delhi: Here are the latest updates on the new coronavirus variant:
A total of 358 cases of Omicron infections have been detected in 17 states and Union Territories of the country, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said at a press conference on Friday evening, ANI reported.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday said it will impose a night curfew between 11 pm and 5 am from Saturday amid the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, NDTV reported. The state government has also capped the guest limit for any public function to 200. Organisers of the events have been asked to follow all Covid-related protocols.
Two persons in Andhra Pradesh tested positive for the Omicron variant, the Hindustan Times reported. One of the patients had returned from Kuwait while the other had arrived from the United Arab Emirates. Currently, the state has a total of four patients infected with the new strain.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will announce new guidelines to curb the spread of coronavirus, India Today reported. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting with the members of the Covid-19 task force, which discussed ways to avoid crowding during the Christmas and New Year celebrations, weddings and parties at hotels and restaurants. The Odisha government has also banned Christmas and New Year celebrations in hotels, clubs, restaurants, parks and community halls, PTI reported. A maximum of 50 people will be allowed to attend Christmas masses in the state.
The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation on Thursday issued new guidelines for domestic and international passengers going through Delhi. It has called for thermal screening of all passengers at arrival. Samples of random passengers arriving from states witnessing a spurt in Covid-19 cases will be collected for testing. Passengers will only be allowed to leave the airport after their sample is collected. Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday announced that all adults in the city have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. More than 1.48 crore beneficiaries have received the first dose, he said in a tweet.
The United States has removed the requirement of in-person interviews for work-visa applicants till December 31, 2022, to reduce the waiting time. Interviews will be exempted for individuals in specialty occupations (H-1B visas), trainees or special education visitors (H-3 visas), employees transferred within a company (L visas), individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement (O visas), athletes, artists and entertainers (P visas), and participants in international cultural exchange programs (Q visas).
India reported 6,650 new coronavirus cases and 374 deaths over the last 24 hours, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. As many as 7,051 people recovered from the virus. Currently, there are 77,516 active cases in India.
Australia on Friday reduced the interval between the second shot of coronavirus vaccine and the booster dose to four months from the existing five months. The duration will be further reduced to three months by the end of January. Authorities in France on Friday recommended that the booster shot of the Covid-19 vaccine should be administered within three months of the first two doses, AFP reported.
Covax, an international alliance which looks into development and fair distribution of vaccines across the world, on Thursday set a target to vaccinate 70% of the global population by June 2022, ANI reported. Covax, which is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the WHO.
China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has punished 26 officials for failing to prevent an outbreak of the disease in the country’s Xi’an city, AFP reported. The officials have been punished for “insufficient rigour in preventing and controlling the outbreak”. Scroll. In
