Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said on Friday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a review meeting through video conferencing with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on the COVID-19 situation this evening.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the timing of night curfew has now been increased from 11:30 am to 10 pm and will continue till 6 am, apart from making wearing of masks mandatory. “All schools up to class 5 in Assam will remain closed from tomorrow and it will be in Guwahati till class 8. Rest of the classes will be alternate day every other day.
Amid the rise in COVID cases, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has asked Delhi and neighboring districts to immediately strengthen health infrastructure, maintain buffer stock of essential medicines and ensure that oxygen supply equipment is fully functional. is functional. In a meeting convened on Thursday to review the COVID-19 situation in the national capital and adjoining districts, Bhalla also favored expediting testing in all districts of Delhi-NCR, where the number of tests is less.
Mumbai recorded 20,181 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, a fresh all-time high and 5,015 infections, or 33.06 per cent, from a day earlier, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said, while four more patients succumbed to the disease. BMC).
Health Minister Rajesh Tope told reporters that in Mumbai, the hospitalization rate has not increased significantly and 80 per cent of the city’s hospital beds are still vacant. He said a similar increase in infections was seen during the second wave last year as well, but this time the demand for medical oxygen and the number of deaths did not increase, which was a positive sign.
Deputy Commissioner Amritsar said that out of 125 people who tested positive on the Italy-Amritsar charter flight, 13 managed to dodge the authorities, while 9 managed to escape from the airport and four persons escaped from the hospital. The DC has asked the SP of Amritsar to register a case against those 13 people. Police said they have been asked to isolate themselves immediately and report to the authorities otherwise their photographs and details will be made public.
Addressing a press briefing in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned that while the Omicron variant appears to be less severe than Delta, especially in vaccinated people, it does not mean it can be treated as mild. should be classified as Like the previous variants; Omicron is hospitalizing people and it’s killing people. In fact, the tsunami of cases is so large and fast, that it is taking a toll on health systems around the world, he said.
The WHO update said that all regions recorded an increase in the incidence of weekly cases, with the US region recording the highest increase (100 per cent), followed by South-East Asia (78 per cent), European ( 65 percent). cent), Eastern Mediterranean (40 percent), Western Pacific (38 percent) and African (7 percent) regions.
In addition to the existing restrictions, the Puducherry administration has imposed several restrictions in the Union Territory to contain the spread of COVID-19. Ashok Kumar, Secretary to the Government (Relief and Rehabilitation) and Member Secretary of the State Executive Committee, said in a release on Thursday that due to the increase in Omicron type cases in the country and the current threat of a third wave of COVID-19 in Puducherry, In view of this, the Territorial Government has imposed additional restrictions with immediate effect which will remain in force till the midnight of 31st January.
196 healthcare workers, including 87 doctors of PGIMER, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection during a period of 10 days from December 26 to January 4, officials of the premier institute said on Thursday. Almost all of them have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, he said, adding that they have mild symptoms and are in home isolation, while only one is hospitalised.