Jan 06, 2022 – 21:11 (IST)
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Mumbai logs over 20,000 fresh cases
Mumbai reported 20,181 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, a fresh all-time high daily count and up 5,015 from a day ago, while four more patients succumbed to the infection, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. With these additions, the financial capital’s coronavirus tally jumped to 8,53,809, while the death toll climbed to 16,388, the BMC said in a bulletin.
On Wednesday, Mumbai had logged 15,166 new coronavirus infections, surpassing the previous all time-high of 11,163 logged in April 2021 during the second wave of the pandemic. As many as 10,860 cases were reported in the metropolis on Tuesday.
Jan 06, 2022 – 21:07 (IST)
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Maharashtra reports 36,265 cases, 79 cases of Omicron
Maharashtra on Thursday recorded 36,265 new coronavirus infections including 79 cases of the Omicron variant, the state health department said. Thirteen fatalities due to the pandemic were also reported in the state since previous evening.
The active cases in the state stood at 1,14,847. The case fatality rate in the state is 2.08 percent. As per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, 20,181 new cases were reported in Mumbai alone.
As many as 8,907 patients were discharged, taking the tally of those recovered in the state so far to 65,33,154. The recovery rate in the state is 96.17 percent. Currently 5,85,758 people are in home quarantine and 1,368 people are in institutional quarantine
Jan 06, 2022 – 20:30 (IST)
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Omicron’s mildness a ‘mistake’, COVID not getting milder: UK expert
The reduced severity of the Omicron variant is good news for now, but it is the result of an “evolutionary mistake” and does not indicate that the virus which causes COVID-19 is becoming less virulent, a leading Indian-origin scientist from the University of Cambridge warned on Thursday.
Ravindra Gupta, Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the Cambridge Institute for Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Diseases (CITIID), led a recent study on the Omicron variant and was among the first globally to describe the modified fusion mechanism of cells at play which might make Omicron more visible to the body’s immune defences. While the study showed that the new variant, dominant in the UK and now sweeping parts of India, is infecting the cells found in the lungs less, the virus itself is not intending to become milder.
“There is this assumption that viruses become more benign over time but that’s not what’s happening here because those are long-term evolutionary trends,” Prof. Gupta told PTI in an interview. “SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) does not have that issue because it is transmitting very efficiently so it doesn’t have any reason to become milder, especially in the era of vaccination with plenty of susceptible hosts. So that’s why I think it’s an evolutionary mistake. It’s not something intentional that the virus is trying to do to change its biology,” he explained.
Jan 06, 2022 – 20:14 (IST)
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SC to hear matters in vIrtual mode from Friday
Amid the sudden spike in the number of COVID-19 cases, the Supreme Court on Thursday decided to hear all matters in virtual mode from Friday.
According to a circular issued by the apex court administration, with effect from January 7, the benches will sit at the residential offices. “Only extremely urgent ‘mentioned’ matters, fresh matters, bail matters, matters involving stay, detention matters and fixed date matters will be listed before the courts w.e.f (with effect from) January 10, 2022 till further orders,” the circular said.
It said transfer petitions will be listed before the regular benches, instead of single judge bench, till further orders. The circular said till further orders, applications for exemption from surrendering will also be listed before the regular benches, instead of chamber judge. While hearing a matter on Thursday, Chief Justice N V Ramana, who was heading a bench which also comprised Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, said unfortunately, again the problem of COVID-19 has started.
“Unfortunately, again the problem has started and we are also conscious of this…. It seems, we may not be able to hear cases through physical mode for the next four to six weeks,” the CJI said.
Jan 06, 2022 – 19:54 (IST)
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Goa reports 971 fresh cases, positivity rate at 20%
Goa reported 971 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, taking the overall tally to 1,84,766, while the case positivity rate rose to more than 20 percent, an official said. Two more patients succumbed to the infection in the state, pushing the death toll to 3,528, as per a bulletin issued by the state health department. After 971 new COVID-19 infections were recorded in the last 24 hours, the state’s cumulative tally increased to 1,84,766, it said.
On Wednesday, the tiny coastal state had registered 1,002 coronavirus cases and a positivity rate of 17.72 per cent. The positivity rate rose to 20.46 per cent on Thursday. The rate indicates the percentage of people who test positive for the virus of those overall who have been tested. The number of recovered cases in the state rose to 1,76,625 after 74 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.
Given the wide gap between new and recovered cases, Goa’s active tally shot up to 4,613, the official said. “With 4,744 new tests, the number of tests conducted in the state has gone up to 16,51,749,” he added. Goa’s COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 1,84,766, new cases 971, death toll 3,528, discharged 1,76,625, active cases
Jan 06, 2022 – 19:39 (IST)
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Nashik records 583 new cases, two casualties
At least 538 fresh cases of coronavirus were detected in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, raising the tally of infections to 4,15,801 on Thursday, an official said.
As many as 130 patients were discharged from hospitals, while two dies of the infection during the day, taking the count of recoveries to 4,05,171 and toll to 8,763, he said.
Of the total number of cases registered so far, 2,34,422 were from Nashik city, 1,58,577 from other parts of the district, 12,728 from Malegaon and 6,158 patients were from outside the district, it was stated. A total of 30,47,189 swabs have been tested till date, of which 4,790 were tested on Thursday, the official added.
Jan 06, 2022 – 19:19 (IST)
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Rajasthan CM tests COVID-19 positive again, has mild symptoms
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Thursday said he has tested positive for coronavirus, the second time that he contracted the virus. “This evening I got my Covid test done which came positive. I have very mild symptoms and no other problems. All the people who came in contact with me are requested to isolate themselves and get their Covid test done,” Gehlot tweeted.
This is the second time that the 70-year-old has been infected with the virus. Recently his son Vaibhav Gehlot has also been tested positive for Covid.
Jan 06, 2022 – 19:16 (IST)
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Kerala clocks 4,649 new cases, 221 deaths
Kerala on Thursday logged 4,649 fresh COVID-19 cases and 221 deaths which increased the caseload to 52,58,939 and the fatalities to 49,116.
With 2,180 more people recovering from the virus since Wednesday, the total recoveries reached 51,93,093 and the active cases 25,157, the release said. As many as 68,325 samples were tested in the last 24 hours.
Jan 06, 2022 – 18:34 (IST)
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Delhi adds over 15,000 COVID-19 cases, 41% higher than yesterday’s daily spike
Delhi on Thursday reported over 15,000 cases of coronavirus – the highest single-day rise since 8 May. The National Capital’s daily COVID-19 count saw an increase by 41.5 percent from Wednesday when the city recorded 10,665 cases, its biggest spike in nearly eight months.
Jan 06, 2022 – 18:21 (IST)
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Delhi logs 15,097 COVID-19 cases and six deaths
Delhi recorded 15,097 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday taking the cumulative positive cases in the National Capital to 14.89 lakh, according to the health department.
The total number of COVID-19 tests conducted in the past 24 hours were 98, 434, as per the latest bulletin. With this, the positivity rate increased to 15.34 percent in Delhi.