COVID-19: In huge spike, India logs over 1 lakh new coronavirus cases; Omicron tally at 3,007

India on Friday reported 1,17,100 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, which is 28 percent higher than yesterday. With 30,836 new recoveries, the country’s active caseload is now at 3,71,363. The toll increased to 4,83,178 after 302 patients succumbed to the deadly infection.

This is the first time in seven months that daily new COVID-19 cases have crossed the one-lakh mark in the country. On 6 June, 2021, India had reported 1,14,460 new cases.

India has confirmed 3,007 cases of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant from 27 states and Union territories so far. Out of the total Omicron cases reported so far, 1,199 people have recovered or migrated.

Maharashtra recorded the maximum number of 876 cases followed by Delhi at 465, Karnataka 333, Rajasthan 291, Kerala 284 and Gujarat 204.

COVID19 | A total of 3,007 #Omicron cases were reported in 27 States/UTs of India so far. The number of persons recovered is 1,199: Union Health Ministry pic.twitter.com/RVmygx7wX1

— ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2022

The active cases comprise 1.05 percent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has decreased to 97.57 percent, the ministry said.

An increase of 85,962 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

Amid a sharp surge in cases nationwide, Maharashtra registered 36,265 fresh Covid cases on Thursday, with Mumbai recording a sharp 31.7 percent spike in the last 24 hours. Mumbai clocked over 20,000 COVID-19 cases for the first time while Delhi registered 15,097 new infections.

Mumbai civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal said had that ‘stringent measures’ may be implemented in the city if daily COVID-19 cases cross the 20,000-mark. The city’s numbers include that of Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum cluster, which recorded 107 cases, its highest-ever single day tally on Thursday.

A 45-year-old woman from Odisha, who died on 27 December, was found to have been infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, officials said on Thursday. Health authorities said further investigation would be conducted to determine what specifically caused her death. This is the second Omicron death reported in the country.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.