COVID CASES CONTINUE TO SURGE

Centre asks states, UTs to set up control rooms for Covid management.

Amidst a continuing surge in Covid-19 cases, the Union Health Ministry on Thursday said that India reported 90,928 cases in the last 24 hours. The data obtained by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare states that the active caseload is 285,401. So far, India has reported 2,630 cases of Omicron, which has spread to 26 states. The state with the most Omicron cases is Maharashtra, followed by Delhi, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Karnataka. Maharashtra has reported the most cases of Omicron with 797, followed by Delhi with 465.

The Centre on Thursday wrote to the governments of all states and Union territories, asking them to set up district, sub-district control rooms for Covid-19 management. According to the release, the governments are required to ensure that these control rooms are adequately staffed with necessary medical staff including doctors, counsellors and volunteers. It shall also be equipped with ample phone lines to cater to the assigned population, the government stated in the release.

Delhi on Thursday reported 15,097 fresh Covid-19 infections, registering a 41% increase from Wednesday when the national capital recorded 10,665 positive cases. The positivity rate in the city shot up to 15.34%. Six deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours. As many as 20 healthcare workers of Delhi’s LNJP hospital tested positive for Covid-19, confirmed Dr Suresh Kumar, Medical Director of LNJP Hospital on Thursday.

Mumbai reported 20,181 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the positivity rate to 29.90%, said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday. Delhi’s Health Minister, Satyendar Jain said no lockdown would be imposed for now.

The total number of tests done on 5 January 2022, is 1,413,030. The drop in the number of testing is a “cause of concern,” as per the Centre, as Covid-19 cases are on the rise, spurred by highly contagious Omicron. The centre has asked Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, to ramp up Covid-19 testing. The Union Health Ministry stated that Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand, and Gujarat have emerged as states of concern due to an increase in Covid-19 cases. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has stated that around 2,075 Covid-patients have been admitted to hospitals, till now. On Wednesday, Karnataka recorded a sharp increase, with 4,246 cases in the last 24 hours, with 3,605 cases coming from Bengaluru. As per the health department on January 5, Jharkhand reported 3553 new Covid-19 cases, as of now, the data suggests 10990 active cases. Tamil Nadu has, so far, reported 4165 fresh Covid-19 cases, while the active cases stand at 16577. Also, Gujarat has reported 3113 new Covid-19 cases, and the active caseload stands at 10994.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday tested positive for Covid-19. “This evening, I got my Covid test done, which has come positive. I have very mild symptoms and no other problems,” tweeted the senior Congress leader.

(WITH AGENCY INPUTS)