Coronavirus India Latest Updates: More Omicron Cases Detected; Poonawalla Says Vaccine For Kids To Be Out Soon
Follow the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic and vaccination numbers in India here.
8 New Omicron Cases Reported In Maharashtra
A total of eight omicron cases have been detected in Maharashtra, taking the total to 28 in the state. Seven patients are from Mumbai, while one is from Vasai Virar, according to the state health department.
All eight patients don't have international travel history, according to the department's bulletin.
Covid Test Pre-Booking Made Mandatory For Passengers From ‘At-Risk’ Countries At 6 Airports
Starting Dec. 20, international travelers from 'at-risk' countries arriving at airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad will have to compulsorily pre-book an RT-PCR test.
The government's Air Suvidha portal will be modified to accommodate pre-booking by passengers, according to a memo issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation memo.
Vaccines For Kids Aged 3 And Above To Be Launched In 6 Months: Poonawalla
Serum Institute of India's Adar Poonawalla, at the CII Partnership Summit, said that vaccines for for children aged three years and above will be launched in the next 6 months.
He also said that booster vaccine doses are a proven strategy to get antibodies up to a great extent.
More Omicron Cases Detected In Delhi And Rajasthan
Total Omicron cases in India rose to 49 as Delhi and Rajasthan reported four new cases each, the state governments said.
Maharashtra with 20 cases has the highest number of cases of the new virus variant in the country, as per the state health department.
India's active Covid-19 cases fell below 90,000 as fresh cases lagged daily recoveries even as concerns around the Omicron variant loom.
As many as 5,784 people tested positive for the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry’s update at 8 a.m. on Dec. 14. That compares with nearly 7,995 recoveries during the period.
India's active caseload now accounts for about 0.26% of the total cases.
India's daily positivity rate stood at 0.58%. It has stayed less than 2% for the last 71 days. The weekly positivity rate at 0.68% remained below 1% for the last 30 days.
In Surat, a person, who had recently returned from South Africa, tested positive for the new variant of coronavirus, Dr. Ashish Naik, deputy health commissioner at Surat Municipal Corporation, said.
Key Figures:
Total confirmed cases: 3,47,03,644
Total number of active cases: 88,993
Total patients cured/discharged/migrated: 3,41,38,763
Total deaths: 4,75,888
Number of fresh cases in last 24 hours: 5,784
One-day recoveries: 7,995
One-day deaths: 252
Total vaccines administered: 1,33,88,12,577
Vaccines administered in the last 24 hours: 66,98,601