With that it's a wrap to the live updates on the COViD-19 situation from India and around the world for today. Do join us tomorrow for all the top developments on the coronavirus pandemic. Until then stay safe, good night.

Jan 6, 2022 10:22 PM

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Omicron's mildness a 'mistake', COVID not getting milder, warns 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 said.

Jan 6, 2022 10:17 PM

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: BMC issues new guidelines as COVID-19 cases surge

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has issued fresh guidelines for patients eligible for home isolation and which patients should seek medical assistance.

Here's a look at the fresh guidelines:

Patients eligible for Home Isolation:

- Clinically assigned as mild/ asymptomatic case by the treating Medical Officer

- Patient having requisite facility at residence for self-isolation & for quarantining family contacts

- Elderly patients aged above 60 years and those with co-morbid conditions shall only be allowed home isolation after proper evaluation by the treating Medical Officer/Doctor

- Patients suffering from immune compromised status are not recommended for home isolation

- Home Isolation shall not be applicable for pregnant women 2 weeks before Expected Date of Delivery

When to seek medical attention?

- Immediate medical attention must be sought if serious signs or symptoms develop. These could include:

Unresolved High-grade fever (more than 100 degrees F for more than 3 days).

Difficulty in breathing.

Dip in oxygen saturation (SpO2 s 93% on room air at least 3 readings within 1 hour) or respiratory rate above 24/min

Persistent pain/pressure in the chest.

Mental confusion or inability to arouse.

Severe fatigue and myalgia.

Jan 6, 2022 9:54 PM

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Delta and Omicron variants of COVID-19 spreading like 'tsunami', says TN health minister

The Delta and Omicron variants of the coronavirus were spreading like a 'tsunami' wave in Tamil Nadu, State Minister for Medical and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian said on Thursday and appealed to people to adhere to Covid-19 protocols besides getting vaccinated to contain the spread. The comment comes in the wake of the state registering a massive spurt in new Covid-19 infections over the last few days. Talking to reporters here, along with Minister for Higher Education K Ponmudi, Subramanian said both Omicron and Delta variants were spreading like a 'tsunami' in Tamil Nadu and the government has set up nearly 30 Corona Care Centres in Chennai alone to cater to those infected. On Wednesday, Tamil Nadu witnessed 4,862 people testing Covid-19 positive, pushing the tally to 27.60 lakh while nine fatalities took the toll to 36,814. "We have 904 beds in Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam, another 104-bed facility at Injambakkam and in Tondiarpet we have a 200-bed facility.. We are also putting up beds in some marriage halls," he said.

Jan 6, 2022 9:27 PM

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Maharashtra reports 36,265 COVID-19 cases, active case tally reaches 1.14 lakh

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 per cent. 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 per cent.Currently 5,85,758 people are in home quarantine and 1368 people are in institutional quarantine.

Jan 6, 2022 9:18 PM

Jan 6, 2022 9:13 PM

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Uttar Pradesh records over 3,100 new COVID-19 cases, one death

Uttar Pradesh recorded 3,121 fresh COVID-19 cases and one death due to the infection in the last 24 hours, officials said on Thursday. The new fatality, reported from Meerut, raised the death toll from the pandemic to 22,917 in the state. The patient was suffering from several serious ailments and was admitted to hospital. During investigation, it was found that he was also infected with COVID-19, Additional Chief Secretary (Health)Amit Mohan Prasad said. Prasad, however, did not clarify whether or not the patient was infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Among new cases, a maximum 600 were reported from Gautam Buddha Nagar, 408 from Lucknow, 401 from Meerut and 382 from Ghaziabad, a health department release said. Forty-seven more patients also recovered from the infection, it said, adding the number of active cases now stands at 8,224 in Uttar Pradesh. Prasad informed that during the last 24 hours, over 1.96 lakh samples were tested for COVID-19. So far, more than 9. 39 crore samples have been tested in the state.

Jan 6, 2022 9:13 PM

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Telangana logs 1913 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths

Telangana continued to witness a rise in COVID-19 cases with 1,913 new infections being reported on Thursday, taking the tally to 6,87,456 while the death toll rose to 4,036 with two more fatalities. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of fresh cases with 1,214, followed by Ranga Reddy (213) district, the bulletin said, providing details as of 5.30 PM today. It said 232 people recovered from the infection on Thursday. The cumulative number of recoveries till date was 6,75,573. The number of active cases surged to 7,847, the bulletin said. It said 54,534 samples were tested today and the total number examined till date was nearly three crore. Meanwhile Telangana Public health Director G Srinivasa Rao told a press conference that 70 per cent COVID-19 cases reported in the country may belong to the Omicron variant though it is not a concern as the treatment is the same for any strain.

Jan 6, 2022 8:50 PM

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Over 50K more Delhi teens get first dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Nearly 56,000 teenagers in Delhi belonging to the 15-17 age group received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose on Thursday, according to official figures. The drive was started at 169 centres in the national capital on Monday. On January 6, 5.30 pm, a total of 55,979 children in the age bracket of 15-17 were vaccinated across Delhi. The Northeast district scored the highest number of inoculations till 5.30 pm on Thursday with 8,199 jabs, followed by the Southwest district with 6,943. West Delhi district administered the lowest number of 2,964 vaccine doses to teenagers on Thursday, the data showed. In a massive surge, Delhi recorded 15,097 fresh Covid cases on Thursday, the highest single-day rise since May 8, and six deaths while the positivity rate mounted to 15.34 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.

Jan 6, 2022 8:49 PM

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Nashik records over 583 new COVID-19 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 6, 2022 8:11 PM

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: AAP cancels rallies in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh amid rising COVID-19 cases

The Aam Aadmi Party has decided to cancel its rallies in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh in view of spurt in coronavirus cases, senior party leader Sanjay Singh said on Thursday. The party will instead hold virtual rallies in the state, he said. "All rallies of AAP in Uttar Pradesh have been cancelled. I will talk to you at the 'Kejriwal Guarantee' public meeting to be held in Varanasi on January 8 through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube," the AAP MP tweeted in Hindi. Singh, who is the party in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, said accordingly yatras scheduled to start from Sahibabad on January 9 and from western part of the state on January 10 have been put off.

Jan 6, 2022 8:11 PM

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Mumbai reports 20,181 new cases, 85% patients are asymptomatic

Mumbai reported 20,181 fresh COVD-19 cases with 17,154 or 85 percent of patients being asymptomatic. Four deaths have been recorded in the financial capital due to the virus, while 1,170 patients needed to be hospitalized. Over 67,400 tests were conducted and the positivity rate is 30 percent. The city recorded 15,166 patients on January 5. A total of 106 patients are on oxygen support. The total number of beds occupied is 5,998.

Jan 6, 2022 8:04 PM

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: SC to hear matters in virtual mode from January 7 amid rise in COVID-19 cases

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. On January 2, the apex court had decided to conduct all hearings in virtual mode for two weeks starting from January 3, in view of the rising number of cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Jan 6, 2022 7:37 PM

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Goa reports 971 new cases; positivity rate rises to 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 per cent, 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.

Jan 6, 2022 7:36 PM

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Delhi Health Minister says Omicron patients can be treated at home, no need to panic

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has said that patients who have been infected with Omicron can be treated at home. Addressing a press conference, Jain stressed that there was no need to panic, and patients should go to the hospital only if the symptoms are severe. Providing detailed information on the new variant, he stated that the Omicron is rapidly spreading in Delhi, we need to continue wearing a mask and practice social distancing. On January 6, 15,097 cases of COVID-19 were reported in Delhi. He asserted that no one has died as a result of the new Omicron variant in the capital as yet. In addition, he stated that no Omicron patient has yet required oxygen or ventilator support. He urged Delhi residents not to visit the hospital unless they were in immediate need. There are enough beds in Delhi's hospitals, so there is no need to panic. If the symptoms are minor, there is no need to go to the hospital. Only go to the hospital if your symptoms are severe.

Jan 6, 2022 7:13 PM

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