Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with chief ministers at 04:30pm on Thursday, news agency ANI reported. They will discuss the surge in Omicron cases. Reviewing the Covid situation at a high-level meeting on Sunday, Modi had called for ensuring adequate health infrastructure at the district level and accelerating the vaccination drive for adolescents in mission mode. The precaution vaccination drive for healthcare and frontline workers besides those over 60 years of age with comorbidities has also started.
As of Wednesday, the active cases increased to 9,55,319, the highest in 211 days, while the death toll climbed to 4,84,655 with 442 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.
As many as 300 districts in India are reporting weekly COVID case positivity of more than 5 per cent, the Union government said on Wednesday as it urged people not to treat infection due to Omicron variant as common cold and get vaccinated. It said Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Gujarat are emerging as states of concern due to the rise in COVID cases there.
Addressing a press conference, Joint Secretary in Health Ministry Lav Agarwal said a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections has been noted in India with the case positivity climbing to 11.05 per cent on Wednesday from 1.1 per cent on December 30. Concurrently, COVID cases have been rising globally with January 10 recording the highest ever single-day rise of 31.59 lakh cases worldwide, he said. The official said that currently, 300 districts in India are reporting weekly case positivity of more than 5 per cent.
Informing the press conference that 19 states have over 10,000 active COVID cases, Agarwal said Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Gujarat are emerging as states of concern due to the rise in Covid cases there.
