Coronavirus Vaccine Registration, Coronavirus Omicron Variant Cases in India Live Updates: The official data says that India has 304 confirmed Omicron cases as of Thursday. Tamil Nadu topped the national tally for daily Omicron cases.
Covid-19 India Live News, New Omicron Variant Cases in India, Coronavirus Vaccine Statistics and Registration Latest Update Live, December 24 Live News: The Omicron wave is showing its early contours as India saw a sharp single-day increase in the fresh infections related to the variant first detected in South Africa. The official data says that India has 304 confirmed Omicron cases as of Thursday. Tamil Nadu topped the national tally for daily Omicron cases. However, Maharashtra is still the worst-affected state. Latest reports say that the Uddhav Thackeray government is set to announce new measures to contain the spread of the virus sometime later in the day. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a key meet on Thursday. The PM has asked the state officials to remain vigilant. Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to announce night curfew. In South, Karnataka has reported first Omicron cluster due to a flyer who arrived in state capital Bengaluru recently.
While numerous studies have shown that the Omicron wave of infections is likely to be milder in comparison to the Delta variant. However, health experts say that this should not result in any sort of laxity on part of either general public of local officials.
Add to this is the question of booster jabs. While 60 per cent of the total population in India is fully vaccinated, there is still a larger pool of unvaccinated people. Also, the six month period has lapsed, which means that many of those who got their first dose at the start of the vaccination programme are vulnerable to coronavirus infection.
Plus lack of enough genome sequencing infrastructure in India means that we won’t know the true extent of the spread of the Omicron variant.
Watch this space for more updates on Omicron cases, fresh curbs from India and around the globe:
Live Updates
Coronavirus India Live News: New Omicron Variant Symptoms and Cases in India, Coronavirus Vaccine Registration Latest Update, Covid-19 India Latest News Live
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Italy tightens rules on unvaccinated, New Year”s festivities
Italy on Thursday again tightened COVID-19 restrictions, focusing on the unvaccinated and on New Year’s Eve celebrations as the new omicron variant pushed recorded infections to the country’s highest one-day total ever. Under the new rules, people who have not been vaccinated will be barred from entering museums, exhibitions, amusement parks, bingo parlours and betting halls – places that until now they could access with a negative test. Already forbidden seating in restaurants, their dining options have now been completely shut down as they can no longer be served standing at a bar. “It is important that we present a series of measures to respond to the growth of cases that we see in the last days, due to the arrival in our country in a significant way of the omicron variant,” Health Minister Roberto Speranza told a press conference. – AP
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: Florida judge latest to block Biden contractor vaccine rule
A federal judge in Florida on Wednesday blocked President Joe Biden’s requirement for federal contractors to receive coronavirus vaccines, adding to a series of legal setbacks for the mandate. US District Judge Steven Merryday wrote that Florida’s lawsuit against the rule demonstrated a “substantial likelihood” that the White House did not have authority to set the requirement. The preliminary injunction in Florida comes after a federal judge in Georgia this month had already blocked enforcement of the rule nationwide. Judges in Missouri and Kentucky have issued similar rulings. The decision marks the one of the latest victories for Republican-led states challenging Biden’s vaccine mandates, which the White House argues are necessary to protect Americans during the pandemic. – AP
Coronavirus Omicron Live Tracker: US sets shorter COVID-19 isolation rules for health workers
Worried that a new COVID-19 wave could overwhelm understaffed US hospitals, federal officials on Thursday loosened rules that call on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive. Those workers now will be allowed to come back to work after seven days if they test negative and don’t have symptoms. Isolation time can be cut to five days, or even fewer, if there are severe staffing shortages, according to the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. “As the health care community prepares for an anticipated surge in patients due to omicron, CDC is updating our recommendations to reflect what we know about infection and exposure in the context of vaccination and booster doses,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. AP
