COVID-19: India adds 309 new Omicron cases, biggest single-day spike
What's the story
India on Friday added 309 new COVID-19 cases involving the Omicron variant. Notably, this is the biggest single-day jump in Omicron cases since the variant was first detected in India. Overall, India reported over 16,000 COVID-19 cases on Friday. The active caseload is just over 91,000, accounting for 0.26% of the total cases. Meanwhile, India's recovery rate currently stands at 98.36%.
Context
Why does it matter?
India on Friday reported 27% higher COVID-19 cases than the day before. Notably, India's daily Omicron tally crossed the 15,000-mark for the first time after 64 days. Active cases also rose for the third consecutive day on Friday after witnessing a near-constant decline for weeks. Meanwhile, India's Omicron tally broke the daily record on Friday for the third time in less than a week.
Statistics
Over 7K patients discharged
According to the Union Health Ministry, India reported a total of 3,48,38,804 COVID-19 cases till Friday morning. Meanwhile, the death toll reached 4,81,080. With 7,585 fresh discharges, India's recoveries stand at 3,42,66,363. In the past 24 hours, 16,764 new cases and 220 fresh fatalities were reported. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 0.89%. It has remained under 1% the last 47 days.
Trend
India's second wave peaked on May 7
India's second wave peaked on May 7, when 4.14 lakh single-day cases were reported, over four times the number of cases reported during the first wave in mid-September 2020. Although infections have declined since the second wave peaked, India crossed the three-crore mark on June 23. India had crossed the one-crore mark on December 19, 2020, and the two-crore mark on May 4, 2021.
States
Maharashtra adds most new cases
Maharashtra reported 5,368 new COVID-19 cases along with 1,193 more recoveries. Kerala, the second worst-hit state after Maharashtra, reported 2,423 new cases and 2,879 discharges. The third worst-hit Karnataka added 707 new cases and 252 recoveries. Tamil Nadu, the fourth worst-hit state, reported 890 new cases and 608 recoveries. Andhra Pradesh reported 130 new cases and 97 recoveries.
Vaccination
Over 144 crore vaccine doses administered
Until 11:30 am on Friday, India had administered over 144.6 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses. Overall, over 60 crore people have been fully vaccinated, while over 84.5 crore people have received at least one dose. On Friday alone, India administered over 12.2 lakh more COVID-19 vaccine doses till 11:30 am, including over 9.7 lakh second doses and over 2.6 lakh first doses, according to Co-WIN.
Omicron
India's Omicron tally reaches 1,270
Meanwhile, India's tally of Omicron cases has reached 1,270, with cases being detected in 23 states and union territories. Maharashtra topped the list of worst-hit states with 450 cases, followed by Delhi (320 cases). The other worst-affected regions include Kerala (109 cases), Gujarat (97), Rajasthan (69), Telangana (62), and Tamil Nadu (46). Overall, a total of 374 patients infected with Omicron have been discharged.
Recent news
Centre red-flags 6 states, 9 districts over increase in cases
The Union Health Ministry on Thursday red-flagged nine urban districts and six states on the basis of their increasing trajectory in weekly COVID-19 case counts and positivity rates. The "sharp increase" in COVID-19 cases in urban districts is likely driven by the Omicron variant, the Ministry said. The states listed by the Centre include Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, West Bengal, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.