COVID-19: India reports 27K+ cases; Delhi records 50% jump
What's the story
As India's daily COVID-19 cases continued to rise, the national capital of Delhi witnessed a 50% jump in infections. Delhi recorded 2,716 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, up from 1,796 the day before. The daily positivity rate stood at 3.64%. Overall, India reported over 27,000 infections on Sunday. Meanwhile, the nationwide tally of cases involving the Omicron variant of coronavirus rose to 1,525 on Sunday.
Context
Why does it matter?
India's COVID-19 tally has been on a worrisome rise the last few days. The spike comes in light of the emergence of the Omicron variant, which has sparked been attributed to rising infections worldwide. Amid concerns of an imminent third wave of COVID-19, experts predict that India may witness a short, but intense rise in cases. Several states have imposed lockdown-like restrictions and curfews.
Statistics
India's COVID-19 tally climbs nears 3.49 crore
According to the Union Health Ministry, India reported a total of 3,48,89,132 COVID-19 cases till Sunday morning. Meanwhile, the death toll reached 4,81,770. With 9,249 fresh discharges, India's recoveries stand at 3,42,84,561. In the past 24 hours, 27,533 new cases and 284 fresh fatalities were reported. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.55%, while the weekly rate reached 1.35%.
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
Over 9K cases in Maharashtra alone
Maharashtra reported 9,170 new COVID-19 cases along with 1,445 more recoveries. Kerala, the second worst-hit state after Maharashtra, reported 2,435 new cases and 2,704 discharges. The third worst-hit Karnataka added 1,033 new cases and 354 recoveries. Tamil Nadu, the fourth worst-hit state, reported 1,489 new cases and 611 recoveries. Andhra Pradesh reported 176 new cases and 103 recoveries.
Vaccination
Over 145 crore vaccine doses administered
Until 11 am on Sunday, India had administered nearly 145.5 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses. Overall, over 60.7 crore people have been fully vaccinated, while over 84.7 crore people have received at least one dose. On Sunday alone, India administered over 2.5 lakh more COVID-19 vaccine doses till 11 am, including over 1.9 lakh second doses and over 60,000 first doses, according to Co-WIN.
Omicron
India's Omicron tally reaches 1,525
Meanwhile, India's tally of Omicron cases has reached 1,525, with cases being detected in 23 states/UTs. Maharashtra topped the list of worst-hit states with 460 cases, followed by Delhi (351 cases). The other worst-affected regions include Gujarat (136 cases), Tamil Nadu (117), Kerala (109), Rajasthan (69), and Telangana (67). Overall, a total of 560 patients infected with Omicron have recovered, migrated, or been discharged.
Government advisory
Government tells states to set up makeshift hospitals
The central government has advised states/UTs to establish makeshift hospitals and form to keep a check on patients in home isolation. "This becomes all the more important since with the sudden increase in cases, we may start seeing a stressed health infrastructure," Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a letter to all states/UTs on Saturday.