Mumbai reports over 2,500 new COVID-19 cases, 82% daily jump
Mumbai reported 2,510 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, seeing a massive 82% jump from Tuesday's count of 1,377 infections. The city also registered one related death and 251 recoveries. Active cases in the city now stand at 8,060. The worrying figures coincide with a surge in COVID-19 cases in several states and cities across India.
Why does it matter?
The fresh data from Mumbai may be seen as a sign that India is potentially staring at a fresh wave of COVID-19 infections. Several other cities including national capital Delhi and Bengaluru have also witnessed surges in the recent days. This comes in the wake of the spread of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus which is heavily mutated and highly transmissible.
'Alarming situation,' says Maharashtra Health Minister
Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray had said daily coronavirus cases in the city were expected to cross 2,000 on Wednesday. "Last week we were reporting 150 cases per day, now we are reporting around 2,000 cases per day," he told reporters. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope called the COVID-19 situation in the state "alarming."
Don't panic, urges Thackeray
"As the cases are rising rapidly, we urge everyone not to panic. However, we all must exercise extreme caution and ensure that we are vaccinated and masked up," Thackeray said on Wednesday.
Mumbai prepares for new wave
The authorities in Mumbai have ordered public places to remain shut on December 31—New Year's Eve. Further, no more than five people can gather at a place during 9pm-6am. The Mumbai civic body is currently working to ramp up hospital infrastructure and oxygen stock. Other key areas of focus will be vaccination for eligible children and booster doses for healthcare workers and senior citizens.
COVID-19 situation in India
Meanwhile, India on Wednesday morning reported 9,195 fresh COVID-19 cases over the last 24 hours, a surge of 44% from Tuesday's tally. Further, the country's count of Omicron cases climbed to 781. Delhi has the highest number of new strain cases at 238 followed by Maharashtra at 167. Separately, more than 143 crore vaccine doses have been administered across India so far.