Coronavirus News highlights: Mumbai reports 19,474 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours

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Maharashtra reports 44,388 new Covid cases, 15,351 recoveries, and 12 deaths today

Punjab reports 3922 new cases, 145 recoveries and 9 death. Active cases 16,343. Number of patients on oxygen support: 254

Tamil Nadu reports 12,895 new cases, 1,808 recoveries, and 12 deaths, in the last 24 hours. Active cases 51,335

West Bengal reports 24,287 new Covid cases, 8,213 recoveries, and 18 deaths today

PM Modi to convene a meeting with CMs to discuss state-specific scenarios, best-practices, and the public health response. He highlighted the need to ensure continuity of non-Covid health services while managing Covid cases presently

In view of rising Covid-19 cases within ICUs/ dialysis units and hospital wards, Delhi Govt asks private hospitals to ensure that healthcare workers treating non-Covid patients especially in ICUs should maintain Covid appropriate behaviour

Mumbai reports 19,474 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours

A deserted look of Corporation circle during the state-wide weekend lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, in Bengaluru

Rajasthan records 5,660 fresh Covid cases, 358 recoveries, and one death today

Delhi logs 22,751 fresh Covid cases, 10,179 recoveries, and 17 deaths today

Nepal govt decides to make vaccination card compulsory to enter public places from January 17

A doll with syringes is seen as people take part in a demonstration against the Belgian government's restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease in Brussels

Weekend curfew: Nearly 1,500 booked for Covid violation in Delhi

Delhi Police have booked nearly 1,500 people in the national capital for violatingCovidnorms on the first day of the weekend curfew on January 8, an official said on Sunday.

"A total of 1,484Covid challan were issued on Saturday, January 8," the official said.

To curb further spread ofCovid-19, the national capital currently remains under a stringent curfew from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.

Greece sets February deadline for booster jabs

Greece on Sunday set a February deadline for people to receive coronavirus booster jabs and will bar those without the additional dose from most indoor venues.

"From February 1, anyone who has not taken the booster dose after a seven month period (from the second dose) will be considered unvaccinated," Greek Health Minister Thanos Plevris said in an interview with the Ant1 broadcaster.

West Bengal asks salons and beauty parlours to operate at 50% capacity following Covid guidelines

4,029 cases reported in Pune today as Omicron variant surge hits the city

Kerala reports 6,238 new Covid cases, 2390 recoveries, and 30 deaths today

Alarm bells ring again as Covid cases surge in Agra

At least 236 newCovid-19 cases have been recorded in the last 24 hours in Uttar Pradesh's Agra, taking the overall caseload to 979 in the first six days of January 2022, officials said on Sunday.

Before January 1, as per the state health department data, the total number ofCovid-positive cases was 26,761 with 25,323 recoveries and 458 deaths.

Kolkata police stations to introduce WhatsApp connectivity for ease of communication amid Covid surge

The Kolkata Police on Sunday said it has introduced mobile phone service with WhatsApp facility at every police station for smooth communication with people, amid a surge ofCovid-19 cases.

Actions taken during weekend curfew in Delhi on January 8, 2022

Karnataka reports 12,000 fresh Covid cases, with 9,020 cases alone in Bengaluru today

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to interact with state health ministers tomorrow over the Covid-19 situation (ANI)

Tripura Govt to impose night curfew (9pm-5 am) from Jan 10 to Jan 20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs a meeting to review the Covid-19 situation in the country, through video conference

Covid -19: Schools to remain closed from Jan 10 in Puducherry

All schools conducting offline classes for students from grade 1 to 9 will remain shut from Monday in the Union Territory due to unabated rise in number ofCovid19 cases.

Home and Education Minister A Namassivayam said in a release that online classes would resume for students of Classes 1 to 9 as holiday has been declared for these classes from tomorrow until further orders.

Director of School Education P T Rudra Goud said all schools including the privately managed and government aided institutions would remain closed in view of 'surge in number of daily cases,' until further orders.

Relying on more home Covid tests, Israel looks to lower costs

Israel sought on Sunday to ease access to homeCovid-19 tests after a decision to allow most vaccinated people to use the kits to decide whether or not to quarantine led to shortages in shops and complaints about high prices.

"We are mindful of the public's distress," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said at the weekly cabinet meeting, announcing that every child in kindergarten or elementary school in Israel would be issued will three free kits in the coming days.

J&K: BSF suspends weekend beating retreat ceremony at Suchetgarh Border Out Post in view of rising Covid cases

Cyprus detects new 'Deltacron' Covid variant

Cyprus has detected a new variant dubbed as "Deltacron", that has a similar genetic background to the Delta variant, coupled with 10 mutations from Omicron.

The variant has already affected 25 people in Cyprus.

According to Dr Leondios Kostrikis, the head of the laboratory of biotechnology and molecular virology at the University of Cyprus, of the 25 samples taken in Cyprus, 11 were hospitalised due to the virus, while 14 were from the general population, the Cyprus Mail reported.

Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer Dr S Karuna Raju tests positive for Covid-19

Maharashtra revises Covid-19 restrictions

Beauty saloons shall be grouped with salons andshall be allowed to remain open with 50 per cent capacity. Gyms are allowed to remain open with 50 per cent capacity. Only fully vaccinated persons shall be allowed to use these services.

Omicron scare in China’s Tianjin close to Beijing ahead of Winter Olympics

China on Sunday scampered to test 14 million residents of Tianjin as the port city near the capital has set off alarm bells ahead of the next month’s Beijing Winter Olympics by reporting a cluster of Covid-19 cases, including two with the dreaded Omicron variant.

Thousands of people commute between Tianjin and Beijing as it takes hardly 30 minutes by the high-speed train.

Officials said that Tianjin, a municipality that neighbours Beijing, has decided to start a citywide nucleic acid testing after 20 people tested positive for Covid-19.

The infections were reported on Friday and Saturday in Jinnan district and the gene sequencing found the first two locally-transmitted confirmed cases were infected with the Omicron variant, the municipal headquarters for Covid-19 prevention and control said on Sunday.

In view of the rising Covid-19 cases, Rajya Sabha Secretariat has restricted staff attendance. As per new directions, 50 per cent officials and staff below the rank of undersecretary/executive officer are required to work from home till the end of this month.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu reviewed the situation and directed that necessary measures be taken to contain the spread of the virus among the Secretariat officials and staff ahead of the Budget session which is to begin towards the end of this month.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said in a digital press briefing that there is no intent of imposing a lockdown yet and urged people to wear masks and follow Covid protocol.

"Covid-19 cases are rapidly rising. About 22,000 cases are expected in today's health bulletin. Increasing cases concerning but need not be scared. I am saying so after analysing (comparing) data from the last wave," he said.

400 Parliament staffers test Covid positive

Some 400 Parliament staffers have tested positive for Covid-19 during random testing, sources said here.

According to the sources, random testing was conducted on January 6-7 in the wake of the sudden spike of new cases in the national capital.

Most of the staffers who have contracted the virus did not show any symptoms, they said, adding: "More random testing will be conducted for those coming to Parliament to control the infection spread."

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will address a digital presser at noon today. He tweeted earlier today that he has recovered from Covid-19.

JUST IN | Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting to review the Covid situation in India at 4.30 pm today.

Covid surge in India triggers rush for antibody cocktail

With India witnessing a super-surge in Omicron-triggered Covid cases, people across age groups are now rushing to hospitals and healthcare providers asking for a dose of the monoclonal antibody cocktail therapy -- popularised by former US President Donald Trump in 2020.Promising to reduce the severity of Covid-19 disease in a certain high-risk age-group with co-morbidities, this antibody cocktail, however, is not for everyone -- not at all for those infected with Omicron, warn health experts.A single dose of the cocktail therapy costs nearly Rs 65,000.

India on Sunday reported 1,59,632 new Covid-19 cases and 327 deaths in the last 24 hours, government data showed. The daily positivity rate rose to 10.21 per cent. Active caseload stands at 5,90,611.

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Global Covid caseload tops 304.8 mn

Amid an ongoing resurgence across the world, the global coronavirus caseload has topped 304.8 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 5.48 million and vaccinations to over 9.39 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.In its latest update on Sunday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 304,857,979 and 5,484,079, respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered has increased to 9,397,334,435.

Australia's New South Wales sees deadliest day of pandemic

Australia's New South Wales state reported 16 deaths on Sunday in its deadliest day of the pandemic, even as it relaxed rules to allow some essential workers in isolation to return to work if they are asymptomatic.Just over 30,000 new cases were reported in Australia's most populous state, forcing those people to join more than 2,00,000 others in isolation.No statistics are kept to determine how many of those are essential workers in the food and manufacturing sectors. But some employers say up to half of their workers have been furloughed after coming into contact with a positive case.