India records 1.94 lakh fresh Covid cases, Omicron tally jumps to 4868

New Delhi: India reported 1,94,720 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, 15.8 per cent higher than yesterday's 1.68 lakh cases. The daily positivity rate - or number of people infected per 100 tests - is 11.5 per cent, this morning's government data shows.

The top five states which have registered maximum cases are Maharashtra with 34,424 cases, followed by Delhi with 21,259 cases, West Bengal with 21,098 cases, Tamil Nadu with 15,379 cases and Karnataka with 14,473 cases.

While 54.77% of the new cases are reported from these five states, Maharashtra alone is responsible for 17.68% of the new cases.

The country has so far reported 4,868 cases of Omicron infection, the highly transmissible coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa. Maharashtra has the most Omicron cases with 1,281, followed by Rajasthan with 645 cases.

At least 120 districts in 29 states and Union Territories have reported a weekly positivity rate of 10 per cent in the third wave of the pandemic.

A total of 60,405 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, which brings the total recoveries to 3,46,30,536 across the country. India's recovery rate now stands at 96.01%.

India has administered a total of 85,26,240 doses in the last 24 hours, which brings the total tally of doses administered to 1,53,80,08,200.

A total of 69.52 crore Covid tests have been conducted in the country so far. A total of 17,61,900 samples were tested in the last 24 hours.

India is giving booster dose to frontline medical workers and those above 60 with comorbidities. Despite this, the Omicron variant is "almost unstoppable" and everyone will eventually be infected with it, a top government expert told NDTV yesterday.

Booster vaccine doses won't stop the rapid spread of the virus, said Dr Jaiprakash Muliyil, epidemiologist and chairperson of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the National Institute of Epidemiology at the Indian Council of Medical Research, adding that Omicron presents itself just like the cold.

"It makes no difference. The infection will occur. It has occurred all over the world regardless of this," Dr Muliyil said about the booster doses.