No respite as India logs 2.64 lakh new Covid-19 cases, Omicron tally jumps to 5753
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India recorded 2,64,202 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, 6.7 per cent higher than the tally reported by the Union health ministry on Thursday.
With fresh infections, the country's Covid-19 caseload has increased by 1,54,542 to 12,72,073 and the daily positivity rate stands at 14.78 per cent.
Deaths from Covid rose by 315, with total fatalities now at 485,350, the Health Ministry said.
India has reported 5,753 cases of the Omicron variant, according to the Health Ministry. There has been a 4.83 per cent increase in Omicron cases since Thursday.
The active cases have increased to 12,72,073, the highest in 220 days. The active cases now comprise 3.48 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has decreased to 95.20 per cent.
The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 11.83 per cent. The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive has exceeded 155.39 crores, the ministry said.
Maharashtra, one of the worst-hit states by the Covid pandemic, added 46,406 new coronavirus cases, 317 less than a day before, and 36 more fatalities linked to the infection. No new Omicron infection was reported in the state, it said.
Delhi saw the biggest-ever daily spike in Covid infections Thursday with 28,867 new Covid cases as the positivity rate surged to 29 per cent, indicating that for every three tests conducted, one person is testing positive.
India has entered the third year of the fight against "one of the biggest epidemics in 100 years", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday after he held a meeting with Chief Ministers to discuss the unprecedented spike in Covid infections. Vaccination is the best bet against coronavirus, PM Modi insisted, adding that about 70 per cent of the adult population in the country has got both doses.
Covid cases have been on the rise since late last year due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant, first identified in Botswana and South Africa. The total number of Covid-19 registered worldwide since the start of the pandemic topped 300 million on Friday, according to an AFP count based on official figures.
