Amid the surge in Covid-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant, India began administering “precaution doses” to healthcare, frontline workers and senior citizens with comorbidities on Monday. Beneficiaries have hailed the government’s decision and said that it is a good initiative. “I have got my precautionary booster dose. Everyone should get vaccinated. It is compulsory and it has no side effects. I have got Covaxin,” said Dharmendra Kumar Sharma, a beneficiary at RML Hospital. Mahendra Pandey, another beneficiary at RML Hospital said, “On 30 March, I received my second dose of Covaxin. Today I have got a booster dose. It is a good initiative of the government to give booster doses to the frontline workers and senior citizens with comorbidities especially at a time when there is a third wave of Covid.”
India reported 179,723 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the daily positivity rate in the country to 13.29%, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday. A total of 4,033 cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus have been reported so far. Maharashtra has reported the highest number of cases (1,216), followed by Rajasthan (529) and Delhi (513). 1,552 patients infected with the new variant have recovered. The Ministry further said that the active caseload in the country currently stands at 723,619, which accounts for 2.03% of the country’s total number of cases.
Delhi reported 19,166 new Covid-19 cases during the past 24 hours, the highest since 5 May last year, said the union territory in a health bulletin on Monday. The positivity rate has soared to 25%. As many as 1,568,896 people have been infected with Covid-19 infection in Delhi so far. With these 19,166 new cases, the active caseload has gone up to 65,806 in Delhi which is the highest since 15 May last year. On 15 May, Delhi’s active caseload stood at 66,295. Delhi LG said that DDMA has decided to close restaurants and bars and to allow “take away” facility only. It was also decided to allow operation of only one weekly market per day per zone.
Around 1,000 Delhi Police personnel have tested positive for Covid-19, the Delhi Police said on Monday, adding that a total of 46 prisoners in Delhi jails have also tested positive for the virus. Delhi Police sources said that senior officers are holding virtual meetings without much emphasis on physical meetings. In the Delhi Police Headquarters, all those who have tested positive for Covid-19 have been advised to stay in home isolation, sources said.
Around 25 international passengers were de-boarded at Delhi airport on Monday after testing positive for Covid-19. Maximum number of passengers were scheduled to travel to Dubai by SpiceJet. “Thirteen passengers have been de-boarded today as they tested positive for Covid-19,” a SpiceJet official said. Besides SpiceJet, many passengers of different airlines have also been deboarded after reports of the passengers concerned came positive.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP chief J.P. Nadda on Monday said that they have tested positive for Covid-19. Union Minister of State for Defence and Tourism Ajay Bhatt too said on Monday that he had tested positive and was in home isolation. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Karnataka counterpart Basavaraj Bommai also tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday. Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday advised five states and one Union Territory to ensure that all kinds of oxygen infrastructure are functional and operational, in view of the surge in Covid-19 cases across the country. The Union Health Minister met health ministers, officials from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Maharashtra at 3:30 pm to discuss the Covid-situation in these states.
Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Lav Aggarwal advised people to rely on only authentic sources of information and avoid creating a panic situation as the infection caused by Omicron variant is mild. Addressing a virtual meeting, Aggarwal said, “One must only trust the authentic source of information, not any information that might create panic. We should become more responsible collectively. Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) of Covid-19 infection is 70 times more transmissible in nature; however, it is a milder infection that requires home isolation at large and lesser hospitalisation.”
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea alleging that China is deliberately spreading the Covid-19 virus as a biological weapon. A Bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M.M. Sundresh dismissed a plea filed by a Karnataka-based lawyer who has contended that virgin coconut oil can dissolve the virus and sought directions to the Central government to stop China from spreading the virus. The Bench said the petition was only a publicity move. “Is it the court’s job to see what is the international ramification, whether China is committing genocide or not? What kind of petition is this? You want this virgin coconut oil to dissolve the virus. What is going on? It seems you wanted to file a petition just to appear before this court. Nothing else,” the Bench said.