Delhi, Mumbai see dip in COVID-19 cases; Bengaluru, Kerala see rise in infections
India on Wednesday reported 2.82 lakh new Covid-19 cases and 441 deaths. The country’s Omicron tally stands at 8,961.
In the wake of mounting concerns around Covid-19 cases, in some positive news, 50 per cent of the eligible teenagers have been vaccinated with the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tweeted, “Young and youthful India showing the way! This is encouraging news. Let us keep the momentum.”
Meanwhile, taking a look at the stats across the country, national capital Delhi reported a total of 13,785 new Covid-19 cases, 16,580 recoveries and 35 deaths in the past 24 hours. The active cases stand at 75,282, while the cumulative positivity rate 5.11 per cent, the health department data shows.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said the government will monitor the Covid-19 situation for three to four days to confirm the trend of positivity rate before reviewing the curbs in the national capital.
Mumbai on Wednesday reported 6,032 new cases, a marginal decrease from Tuesday’s number — 6,149. The number of deaths however rose to 12 in past 24 hours from seven the day before. As many as 18,241 people recovered from the infection. Maharashtra reported 43,697 new cases and 49 deaths in the last 24 hours.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that there has been a gradual decline in Covid-19 cases in areas under its administration. The BMC counsel, while referring to the situation prevailing in Mumbai and adjoining regions, said that the “situation is under control” and “there is no reason to panic.
The third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic continued to sweep Kerala with the test positivity rate surging to 37.17 per cent on Wednesday. The state reported 34,199 new cases on Wednesday when 91,983 samples were tested in the last 24 hours. The active caseload rose to 1.68 lakh.
Karnataka on Wednesday registered 40,499 new Covid-19 cases and 21 deaths. The positivity rate in the state stood at 18.80 per cent. The capital Bengaluru alone recorded 24,135 fresh coronavirus infections along with five deaths. The total number of active cases in the state is 2,67,650, of which Bengaluru accounts to over 1,84,000.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said a decision on relaxing Covid restrictions in the state would be taken after discussing the issue at a meeting with the experts. The meeting is scheduled to be held on Friday.