New Delhi: India reported 8,603 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the number of active cases to 99,974. The death toll stood at 415 with 8,190 being cured on Friday. According to the data updated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday morning, the positivity rate stands at 0.29 per cent with a mortality rate of 1.36 per cent.
The highest number of cases were reported from Kerala at 4,995. Active cases increased by 252 as compared to yesterday. At the same time, 413 new cases were registered in Karnataka. There was an increase of 169 in active cases. Karnataka is a matter of concern as new cases are emerging in India amid fears of omicron cases. On Friday, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) released the details of two Omicron positive patients in Karnataka. One of them, a 46-year-old doctor, had no travel history.
On the other hand, three of his primary and two secondary contacts had tested positive for Covid-19. Their samples have been sent for genome sequencing, the results of which are still awaited. 12 more suspected patients are awaiting genome sequencing results in Delhi.
Experts on Friday said that Omicron has all the characteristics to trigger the third Covid-19 wave in India as it can overtake the dreaded delta variant that caused the second wave in the country.
While India is ramping up its vaccination campaign, the uncertainty about the impact of Omicron on the effectiveness of the vaccine is a cautionary bell among health experts. The Center and the states are working together to tackle the Omicron crisis before it gets out of hand.
The central and state government is preparing for a possible outbreak of the new version. Omicron was first detected in South Africa on 25 November. 38 countries, including India, have confirmed cases of Omicron. However, no death has been reported so far.
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