Alarm after Maharashtra clocks 9,000+ fresh COVID cases  

It’s a New Year, and there is (more) grim news.

Maharashtra recorded 9,170 fresh COVID cases in the last 24 hours, a huge spike, taking the total infections in the state to 66,87,991. The death count has also increased to 1,41,533.

Maharashtra also recorded six new Omicron variant infections from Pune, another city that saw COVID cases peak last year as well.

Mumbai’s Saturday Covid count is the highest since the 5,888 cases witnessed on April 24 this year during the second wave, according to reports.

Meanwhile, the daily case count in Delhi breached the 2,000-mark after a gap of over seven months, as 2,716 new cases were logged with an increased positivity rate of 3.64 per cent.

This rise is the highest since May 21 when 3,009 cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 4.76 per cent, while 252 deaths were also reported on that day.

The huge spike in fresh cases in the span of the last few days in Delhi is being recorded amid a significant jump in cases of the new Omicron variant of Covid in the city.

Meanwhile, the Centre has written to all the states and Union territories cautioning them to be vigilant and alert and add more beds in hospitals, ramp up healthcare facilities and check their oxygen availability. Also, the Centre urged the states to set up makeshift hospitals similar to what was done in the second wave and monitor patients who are isolating at home.

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In his letter, the Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the world is currently reporting the highest-ever surge in COVID-19 cases in the context of the spread of the variant of concern Omicron. Hence, he wanted all states and UTs to operationalise control rooms and revisit the COVID-dedicated health infrastructure. There should be a clear focus on rural areas and pediatric cases, he wrote.