A new Omicron sub-variant has been detected in the majority of samples taken from Covid patients in Delhi as part of a study at the LNJP Hospital
All 230 swab samples collected from Mumbai in June-July were found to have been infected by Omicron sub-variants of coronavirus, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Thursday.
New Delhi:
As the country continues to record an average of over 15,000 coronavirus cases daily, the Centre has asked States to ensure there are no large gatherings for Independence Day celebrations and that everyone follows Covid protocols.
The Union Home Ministry has also conveyed to all States and Union Territories to carry out a ‘Swachh Bharat’ campaign at a prominent location of each district in the state and UT and carry out a fortnight and month-long campaign to keep it ‘Swachh’ through voluntary civil action.
In a communication, the ministry said, ”As a precaution, against COVID-19, large congregations in the ceremony be avoided. It is imperative that Covid guidelines are followed”.
India added 16,561 new coronavirus cases taking the total tally of Covid cases to 4,42,23,557, while the active cases dipped to 1,23,535, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.
The death toll climbed to 5,26,928 with 49 fatalities which include 10 deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The Home Ministry also asked government departments and educational institutions to carry out tree plantation programmes to spread awareness for conservation of environment.
With COVID cases and the positivity rate rising in Delhi, the district officials have started forming teams to strictly enforce the mask mandate and issue a fine of Rs 500 to violators, officials have said.
The district magistrates have been instructed to ensure that the laxity that had set in due to reduction in cases is corrected and wearing masks in public places is strictly enforced, a senior Revenue department officer said.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority(DDMA) has noted that the positivity rate of COVID-19 infection has increased in Delhi over the past fortnight, according to an order issued by the South Delhi district.
”The DDMA after examining all the relevant facts related to the issue of penal provisions for not adhering to covid protocol of wearing of mask at public places, decided that, in relation to the clause 3(h)(c) whereby not wearing of face mask/cover in all public places has been made an offence, a fine of Rs 500 for not wearing of face mask/cover in all public places in Delhi will be imposed,” the order said.
The fine will not be applicable to persons travelling together in private four-wheelers, it said.
A new Omicron sub-variant has been detected in the majority of samples taken from Covid patients in Delhi as part of a study at the LNJP Hospital here. A senior official of the hospital on Thursday said the samples of these patients were sent for genome sequencing and analysed this week.
More than half of these samples have been detected with the new sub-variant BA 2.75 of Omicron, he said. Doctors at the 2,000-bed LNJP Hospital, the largest under the Delhi government, has been the mainstay of the capital’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since its outbreak here in March 2020.
Doctors at the hospital, however, said cases in which these sub-variant was detected, the severity is less and patients are recovering faster, within five-seven days.
Sources said the study involved 90 patients, and the new sub-variant is more transmissible.
COVID-19 cases have seen a surge in the last two weeks or so. More than 19,760 COVID-19 cases in total have been recorded in Delhi from August 1-10, according to official data shared by the city health department here.
Besides, there been a nearly 50 per cent rise in the number of containment zones in the city in this period. Delhi on Wednesday reported eight fatalities due to coronavirus, the highest in nearly 180 days, and 2,146 new cases with a positivity rate of 17.83 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here.
100 pc samples from Mumbai found infected with Omicron sub-variants in latest genome sequencing
All 230 swab samples collected from Mumbai in June-July were found to have been infected by Omicron sub-variants of coronavirus, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Thursday.
Of the 230 patients whose samples were tested, 74 persons had not taken even a single dose of vaccines against COVID-19, and 19 of them were admitted to hospitals, the civic body said in a release.
Three of these patients ended up in ICU, it said.
The Public Health Department of the civic body appealed to the people to strictly follow the measures prescribed for controlling the spread of the virus.
Genome sequencing of samples from the city is being conducted periodically since last year to find out which subvariants of the virus are prevalent.
The results of the 14th round of genome sequencing showed that out of 230 samples, 64 or 28 per cent had BA 2.74 variant infection, 45 each were infected by BA 2.75 and 2.76 variants, another 28 samples showed BA 2.38 infection and 19 samples showed the presence of BA 5 variant, among others.
Most of these patients had mild COVID-19 symptoms, the BMC said.
A 43-year-old male COVID-19 patient having diabetes and heart disease died due to coronavirus infection, the release said.