The health ministry also reported 302 new deaths, taking the total to 483,178. Total infections stand at 35.23 million
Government officials have privately said they are working under the assumption that daily infections will surpass the record of more than 414,000 set in May, given what has happened in countries such as the United States where daily cases recently rose past 1 million
NEW DELHI:
India reported 117,100 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, the most since early June, as the Omicron variant overtakes Delta in the cities.
The health ministry also reported 302 new deaths, taking the total to 483,178. Total infections stand at 35.23 million.
However, government officials have privately said they are working under the assumption that daily infections will surpass the record of more than 414,000 set in May, given what has happened in countries such as the United States where daily cases recently rose past 1 million.
“We will clearly surpass our record shortly and reach a new peak by early February,” M.D. Gupte, a former director of the state-run National Institute of Epidemiology and an immunisation adviser to the government, told Reuters.
“Given the size of our population, we will report more daily cases than the U.S. But what we have seen is that these cases are much more mild, so the need for hospitalisation and oxygen and all that is not picking up.”
He said India’s high rate of infection during a previous major wave in April and May, as well as vaccinations, would mean a reduction in the severity of the illness for those infected by the Omicron variant.
Nearly 70% Indians had been exposed to the coronavirus by the middle of last year, while an almost equal proportion of adults have been fully vaccinated as of this week.
Health officials in the capital, New Delhi, and the state of Maharashtra, home to the city of Mumbai, which together account for the bulk of new cases, have said hospitals and testing infrastructure have yet to come under pressure as many people are recovering quickly at home.
Maharashtra on Thursday logged 36,265 new coronavirus cases, 36 per cent more than the previous day with Mumbai alone registering 20,181 infections, a fresh record for the city, while 13 more patients succumbed to the disease, health department officials said.
The new cases included 79 Omicron infections, taking the tally of those infected with the variant to 797.
With these additions, the state’s coronavirus tally rose to 67,93,297, while the death toll increased to 1,41,594.
Health Minister Rajesh Tope said earlier in the day that the state government has not yet considered shutting down local trains in Mumbai and imposing inter-district travel restrictions as the number of hospitalisations was still low.
He ruled out the possibility of a lockdown in the state at this point of time.
Mumbai alone reported 20,181 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, a new record for the city, and four more deaths.
The slum-dominated and densely populated Dharavi area of Mumbai recorded 107 new coronavirus cases, highest since the pandemic began in March 2020, civic officials said. The previous record of daily cases in the area was 99, recorded on April 8, 2021, during the second wave of the pandemic.
In Mumbai, the hospitalisation rate has not increased significantly and 80 per cent of hospital beds in the city were still unoccupied, Tope told reporters.
A similar rise in infections had been seen during the second wave too last year, but this time around the demand for medical oxygen and the number of deaths have not increased, which was a positive sign, he added.
The new infections are seen to be affecting the upper respiratory tract, including the nose and throat, more, and not so much the lungs, the health minister said.
Delhi is expected to add 17,000 cases to its coronavirus infection tally with a positivity rate of around 17 per cent on Friday, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said.
He said Delhi is the first to witness a surge in infections because most of the international flights come to the capital.
“That is the reason we have implemented stricter measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 as compared to other states. Some people may say that this is not needed but it is better than repenting later,” Jain told reporters.
With more than 85 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses administered till 7 pm on Thursday, India’s cumulative vaccination coverage has crossed 149.57 crore.
“India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 149.57 crore (1,49,57,01,483) today. More than 85 lakh (85,32,595) vaccine doses have been administered till 7 pm today,” Union Health Minister said in a release.
The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect various population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level. The vaccination for the children aged 15-18 years began in the country on January 3. India reported 90,928 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours.
The daily positivity rate stands at 6.43 per cent while the weekly positivity rate stands at 3.47 per cent. With 325 more fatalities, the death toll has gone up to 48,2876.