Spike in cases in India after festive holidays
India has reported over 27,000 new COVID-19 cases as of January 2, 2022, with infections including those of the Omicron variant seen in busy cities like Delhi and Mumbai. Delhi was among hardest hit cities during the second wave of the pandemic in India last year, with hospitals running out of beds and life-saving oxygen, leaving patients gasping for breath.
However, the Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, said hospitalisations had not gone up despite the surge in active cases. “This means that most people who are coming down with [the COVID-19 infection] are not requiring hospital care. They are mild cases.”
Local government authorities in Mumbai city, meanwhile, said thousands of people were conducting COVID-19 rapid antigen tests at home.
“We are noticing that people are self-quarantining if they test positive and many are also seeking support from the government-run isolation centres if they are finding less space at home to quarantine,” said Srikant Deshmukh, a senior health official with Mumbai’s municipal commissioner’s office.
Just last week, India accelerated vaccine distribution by approving Merck’s COVID-19 pill and two more vaccines for emergency use. The country is also set to launch a vaccination drive for children aged 15 to 18 years old from Jan 3 while state governments are gearing up to administer doses at hospitals and through special camps. India has recorded a total of 34.88 million COVID-19 infections, according to health ministry data. India’s total death toll stands at 481,770.
Read: India sitting on 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, SII CEO says
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