India reported 58,097 fresh COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours , 55 per cent higher than yesterday’s 37,379 cases. The government has been continuously speeding up vaccination drive across the country. Those in the age group 15-18 are being inoculated now.
The number of deaths climbed to 4,82,551 with 534 more fatalities, the data showed.
A total of 2,135 cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected across 23 states and Union Territories so far, out of which 828 have recovered or migrated, according to the Union health ministry’s data updated on Wednesday.
Several states have announced restrictions like night curfew as Covid cases continue to rise.
Soaring Omicron cases around the world could increase the risk of a newer, more dangerous variant emerging, the World Health Organisation, or WHO, said yesterday.
While the variant is spreading like wildfire around the world, it appears to be far less severe than initially feared and has raised hopes that the pandemic could be overcome and life return to more normality, the WHO has said.
But WHO senior emergencies officer Catherine Smallwood sounded an ominous note of caution, telling news agency AFP that the soaring infection rates could have the opposite effect.