Omicron LIVE Updates: Daily Cases Drop Below 1 Lakh in Respite for India; Schools, Offices Reopen

Omicron LIVE Updates: India’s daily cases drop below 1 lakh, 83,876 fresh infections recorded, as per health ministry’s latest data.

As the third Covid-19 ebbs, Central government offices will resume 100% employee attendance at all levels from Monday. Adherence to Covid protocols will be mandatory across offices and heads of departments have been asked to ensure that all employees wear masks all the time. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that the reopening of the country’s borders to international tourists may not be far away, adding that the parliament will debate the matter this week.

Australia, which shut its borders in March of 2020, has been going through a staggered reopening in recent months, allowing in only its citizens and residents, skilled migrants, international students, and certain seasonal workers.

On office reopening for Central government employees, junior minister for personnel and PMO, Jitendra Singh told TOI, “A review of the pandemic situation was done on Sunday and it has been decided that full office attendance, without any exemption, shall resume with effect from February 7, 2022.”

Meanwhile, the mayor of Canada’s capital declared a state of emergency Sunday and a former U.S. ambassador to Canada said groups in the U.S. must stop interfering in the domestic affairs of America’s neighbor as protesters opposed to COVID-19 restrictions continued to paralyze Ottawa’s downtown. Mayor Jim Watson said the declaration highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government.

The third wave continues to ebb across India, on Sunday, Uttar Pradesh reported 2,779 new COVID-19 cases and 15 fatalities, taking the state’s infection tally to 20,44,517 and its death toll to 23,318. Among the fresh fatalities, two each were reported from Lucknow, Varanasi, Hardoi, Chandauli and Ballia, the state government said in a statement. And West Bengal reported 835 fresh cases in the past 24 hours, deaths due to the disease increased by three to 34, the health department said in a bulletin. The tally has gone up to 20,05872 while the death toll increased to 20,823.

Here are LIVE Updates:

– Assam back to life, all COVID restrictions in the state have been withdrawn from February 15.

– Today’s Data Highlights

83,876 new cases, 895 new deaths, 1,99,054 new recoveries, 1,16,073 fall in active cases

New cases below 1 lakh for the first time in 32 days. Lowest in 33 days

Deaths (including backlog) below 1k for the 2nd consecutive day

Total active cases lowest in 26 days

Kerala reports 26,729 new cases, Maharashtra 9,666, Karnataka 8,425

Kerala only state reporting more than 10k new cases

Kerala reports 515 new deaths (including 378 backlog), Maharashtra 66, West Bengal 34

All states/UTs report fall in active cases

25,542 backlog deaths reported by Kerala over the last 108 days. Average of 237 backlog cases/day. 43% of the total deaths reported by Kerala during this period have been backlog deaths.

Difference between new cases reported in the last 7 days and the preceding 7 days in India is -45% (world average is -16%)

14.7 lakh new vaccinations. 169.64 crore total. 3.21 lakh of 18+ population received their first dose yesterday, 6.9 lakh second dose. 1.64 lakh of 15-18 year olds received their first dose yesterday, 1.52 lakh second dose. 1.44 lakh received the precaution dose yesterday. 73.18 crore fully vaccinated

100% of urban districts and 90.54% of semi-urban districts reporting fall in weekly test positivity rate. 66.21% of rural districts reporting dip. (Data till February 5)

– India’s daily cases drop below 1 lakh, the country reports 83,876 fresh COVID-19 cases, 1,99,054 recoveries and 895 deaths in the last 24 hours.

– China said on Sunday that it will “arrange” for the return of about 28,000 Pakistani students who are stuck back home like their Indian counterparts for the past two years following visa curbs imposed by Beijing under its zero COVID-19 case policy. A joint statement issued at the end of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s four-day visit to China on Sunday said, “both sides noted with satisfaction robust cooperation between Pakistan and China in the education sector, and committed to further enhance cooperation between the educational institutions of the two countries”.

– Ottawa mayor declares state of emergency over COVID protests.

– Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday that the reopening of the country’s borders to international tourists may not be far away, adding that the parliament will debate the matter this week.

– Highest risk patients for severe Covid-19 least likely to get monoclonal antibodies, says study.

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