According to the health ministry, rise in weekly cases have also been noted in Karnataka’s Tumakuru, Dharwad, Bengaluru Urban and Mysuru. Whereas, in Kerala 13 out of 14 districts are reporting a high quantum of weekly new cases.
Half of the eligible population in the country is now fully vaccinated, with over 1.03 crore doses being administered on Saturday. Around 21.38 crore unutilised doses are still available with states.
More than 10 lakh vaccination doses were administered Saturday in Bihar (15.33 lakh), Tamil Nadu (14.84 lakh), Rajasthan (10.8 lakh) and Uttar Pradesh (10.24 lakh), amidst the government’s push for vaccination in the light of the new Omicron variant.
In total, 85% of the eligible adult population has now received the first dose, while 50.35% are fully vaccinated.
India’s active caseload as of Saturday stood at 99,974, the lowest since March 2020. The daily positivity rate has remained below 2% for the last 61 days, and under 1% for 20 days.
Rising numbers in over 30 districts, however, are a bit of concern for the Health Ministry, which cautioned five states and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Saturday regarding the same.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Mizoram and J&K, regarding their districts reporting an increase in new cases in the week ending December 3 compared to November 26. They have been directed to send all positive samples for genome sequencing, to rule out Omicron.
Explained: A key protective tool
With the emergence of the new variant of concern, vaccination is a key tool. While the efficacy of the vaccines against Omicron is still being scientifically examined,it is significant that half of India’s population has a certain level of protection against a sever form of Covid-19.