PM Modi to hold review meet today amid Omicron concerns

Tribune News Service

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New Delhi, December 22

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday review the emerging Covid situation in the country amid rising Omicron cases and take stock of national preparedness to deal with another potential surge.

Top officials of the PMO, Health Ministry and Home Ministry along with national experts guiding the Indian response on Covid will be present in the meeting, which will look at infection trends. Around 19 districts of concern still remain where the weekly positivity rate is more than 5 per cent as against less than 1 per cent nationally.

Further, the PM will review the status of utilisation of Covid emergency relief package, which the Centre has distributed to states to help them create district-level and paediatric infrastructure, keep buffer stocks of essential medicines ready and also install medical oxygen facilities.

India’s Omicron tally crossed 213 today with Delhi recording 57 cases, Maharashtra 54, Telangana 24, Karnataka 19, Rajasthan 18, Kerala 15 and Gujarat 14.

India saw 6,317 new Covid cases nationally in 24 hours with the total now standing at 3,47,58,481.

Active Covid cases are down to 78,190, the lowest in 575 days. Toll has reached 4,78,325 after 318 deaths in 24 hours.

With Delhi reporting majority of India’s 213-plus Omicron cases as of Wednesday, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) today banned New Year and Christmas gatherings to prevent further surge.

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority directed district magistrates to ensure no Christmas and New Year events happened. This on a day when Delhi saw 125 Covid cases, the highest in six months. Overall, the country has seen 213 Omicron cases across 15 states and Union Territories.

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3 test positive for Omicron in Haryana

A 33-year-old Karnal resident and a 22-year-old Panipat woman and her father, who returned from the UK, are Omicron positive.