LIVE: Maharashtra reports 11,877 fresh Covid cases, 50 Omicron infections

Live news updates: Prime Minister Modi says coronavirus won't stall economic growth; 12 pilgrims die in stampede at Vaishno Devi shrine

11:28 PM

China starts 2022 with biggest tally of Covid-19 cases

China welcomed the year 2022 with the worst tally of Covid-19 cases for any seven-day period since subduing the country's first epidemic nearly two years ago.

The National Health Commission reported on Saturday 175 new community infections with confirmed clinical symptoms for December 31, bringing the total number of local symptomatic cases in mainland China in the past week to 1,151, reported Al Jazeera.

10:19 PM

Over 600 people fined for violating Covid protocols in Delhi

More than 600 challans were issued for violation of Covid protocols while 228 FIRs were registered against those found violating night curfew, police said on Sunday.
 

According to data shared by the Delhi Police, the 228 FIRs under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code were registered as part of action taken against those found violating night curfew on January 1 from 10 pm to 5 am on January 2.

9:38 PM

Goa's Covid-19 positivity rate touches 10.7%

The sizable number of tourists that descended on Goa for the Christmas-New Year festival season may be behind the Covid-19 positivity rate crossing 10 per cent on Sunday, the PTI reported.

They said 388 cases were detected on Sunday from 3,604 tests, a positivity rate (cases per 100 test) of 10.7 per cent.

The addition during the day took the tally in the coastal state to 1,81,570, while one death increased the toll to 3,523.

9:36 PM

Don't panic, strictly follow Covid-19 norms, says Mumbai civic chief

On a day Mumbai reported 8,063 fresh coronavirus positive cases, civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal on Sunday sought to allay apprehensions of citizens, saying that 89 per cent of the infections are asymptomatic and 90 per cent of beds are vacant.
 

He urged people to strictly adhere to Covid-19 protocols.
 

Mask is mandatory in the public domain and citizens should refrain from going to crowded places. All must join hands to tide over this new wave of COVID pandemic, he stressed.

9:16 PM

Kerala logs 45 new Omicron cases, tally rises to 152

Kerala recorded 45 more new Omicron infections and with this, the total cases climbed to 152, the PTI reported.
 

Out of 45, 9 cases came from high-risk countries, 32 from low-risk countries, and 4 got through contact.
 

The current list of "at-risk" countries for the Covid-19 Omicron variant includes the United Kingdom, other countries in Europe, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Ghana, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Hong Kong, and Israel.

9:00 PM

Gujarat logs 968 new Covid-19 cases; active tally crosses 4,000

Gujarat on Sunday reported 968 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the tally of infections to 8,33,769, the state health department said, the PTI reported.
 

With one fatality in the Valsad district, the Covid-19 death toll rose to 10,120.
 

A total of 141 patients were discharged during the day. The number of recoveries in Gujarat now stands at 8,18,896, it said.

8:59 PM

Over 350 new Covid cases in Rajasthan, maximum from Jaipur

Rajasthan recorded 355 fresh Covid-19 cases on Sunday, including 224 from Jaipur alone, raising the state's infection count to 9,56,883, officials said.

No death linked to the virus was recorded in Rajasthan in the last 24 hours, a Medical and Health Department official said, adding that 1,572 Covid patients are under treatment in the state.

Thirty more people recovered from the infection in the last 24 hours, pushing the recovery count to 9,46,347 in the state, the department data showed.

8:31 PM

Maharashtra reports 11,877 fresh Covid-19 cases

Maharashtra reports 11,877 fresh Covid-19 cases, 2,707 more than the day before; 50 Omicron infections: Health department, PTI reported

8:18 PM

Over 635,000 registrations on CoWIN for Covid vaccination of 15-18 years age group

The CoWIN platform has till Sunday evening recorded over six lakh registrations in the age group of 15 to 18 years whose Covid vaccination is set to begin from January 3.
 

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya advised states and Union Territories to provide separate vaccination centres, session sites, queue and different vaccination teams for the 15-18 year age group to avoid the mixing-up of vaccines.
 

The vaccine option for this age group would only be Covaxin, according to guidelines issued by the Union Health Ministry on December 27.

8:04 PM

Nashik sees 117 Covid-19 cases, no death; 64 recover

The Covid-19 tally in Nashik district in Maharashtra reached 4,14,217 on Sunday after 117 cases were detected, while the death toll remained unchanged at 8,756, PTI reported.

So far, 4,04,770 people have been discharged post recovery, including 64 during the day.

7:44 PM

With rise in Omicron cases, SC to conduct hearings virtually for next two weeks

The Supreme Court on Sunday decided to conduct all hearings in virtual mode for two weeks starting from January 3, in view of rising number of cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, PTI reported.

 

The Supreme Court administration issued a circular announcing the decision on Sunday evening.

 

It stated that an earlier circular prescribing standard operating procedure (SOP) for physical hearing (hybrid hearing) will remain suspended for the time being.

 

7:42 PM

Mumbai reports 8,063 fresh Covid-19 cases, zero fatality

Mumbai reported 8,063 fresh Covid-19 cases on Sunday and zero new deaths, said a health bulletin by BMC, according to PTI.

7:20 PM

Bengal records 6,153 Covid-19 cases

West Bengal on Sunday reported 6,153 Covid-19 cases which is 1,641 more than Saturday's count, the state health department said, according to PTI.

7:18 PM

Seven new cases take Sikkim's tally to 32,517

Sikkim's COVID-19 tally rose to 32,517 on Sunday as seven more people tested positive for the infection, a health department bulletin said, according to PTI.

 

Of the new cases, East Sikkim logged five, while West Sikkim and North Sikkim reported one each.

 

Sikkim now has 58 active COVID-19 cases, 342 patients have migrated to other states and 31,708 people have recovered from the infection.

7:17 PM

Karnataka registers 1,187 Covid-19 cases, six deaths

Continuing the rising trend of COVID-19 cases for the second day, Karnataka recorded 1,187 fresh infections and six deaths taking the cumulative cases and fatalities in the state to 30,09,557 and 38346 respectively, the health department said on Sunday, according to PTI.

 

The department said in its bulletin that 275 people were discharged, taking the total number of recoveries to 29,60,890 while the total active cases stood at 10,292.

 

The spike in cases was driven by Bengaluru Urban, which contributed 923 infections and three deaths.

6:20 PM

Kerala coronavirus update

Kerala reports 2,802 new cases, 12 deaths, and 2,606 recoveries today; Active cases at 19,180. Death tally at 48,113

 

66 deaths were added to the death tally as per the new guidelines of the Central government, says Kerala govt in an official statement

6:17 PM

Delhi coronavirus update

Delhi reports 3,194 fresh Covid cases (positivity rate 4.59%) and 1,156 recoveries in the last 24 hours

6:14 PM

PM Modi to inaugurate development projects in Manipur, Tripura

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Manipur and Tripura on January 4 during which he will inaugurate and lay foundation stones of several developmental projects.

 

In a statement on Sunday, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said, "Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of 22 developmental projects worth over Rs 4,800 crore in Imphal. Thereafter in Agartala, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the new integrated terminal building at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport and will also launch two key development initiatives."

 

In the poll-bound Manipur, Modi will inaugurate 13 projects worth around Rs 1,850 crore and lay the foundation stone of nine projects worth around Rs 2,950 crore. These projects relate to diverse sectors such as road infrastructure, drinking water supply, health, urban development, housing, information technology, skill development, art and culture, among others.

6:10 PM

Delhi collected Rs 1,298 cr in green fund; spent only one-fifth in 6 years

The Delhi government has spent only 21 per cent of the Rs 1,298 crore collected as environment compensation charge from diesel-guzzling trucks entering the capital in the last six years, according to official data.

 

Implemented on the directions of the Supreme Court, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) collects the cess and deposits it with the Transport Department.

 

Since November 20, 2015, the city government has utilized only Rs 281.5 crore of the Rs 1,298 crore collected as "environment cess" on green projects, as per a reply to an RTI application filed by social activist Amit Gupta.

6:01 PM

Domestic cement industry poised for demand recovery in construction season

With the onset of a busy construction season, brokerages are optimistic of a demand and price recovery in the domestic cement sector in the coming months.

 

"Though input prices have seen some moderation recently, a sustainable improvement in demand/price is critical for the industry’s profitability going ahead. We remain hopeful of demand/price recovery in the coming months with the onset of a busy construction season," said Emkay Research report.

5:34 PM

Footballer Lionel Messi tests positive for coronavirus

Football club PSB has said that Lionel Messi has tested positive for coronavirus

5:24 PM

TN govt to start virtual treatment for Covid-19 patients: Health minister

The Tamil Nadu government has planned to offer virtual treatment via home isolation to COVID-19 patients who have received both doses of vaccination and have been affected by the Omicron variant, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said on Sunday.

 

The virtual treatment would include the Omicron-affected individuals who have not received the vaccination but are 'asymptomatic'. They would be under constant monitoring by a medical team, the Minister for Health and Family Welfare said here.

 

Subramanian was talking to reporters after inspecting a medical camp in Chennai as part of the 17th Mega Vaccination Camp being held through 50,000 vaccination camps across the state.

4:30 PM

Centre asks states to re-focus efforts against Omicron, ramp up vaccination

As India faces the third wave of coronavirus amid rising Omicron cases, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya asked to refocus efforts against the new variant and vaccination of the 15-18 age group. He said no stone can be left unturned in ramping up infrastructure to manage a high surge.

 

He cautioned that globally countries are experiencing 3-4 times the surge in Covid-19 cases in comparison to their earlier peaks. “The Omicron variant being highly transmissible, a high surge in case can overwhelm the medical system,” the health minister said.

 

In a meeting with the state health ministers and senior officials, a day before the vaccination for the age group 15-18 years is launched, Mandviya said, “We have put up a strong fight against Covid earlier and this learning must be used to re-focus on efforts against the Omicron variant.”

4:02 PM

IPO craze to continue in Q4; 23 cos line up public issues worth Rs 44k cr

The IPO rush is far from over and the primary market will see frenetic activity in the March 2022 quarter with nearly two dozen companies are looking to collectively raise nearly Rs 44,000 crore through initial share-sales, merchant bankers said.

 

Of the total fundraising, a large chunk will be garnered by technology-driven companies.

 

This comes after 63 companies mopped up a record Rs 1.2 lakh crore in 2021 through initial public offerings (IPOs) even as the pandemic gloom shadowed the broader economy.

3:27 PM

PM lays foundation stone of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh.

 

The University will be established at Salawa and Kaili villages on the outskirts of the Sardhana town of the district at an estimated cost of about Rs 700 crore.

 

The sports university will be equipped with modern and state of the art sports infrastructure including synthetic hockey ground besides those of football, basketball, volleyball, handball and kabaddi.

3:06 PM

SpiceJet flight takes off without ATC clearance, DGCA orders probe

A SpiceJet passenger flight took off from Gujarat's Rajkot without the mandatory clearance from the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) on December 30, following which aviation regulator DGCA has ordered a probe into the incident, officials said on Sunday.

 

The pilots of Rajkot-Delhi flight have been off-rostered pending an inquiry by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), a SpiceJet spokesperson said.

 

The Rajkot-Delhi flight took off at around 9.30 am on December 30 and landed at the Delhi airport at 11.15 am, the officials said.

1:21 PM

Odisha logs highest single-day rise in Covid cases in more than 2 months

Odisha reported on Sunday 424 new cases of Covid-19: the highest single-day rise in more than two months. Total cases increased to 105,556, the health department said. Total fatalities increased to 8,463 when a 75-year-old woman succumbed to the virus in Khurda district, PTI reported.

12:29 PM

Most Covid patients don't need hospitalisation: Kejriwal

Data shows most Covid patients don't need hospitalisation, almost all cases are mild or asymptomatic, says Kejriwal

12:27 PM

Hospitalisations few in new coronavirus cases: Kejriwal

Delhi recorded some 3,100 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, says Kejriwal. Active cases rose from about 2000 on Dec 29 to 6000 on Jan 1, but number of patients in hospitals dipped this period, he says.

12:08 PM

Delhi new coronavirus case 'very mild': Kejriwal

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal addressing press conference on Covid-19 cases. New coronavirus case 'very mild' compared to second wave in April-May last year, he says