Coronavirus Outbreak

Covid Peak Likely In Coming Days, May Last For Weeks: Covid Panel Chief

The country reported 1,68,063 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on January 11

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India reported more than 1.5 lakh new COVID-19 cases for the third consecutive day on January 11

New Delhi: With the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, India is likely to witness a sharp spike in the number of cases in the coming days, however, following COVID appropriate behaviour and vaccination could help contain the spread of the disease, noted a top health expert. India reported more than 1.5 lakh new COVID-19 cases for the third consecutive day on Tuesday (January 11). The country reported 1,68,063 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed today.

Also Read: Work From Home For Private Offices In Delhi, Free Online Yoga For COVID Patients In Home Isolation

Speaking to ANI, Chairman of COVID-19 Working Group of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) Dr NK Arora said, The peak will depend on the virus transmission, and how well the community adheres to the COVID appropriate behaviour. If the COVID norms are violated, a faster and taller peak is likely to occur. On the other hand, vaccination and administrative actions like night curfews, and weekend curfews tend to flatten the curve.

The way that the IIT Kanpur model has shown, it looks like, the transmission is taking place very actively and we should be reaching our peak in the near future. But it is likely to last for several weeks before it subsides, he added.

Asked about the kind of variant of COVID-19 mostly being detected in the country amid the ongoing third wave, Dr Arora said that by the behaviour of the virus, it seems that the wave is driven by the Omicron variant. It appears that most of the COVID cases being reported in the country now are of the Omicron variant. The initial experience from the genomic surveillance showed that from 10 days to two weeks, over 90 per cent of the virus is circulating in the big cities like Delhi, Pune, Mumbai which is the Omicron variant. The behaviour, mild illness, everybody in the family getting infected, it looks like the surge is driven by Omicron, he said.

Also Read: COVID-19 Cases In Delhi Will Definitely Peak This Week: Health Minister Satyendar Jain

However, the expert added that the Delta variant responsible for the devastating second wave in the country in April-May 2021 can still be found in some parts of the country where the Delta epidemic was already going on. There will be some cases of Delta as well in the areas where Delta epidemic was already going on like some districts of Tamil Nadu and the areas of the Northeastern states. So in a situation like this, we should be more focused on taking care of Omicron and its management, he stated.

Speaking on the deaths occurring due to COVID-19 in the country, the doctor said that most of the deaths are associated with patients with comorbidities.

Most of the COVID deaths occurring on a daily basis are associated with comorbidities like heart attack, brain stroke or other problems. But yes, there are some deaths that are occurring because of the virus. But overall the situation is under control, he said. About 85 per cent of the deaths being reported are from people above 60 years of age, Dr Arora added.

Meanwhile, the tally of the active cases of COVID-19 in the country has reached 8,21,446. A total of 4,461 cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus have been reported so far. The country also witnessed 277 new COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours. As many as 4,84,213 people have succumbed to the infection so far.

Also Read: Omicron Should Not Be Categorised As ‘Mild’, It Is Hospitalizing And Killing People: WHO Chief

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ populationindigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (WaterSanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity,  that is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollutionwaste managementplastic banmanual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.

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