January 11, 2022
NEW DELHI – The drive for administering precaution dose to the healthcare workers, frontline workers and 60-plus individuals commenced on Monday as Covid cases surged across the country.
Nearly 1,80,000 new Covid cases, and 410 fresh Omicron infections were detected in last 24 hours, said Union Health Ministry data on Monday morning.
The national tally of this highly transmissible variant of the Coronavirus has climbed to 4,033. Of the total, 1,552 people have recovered from the new strain nationwide so far, the data said.
Meanwhile, the CoWIN portal has sent over one crore reminder messages to the beneficiaries to get the precaution dose.
Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on this occasion said in a tweet, “The program of giving Precaution Dose on the advice of doctors to healthcare and frontline workers and people of 60+ age is starting from today across the country”.
“Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi ji, the government is committed to provide additional security cover to healthcare and frontline workers on priority,” he added.
Earlier, Vikas Sheel, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission, said that the reminder SMSs have been pushed to more than 1 crore beneficiaries for the precaution dose.
The precaution dose will be administered to those who have completed nine months after the second dose. The health ministry had earlier said that the CoWin system will send reminder SMS to those eligible for the precaution dose.
The online booking of appointments for precaution dose through CoWIN portal started from Saturday. However, the ministry has clarified that there would be no need for new registration for precaution dose. The government has also clarified that the precaution dose will be of the same jab as the first and second dose. Those who got Covaxin will get Covaxin and those who got Covishield will get Covishield.
As per the health ministry, the Omicron infection has spread into 27 States and UTs so far. Maharashtra continues to be worst hit at 1,216 Omicron infections with 207 cases detected in the last 24 hours. Of them, 454 patients have been discharged.
As of now, Rajasthan has replaced Delhi at second position with total 529 Omicron cases, out of which 305 have been discharged so far. Delhi continues with 513 Omicron cases. Of them, 57 have been discharged from the hospital so far.
Delhi is followed by Karnataka with 441 cases of this variant. Kerala has registered 333 Omicron cases so far.
Among other states, Gujarat has so far detected 236 cases, while Tamil Nadu continues with 185 cases. Telangana and Haryana also have 123 Omicron cases each.
Uttar Pradesh has 113 cases of this variant. The number of cases however has risen to 74 in Odisha and 28 in Andhra Pradesh. Punjab and West Bengal have 27 cases each and Goa has 19 Omicron cases, as per the health ministry data. Madhya Pradesh has reported one fresh Omicron case in 24 hours, taking the tally to 10.
The Omicron case count continues in single digit for Assam at 9 and Uttarakhand at 8. Meghalaya has 4 Omicron cases so far. Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmi, Andman and Nicobar Islands have so far 3 cases each and Puducherry has 2 cases.
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, Manipur and Chhattisgarh continue with one case of this variant each so far.