NextGen Day

Fears of a new coronavirus wave in India are growing by the day as instances of the coronavirus omicron strain rise at an alarming rate.

Infections with Omicron had nearly tripled in less than a week, highlighting how sensitive the country of 1.4 billion people is to the virus, which was decimated by one of the world’s deadliest Covid-19 outbreaks this year.

According to Health Ministry data, India’s overall number of omicron cases has risen to 1,270, up from 415 at Christmas. The largest number was recorded in the western state of Maharashtra.

In Maharashtra, which includes India’s financial capital Mumbai, over 8,000 infections were reported on Friday, up from under 1,500 the day before.

Since the first case was reported on December 4, the number of omicron illnesses in the state has risen to 454, prompting state officials to impose stronger controls.

Individuals are restricted from gatherings of more than four people in public areas in Mumbai until at least January 7, and from accessing beaches, parks, and other recreational spaces between the hours of 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. till January 15.

In the capital, New Delhi, daily case numbers have gradually increased, surpassing 1,000 on Thursday with a total of 1,313.

Over the previous day, there have been 16,764 cases reported across India, with 220 deaths, bringing India’s total to over 34.8 million people, including 481,080 deaths.

According to the government, the increase in cases is being fueled by an uptick in 22 districts, prompting several states to reinstate night curfews.

“There is an upsurge… instances are now increasing, not reducing,” said Dr. V K Paul, a member of the government’s main policy think tank, the National Institute for Transforming India Aayog, at a news conference in New Delhi.

The latest uptick in India “may be part of a global upsurge in cases caused by the omicron variant,” he said.

Over 60% of India’s eligible population has been vaccinated against Covid-19, according to government data.

However, in a country where a severe viral outbreak this year resulted in daily infection and fatality counts of over 400,000 and 4,500, respectively, such statistics will do nothing to assuage anxieties.

Doctors were powerless to save lives due to a significant lack of capacity and oxygen supplies in India’s health system.

As the death toll climbed into the thousands for days on end, crematoriums across the Hindu-majority country struggled to cope, resulting in some genuinely horrific scenes across the country.

The Health Ministry has ordered all states to rapidly ramp up rapid antigen testing and treat all persons with symptoms as a “Covid-19 case unless proven otherwise,” based on the painful experience and in the hopes of preventing a repeat.

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