Nurses prepare a Covid-19 vaccination ward for teens aged 15 to 18 at a state-run hospital in Thane, Maharashtra, on January 1, 2022. Vaccinating this age group begins January 3. (PTI Photo)
Live news updates: India recorded 27,553 new cases of Covid-19 and 284 deaths from the diseases in 24 hours, said the health ministry Sunday. Total cases of the fast-spreading Omicron variant increased to 1,525.
Total coronavirus cases increased to 34.88 million and fatalities to 481,770, said the ministry.
States must set up makeshift hospitals and form special teams, said the central government Saturday amid a surge in Covid-19 cases driven largely by the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the virus.
The coronavirus poses challenges but it “cannot stall the growth process” of the country, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “2021 will be remembered for India’s strong fight against the Covid-19 pandemic as also for reforms undertaken during the year,” he said.
At least 12 pilgrims died and more than a dozen were injured in a stampede at the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday morning.
CATCH ALL THE LIVE UPDATES
Auto Refresh