Covid Third Wave: Budget 2022 preps on in shadow of pandemic
India has recorded more than 2 lakh fresh Covid cases over the past 24 hours. A total of 2,09,918 new Covid cases were reported on January 31 morning. The country’s positivity rate has gone up from 14.5% to 15.77%. The weekly positivity rate remains 15.75%.
HERE ARE 5 LATEST UPDATES ON COVID-19:
1. FEWER CASES REPORTED
India has reported 2,09,918 fresh Covid cases in the past 24, hours which is 10% lower than the previous 24 hours. As many as 665 people have died because of the virus, as reported on January 31 morning.
13,31,198 Covid tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. According to the Health Ministry data, 2,62,628 people have recovered from the virus yesterday in all the states and Union Territories.
#Unite2FightCorona#LargestVaccineDrive#OmicronVariant ????? ?????https://t.co/Nt1mnhR8Ir pic.twitter.com/6AJBnE78m9
— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) January 31, 2022
2. CASELOAD IN DIFFERENT STATES
MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA: On Sunday (January 30), Mumbai reported 1,160 new Covid cases and 10 deaths. Currently, there are 10,797 active Covid cases in the city.
KERALA: A large number of Covid cases were reported in Kerala on Sunday. The state reported 51,570 new cases over the past 24 hours. The state government is holding a meeting today to review the current Covid situation.
MIZORAM: As per the data available, Mizoram has reported 806 new Covid cases and one death. There are 14,301 active cases in the state.
3. AIR TRAVEL PICKING UP MARGINALLY
According to an ANI report, after a sharp decline in demand for air travel due to a surge in Covid-19 cases and restrictions imposed in different states, air traffic is picking up, albeit marginally, in the coming days.
A spokesperson for Vistara airlines told ANI, “After a sharp decline in demand for air travel, due to the surge in #COVID19 numbers and restrictions imposed by various state governments; we are observing a marginal increase in traffic in February compared to the previous month.”
After a sharp decline in demand for air travel, due to the surge in #COVID19 numbers and restrictions imposed by various state governments, we are observing a marginal increase in traffic in February compared to the previous month: Vistara Spokesperson pic.twitter.com/T6oeaW9Lkk
— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2022
4. COVID MEASURES IN PARLIAMENT SESSION
As the Indian parliament is gearing up for the Budget session which starts today, the Parliament has also implemented required Covid protocols.
On Sunday, Vice-President of India and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla discussed preparations for the Budget session - another to be held in the shadow of the pandemic.
To avoid the spread of the virus, both the Houses will be seated at different locations. This will help avoid confusion, crowding and inquiries.
5. FREE ANTIVIRAL COVID PILL IN NEW YORK
New York City will now provide free antiviral pills to Covid patients. The pills will be home-delivered to Covid-positive individuals. The government wants to ensure that Covid positive people get resources at home without having to travel.