New Delhi: India recorded 8,603 fresh infections in the past 24 hours. The recovery rate at 98.35 per cent accounted for 8,190 recuperations in the last 24 hours taking the total recoveries to 3,40,53,856. The daily positivity rate stood at 0.69 per cent, less than 2 per cent for 61 consecutive days.

The number of active cases stood at 99,974 accounting for 0.29 per cent of the total number of cases. The active cases reported a decline by 2 in the last 24 hours. However, the mortality rate recorded at 1.36 per cent reported a spike in deaths recording 415 fatalities, taking the cumulative death toll to 4,70,530.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai held a meeting today with his colleagues and health experts on how to deal with the Omicron threat shadowing the state. K’taka govt orders inquiry on first Omicron case over RTPCR reports. “The person stayed at a hotel & held some meetings there. After that, he went away to Dubai, so there’re 2 reports one positive & negative, which is doubtful, lab must be investigated, asserted K’taka Minister R Ashoka post meeting with the CM. “

Meanwhile, Health Min in LS on Friday informed RT-PCR testing of over 16,000 pax arriving on 58 flights from ‘at risk’ countries done so far. 18 of these tested positive for in RT-PCR testing, their genome sequencing is underway, he added. The World Health Organisation warned Asia-Pacific countries today boost healthcare capacity and fully vaccinate their people to prepare for a surge in COVID-19 cases as the Omicron variant spreads globally despite travel curbs.

As per the statistics reported to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, so far 126.53 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the country, including 73.63 lakh doses given in the last 24 hours.