COVID-19 News Updates

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday issued a list of guidelines to be strictly followed by people during the Christmas and New Year festivities in the light of Odisha government's fresh restrictions to check surge in cases of infections by Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.

The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for people over 60 years and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions. The country launched vaccination for all people aged more than 45 years from April 1.

At the press conference, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had a word of caution. "The world is witnessing the fourth surge of COVID-19 cases and the overall positivity is 6.1 per cent. Therefore, we have to be on guard and we can't afford to slacken," he said.

“The people of Odisha have co-operated the government during the first and second wave of Covid-19. People should continue follow Covid appropriate behaviour including wearing of masks, maintaining hand hygiene and other aspects,” said Mohapatra while urging people to avoid large congregations and gatherings.

Hours after imposing curbs on Christmas and New Year celebrations in view of the surging cases of Covid-19, especially the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2, the Odisha government on Friday evening effected fresh revisions in the guidelines.

Christmas & New Year Curbs amid Omicron threat: Odisha announces restrictions from Dec 25th till January 2nd 2022.

As per the guidelines, Christmas celebrations shall be limited to churches with a maximum of 50 persons joining the mass by strictly following the Covid protocols and in the specific conditions as imposed by district magistrates/ municipal commissioners while permitting such mass, if any.

According to the researchers, the levels of neutralising potency are within the range of titres found in individuals who have been previously infected with and recovered naturally from Covid-19.

The study also suggests that all of the monoclonal antibody therapies currently in use and most in development are much less effective against Omicron.

Pfizer has said that Paxlovid reduces the risk of hospitalisation or death in Covid-19 patients by 89 per cent.

The fact that wild deer can become infected leads toward the idea that we might actually have established a new maintenance host outside humans.

India recorded 6,650 new coronavirus infections, taking its tally of cases to 3,47,72,626, while the count of active cases has declined to 77,516.

The team used a statistical tool called the Gaussian Mixture model to predict the third wave.

In a similar incident in Cuttack's Ravenshaw University, students were seen carelessly flouting the COVID norms during the Annual Athletic Meet held at the varsity campus.

US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 51,814,125 and 815,343, according to the CSSE.