India COVID-19 Cases Jump 11 Times in 8 Days... Omicron Spreads Rapidly

India's New Delhi Strengthens Quarantine Measures Amid COVID Surge
(New Delhi EPA=Yonhap News) On the 29th (local time), citizens are seen waiting for a bus in New Delhi, the capital of India, where the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading. To prevent a recurrence of the COVID-19 surge, New Delhi authorities issued a 'Yellow Alert' the previous day, suspending operations of cinemas and gyms, and limiting public transportation and restaurants to 50% capacity, thereby strengthening quarantine measures. 2021.12.30
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[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Junhyung] The number of daily new COVID-19 cases in India has surpassed 100,000.

According to the Indian Ministry of Health and other sources on the 7th (local time), the number of new cases in India as of that morning was confirmed to be 117,100. After exceeding 10,000 on the 30th of last month (13,154 cases), it took only eight days to surpass 100,000. Compared to the previous day's cases (90,928), this represents a 29% increase in just one day.

The epicenters of the COVID-19 spread are considered to be major cities such as New Delhi and Mumbai. Until mid-last month, New Delhi's daily new cases were below 100. However, on this day, New Delhi recorded 15,097 new cases. This means the number of cases has increased by hundreds of times in the past month. Mumbai's new cases on the same day were also counted at 20,181. Experts believe that the Omicron variant, which is spreading worldwide, has widely spread in India as well, causing this sharp rise in cases.

COVID-19 Beds Installed at Chennai Trade Centre in India
(Chennai EPA=Yonhap News) On the 5th (local time), beds for patients infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) were set up inside the Chennai Trade Centre in Tamil Nadu, southern India. As the COVID-19 Omicron variant spreads, the Tamil Nadu state and Chennai city authorities have begun installing about 900 beds here. India's daily new confirmed cases, which had dropped to 5,326 on the 21st of last month, surged more than tenfold to 58,097 on this day, and the first death related to the Omicron variant was reported. January 6, 2022
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There are concerns that the massive COVID-19 outbreak that swept India from April to June last year might be repeating. At that time, the daily new cases in India peaked at over 410,000. More than 4,000 new cases were reported daily. However, since the rate of severe cases is much lower, the prevailing analysis is that the crisis experienced last year will not recur. In fact, the number of COVID-19 deaths in India over the past three days was only 534, 325, and 302, respectively.

Hospital beds in major cities like New Delhi still have availability. According to official statistics on this day, only 193 out of 3,712 intensive care unit beds in New Delhi were in use. The number of oxygen-supported beds is 12,279, with 1,289 currently occupied.

The Indian government is tightening control measures despite strengthening quarantine efforts. Local governments in New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and other regions have implemented nighttime curfews. In addition, various quarantine measures such as limiting office personnel have been introduced. They are also preparing for a surge in patients by converting large indoor facilities like gyms into COVID-19 treatment centers.

As of this day, India's cumulative confirmed cases and deaths stand at 35,226,386 and 483,178, respectively.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.