Union home secretary reviews Covid-19 scene in Delhi-NCR

Amid a sharp increase in Omicron cases in the country, Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla on Thursday held a review meeting on the Covid-19 situation in the national capital region (NCR) and the administration's preparedness to handle the surge.

The meeting, held in virtual mode, focused on the increasing Covid-19 cases in NCR and the steps to curb the spread.

Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan, Niti Aayog member VK Paul, the chief secretaries of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana or their representatives, and senior police and health officials of these states participated in the meeting.


India on Thursday reported a single-day spike of 90,928 fresh Covid-19 cases and 325 deaths from the illness. The daily positivity rate stood at 6.43%. The active caseload in the country reached 285,401 while 19,206 recoveries were recorded in the previous 24 hours.

The Omicron tally in the country reached 2,630, with Maharashtra (797) topping the count, followed by Delhi (465), Rajasthan (236) and Kerala (234).

On Wednesday, the Centre had confirmed the first Omicron-related death in the country--a 74-year-old man with comorbidities succumbed to the virus last week in Udaipur.