World News: India’s Covid-19 cases multiply, vulnerable groups given vaccine boosters – Gulf Digital News

World News: India’s Covid-19 cases multiply, vulnerable groups given vaccine boosters – Gulf Digital News

India began administering booster doses of Covid-19 vaccine to frontline workers and vulnerable elderly people on Monday, with the fast-spreading Omicron variant fuelling an almost eight-fold rise in daily infections since the start of the year.

India reported 179,723 new cases on Monday, most of them in the country's biggest cities - Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata - where Omicron has overtaken Delta as the most prevalent strain of the virus.

There were 146 deaths reported on Monday, bringing the toll to 483,936 since the pandemic first struck India in early 2020. Only the United States and Brazil have recorded more deaths.

In recent days, hundreds of healthcare and frontline workers, including police, have contracted the virus and there were media reports that hundreds of parliamentary staff have also tested positive ahead of a budget session on February 1.

Facing this rising third wave of infections, the government sent booster reminders to more than 10 million people who took their second dose of the Covaxin or Covishield shot nine months ago.

Unlike many countries, India is not mixing and matching vaccines.

Only healthcare personnel, frontline workers and people above 60 years suffering from other health conditions are eligible for what the government calls a 'precaution dose'.

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