By Avinash Prabhakar
New Delhi, Jan 3 (IANS): India's daily Covid caseload has risen over four-fold in the last six days, with 33,750 infections reported on Monday, around 6,000 more over the day before's tally.
The tally on December 28, 2021 was 6,358 after which surge began across the country with daily caseload increasing on every subsequent day - 9,195 cases on December 29, 13,154 on December 30 and 16,764 on December 31.
The first day of the new year saw 22,775, 27,553 fresh infection on January 2 and 33,750 cases on January 3 as per the Union Health Ministry.
Along with the spike in daily Covid cases, the active cases have also seen two-fold growth from the last week, crossing the 1 lakh mark to currently stand at 1,45,583 after being just over 75,000 around 10 days ago.
India had 75,456 active cases on December 28, 77,002 the next day, 82,402 on December 30 and jumping up to 91,361 on the last day of 2021.
The figure reached 1,04,781 on January 1 and 1,22,801 on January 2.
India has seen the sudden spike in the Covid cases after the outbreak of new Covid variant Omicron, thought the Delta variant is still the dominant variant in India which has contributed significantly in the surge. However, a Health Ministry source with the ministry said that Omicron will take over as the dominant variant soon.
Omicron has also registered around three fold increase from the last week. Only 653 people were infected with this highly transmissible Covid variant on December 28, but the tally has reached 1,700 as of Monday morning. As per the ministry, it has so far has spread into 23 states and UTs.
Public health experts opine that the sudden spike the case reflects that Omicron-led third wave has arrived in India.
Talking to IANS, Dr Amrinder Singh Malhi, Assistant Professor, Cardiac Radiology AIIMS, said that the Omicron-led third wave has started now.
"Due to this new variant Omicron, the whole world is facing the severity of the third wave," he said.
However, he added that the variant does not affect the lungs in the way the Delta variant did, but the upper respiratory system. The immuno-compromised may get lung infection still, he warned.
About the vaccination of the 1-18 age group which began on Monday, he said it is the best decision to keep our younger generation safe from Covid infection.