Covid-19 Active Cases India Jan 15 LIVE Updates, Omicron Variant Cases in India, Coronavirus 3rd Wave, Covid-19 Booster Vaccine, Children Dose Today, Omicron Corona Cases Today Updates: Meanwhile, sources within the defence establishment said that close to 24,000 people will attend the Republic-Day parade following Covid-19 protocols.

Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE News: India reported 2,68,833 lakh fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, ending at 8 am on Saturday. The country reported 402 fatalities in the last 24 hours, taking the total death toll to 4,85,752, the Union Health Ministry said. The positivity rate also increased from 14.7% to 16.66%. As many as 1,22,684 patients recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours, leaving the number of active cases at 14,17,820. The confirmed cases of Omicron now stand at 6,041.


Mumbai on Friday recorded 11,317 Covid-19 cases as its positivity rate dipped to 20 per cent from 21.73 per cent a day before. The city, on Friday, conducted 54,924 coronavirus tests. Maharashtra, meanwhile, witnessed 43,211 cases and 19 related deaths. Delhi, on the other hand, reported 24,383 new Covid-19 infections on Friday, with the number dropping by over 4,000 in comparison to the previous day’s tally of over 28,800 cases.

Meanwhile, as India grapples with the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government is gearing up to convene the Budget Session of Parliament this month-end with strict social distancing and other protocols in place. Meanwhile, sources within the defence establishment said that close to 24,000 people will attend the Republic-Day parade following Covid-19 protocols. In other news, Cannabis compounds prevented the virus that causes Covid-19 from penetrating healthy human cells, according to a laboratory study published in the Journal of Nature Products.

The World Health Organization (WH0) has recommended two drugs, baricitinib and sotrovimab, for treatment of Covid-19. Baricitinib, which is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, has been "strongly recommended" for patients with severe or critical Covid-19 in combination with corticosteroids. It is part of a class of drugs called Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors that suppress the overstimulation of the immune system. It is an oral drug, and provides an alternative to other arthritis drugs called Interleukin-6 receptor blockers, recommended by WHO in July 2021.

Sotrovimab, developed by GlaxoSmithKline with US partner Vir Biotechnology Inc, is an investigational monoclonal antibody for use in treating conditions caused by coronavirus. The WHO has conditionally recommended its use for treating mild or moderate Covid-19 in patients who are at high risk of hospitalisation. These include patients who are older, are immunocompromised, and have underlying conditions like diabetes, hypertension and obesity, and are unvaccinated. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) too has approved an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the therapy for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 in patients above 12 years.