PM Modi to chair Covid-19 review meet at 4.30pm as active caseload nears 6 lakh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a review meeting of the Covid-19 pandemic situation across the country at 4.30 pm on Sunday.

The review meeting comes amid a massive rise in the nationwide coronavirus tally with 1,59,632 fresh cases registered only in the last 24 hours. On May 29 last year, India had logged 1,65,553 infections in a day.

The active caseload currently stood at 5,90,611, while the daily positivity touched 10.21 per cent.

The fast-spreading Omicron variant that is said to be driving the latest resurgence in cases in India and across the world has been detected in 27 states in the country with a total of 3,623 cases.

During his last pandemic review meeting on December 23, last year, the PM had asked senior officials to maintain a high level of vigil and alertness. At the time, the country had seen a daily spike of a little over 7,000 Covid cases. "In view of the new variant (Omicron), we should be 'satark' (alert) and 'saavdhan' (take precaution)," the PM had said, while stressing the need for continued adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour.

Meanwhile, dates have been announced for a seven-phased election in the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. A little over a fifth of India's population will vote between February 10 and March 7. The Election Commission has, however, put a ban on rallies till January 15 amid the raging pandemic.