Need to further accelerate ‘Har Ghar Dastak' drive, PM Modi says: Key points

NEW DELHI: Daily Covid cases across the country continue on an upward trajectory, dominated by a rapidly spreading Omicron variant. Two major urban centres- Delhi and Chennai recorded their highest daily case counts today. However Mumbai saw a drop in numbers from yesterday.
PM Modi chaired a virtual meeting with state chief ministers on Thursday evening, during which he stressed on the need to no panic despite a surge in numbers.He also spoke about accelerating the 'Har Ghar Dastak' programme to achieve complete vaccination coverage of the entire eligible popualtion.
Here are the key developments from the day:
Omicron drives surge in metros
The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is responsible for the majority of new cases; the Delta variant, that was dominant during the second wave in India around the middle of last year, now accounts for 15-20% cases, said Dr S Kumar of LNJP Hospital, Delhi.
The national capital on Thursday logged 28,867 new cases, a record since the beginning of the pandemic. Down south, Chennai too saw an all-time high daily case count with 8,218 people testing positive. The previous peak was on May 12, 2021, when the city reported 7,564 new cases.
However Mumbai saw about 16% dip in munbers from Wednesday, recording 13,702 new cases. Bengaluru too reported 18,374 fresh Covid cases.
Need to further accelerate ‘Har Ghar Dastak' drive: PM Modi
There is a need to further accelerate the ‘Har Ghar Dastak' programme to reach 100% vaccination coverage, the PM said on Thursday, during an interaction with state chief ministers. He was chairing a meeting to take stock of the pandemic situation in the country.
Stating that vaccines are the best weapons to fight Covid, PM Modi said that all efforts have to be made to make sure no misinformation is spread about vaccines.
“The quicker we give precaution doses to front-line workers and senior citizens, the more secure our healthcare system will get,” he said.
Despite the massive surge in fresh Covid cases across the country, Modi said that there is no need for panic. However we cannot let our guard down.
“Focus must be on local containment to curb spread of Covid. We should also ensure that a maximum number of people are cured within home isolation norms,” PM Modi said.
He told the chief ministers that a ‘proactive, pre-emptive, collective’ approach is needed to ensure that an alarming situation does not arise.
Several states announce more curbs
Haryana has extended Covid restrictions imposed under 'Mahamari Alert- Surakshit Haryana' to all districts of the state. The restrictions were earlier applicable in only some of the worst affected districts.
In Ladakh, all private, government and residential schools, hostels, coaching centres, gyms and other indoor facilities shall remain closed. Bars, restaurants can operate with 25% seating capacity. Public transport to ply with half of the seating capacity, and passengers without masks will not be allowed to travel.
The Bengaluru civic body said that an entire apartment complex will be declared 'containment zone' for a minimum of 7 days in case of more than 3 Covid cases. All residents of the affected comples will be tested, and detailed contact tracing and surveillance is to be done.
Mandaviya urges 'eligible young friends to get vaccinated' fast
Over three crore youngsters in the 15-18 age group have received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine since India opened up vaccination for this category of beneficiaries on January 3, Union health minister Mansukh Madaviya said on Thursday.
In a tweet, he said, "Over 3 crore youngsters between the 15-18 age group have received 1st dose of the #COVID19 vaccine. I appeal to all my eligible young friends to get vaccinated at the earliest".
Vaccination commenced from January 3 for adolescents in the age group of 15-18 years.
'AstraZeneca booster gives higher antibody response against Omicron'
AstraZeneca said on Thursday preliminary data from a trial it conducted on its Covid-19 shot, Vaxzevria, showed it generated a higher antibody response against the Omicron variant and others, including Beta, Delta, Alpha and Gamma, when given as a third booster dose.
The increased response was seen in people who were previously vaccinated with either Vaxzevria or an mRNA vaccine, the drugmaker said, adding that it would submit this data to regulators worldwide given the urgent need for boosters.
The company said it adds to the growing evidence that supports a third dose of its vaccine irrespective of the primary vaccination schedule.