Delhi Chief Braces for 100,000 COVID-19 Cases Daily as Omicron Spreads Through India

India has recorded more than 7,495 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, out of which 236 were of the Omicron strain, India's Health Ministry said on Thursday.

After reviewing the fast-spreading Omicron variant in Delhi that has exceeded 60 cases, state chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday outlined plans and arrangements, bracing himself for an eventual caseload of 100,000 patients a day.

Some of the arrangements include increasing the number of hospital beds available, improving the oxygen supply, and urging those who have the Omicron variant to stay at home.

Addressing the media, Kejriwal said that the government has decided to meet the Omicron challenge mainly through home isolation, since, what he has seen so far, the new strain does not require hospitalisation.

"We are increasing our manpower and stocking medicines for the coming months. We are arranging medical oxygen - 15 oxygen tankers will be delivered to us in the next three weeks," Kejriwal said.

We appeal to persons with mild symptoms to stay at home, don't rush to hospital. Under our home isolation module, our healthcare workers will visit patients at their residence, conduct tele-counselling & also give a kit containing oximeter etc to them: Delhi CM Kejriwal pic.twitter.com/rnHMLwwS6M

— ANI (@ANI) December 23, 2021

Ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations, scores of shoppers were spotted flouting COVID-19 protocols as they thronged Delhi's popular street markets in the year-end sale.

Looking at the mayhem, the Kejriwal government, on Wednesday, imposed a ban on mass gatherings in markets, churches and other public places.

@ArvindKejriwal @AamAadmiParty @msisodia can u see the 3rd wave here? Plz shut the markets, people have no sense of corona 🙏 #sarojininagar #ThirdWave #coronacasesdelhi pic.twitter.com/zt3t0z7jEV

— maani Kaur chawla (@sanjamchawla) December 21, 2021