COVID-19: India's Omicron tally touches 781, daily case count rises

During the same period, 781 new Omicron variant cases were also detected.

Delhi topped the chart with 238 cases.

Maharashtra stood in the second position with 167.

The death toll due to the highly infectious virus in the past 24 hours overall touched 302. The death toll due to the disease in the country now stands at 480592.

India's active caseload currently stands at 77,002.

Active cases account for less than 1 percent of total cases.

It currently stands at 0.22 percent.

Recovery rate currently stands at 98.40 percent.

7,347 recoveries were registered in the last 24 hours.

India witnessed a massive spike in Covid-19 cases with Mumbai and Delhi registering a 70 percent and 50 percent jump over a 24-hour period.

The financial capital reported 1,377 cases while the national capital recorded 496.

The cities recorded one death each.

Mumbai's big surge came after a marginal drop in numbers. On Monday, the city recorded 809 new cases, which is 113 less than Sunday and three deaths.

The spike rate has been very high in Mumbai, with cases registering a 188 per cent  high in three weeks starting Dec 8.

In Delhi, the 50 percent jump was reported hours after the city imposed a series of strict restrictions under the "Yellow Alert".

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday asked people in the national capital not to stir out of their homes without a face mask amid rising cases of Covid-19, failing which he warned that markets will be shut in the city.

At the same time, Kejriwal told the media that people need not unduly worry as most Covid cases detected now were mild and symptomatic.

But people need to be cautious, he underlined.

"In most cases, there is no need to go to the hospital," he said, speaking about the present situation in Delhi.