India reported 8,774 new COVID-19 cases and 621 related fatalities on Saturday, pushing the overall cases tally to 3,45,72,523 and the death count to 4,68,554. 

Besides, 9,481 recoveries were also reported during the previous 24 hours. 

The recovery rate now stands at 98.34 per cent, the highest since March 2020. At little over a lakh, active cases in the country stand at 1,05,069.

Meanwhile, reports of a new Covid variant, named 'Omicron' by the WHO and declared as a variant of concern, which was first detected in South Africa, has triggered concerns across the world, with several countries imposing travel bans on multiple southern African nations. 

The new strain has already been detected in several European countries, including UK, Germany, Italy, and Czech Republic. 

The variant is said to be much more infectious than the Delta variant and the "most heavily mutated" version of coronavirus discovered so far.

Source: NDTV

BDST: 1418 HRS, NOV 28, 2021
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