India reports 10,158 new Covid cases, a 30% increase from yesterday, with active cases at 44,998; officials say vaccines are effective against Omicron variant.

India has reported 10,158 new Covid-19 cases, a 30% increase from the previous day, taking the total number of cases in the country to 4,42,10,127. The active cases in India have gone up to 44,998, according to data from the Union health ministry. The government has stated that Covid-19 has entered the endemic stage in India and cases will rise for the next 10-12 days, after which the infections will subside. Health officials have reassured the public that the XBB.1.16 subvariant of Omicron, which is driving the latest surge, is not a cause for worry and vaccines are effective against it. The prevalence of the subvariant increased from 21.6% in February to 35.8% in March, but no cases of hospitalisation or death have been reported.