Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a video conference with chief ministers at noon to review the Covid-19 situation in India. According to news agency ANI, home minister Amit Shah and health minister Mansukh Mandaviya will attend, while health secretary Rajesh Bhushan will deliver a presentation. The meeting comes after a concerning surge in daily Covid cases - there were approximately 3,000 cases in 24 hours this morning, a 17% increase from Tuesday.

The status of the vaccination drive (with a focus on precautionary doses) and states reporting high Covid cases are expected to be highlighted.

Since the pandemic hit the country in 2020, the prime minister has met with chief ministers and government officials multiple times to stay up to date on the disease's progress.

During his mann ki baat address to the country on Sunday, the prime minister advised people to be cautious and follow Covid safety guidelines, especially during the festive season. To keep Covid away, he advised people to wear masks in public or busy places and to sanitise their hands on a regular basis.

In states and big cities, daily cases have increased; on Tuesday, Gurgaon reported over 400 in 24 hours for the first time since February, while Mumbai reported over 100 in a day for the first time since March 1. On Tuesday, Delhi recorded nearly 1,200 instances, the sixth straight day with 1,000 or more.

The Drugs Controller General of India approved the emergency use of two vaccines for children under the age of 12 earlier this week: Biological E's Corbevax and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. This was hailed as a watershed moment, paving the path for younger children to be vaccinated against the disease.

Covid cases continue to dominate global headlines, with the omicron variant (and several sub-variants) driving the numbers.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged all countries to keep coronavirus infections under surveillance. Because of decreasing testing rates, the globe was 'blind' to how the virus was spreading, according to the World Health Organization on Tuesday.