New Delhi: India recorded the highest single day rise of omicron infections with 180 new cases, taking the total tally of such infections in the country to 961, according to the Union health ministry.The 961 cases have been detected across 22 states and UTs so far, and 320 people have recovered or migrated.Delhi recorded the maximum number of 263 cases followed by Maharashtra at 252, Gujarat 97, Rajasthan 69, Kerala 65 and Telangana 62.The daily rise in COVID-19 cases crossed the 13,000 mark after around 49 days, taking the total tally to 3,48,22,040, while the active cases increased to 82,402, according to the data updated at 8 am.The death toll has climbed to 4,80,860 with 268 fresh fatalities.A total of 13,091 new coronavirus infections were reported in a span of 24 hours on November 11.Watch | ‘Covovax Better Than Covishield as Booster Dose’: Gagandeep KangThe daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 63 days now.The active cases comprise 0.24% of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.38%, the ministry said.An increase of 5,400 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.The active cases comprise 0.24% of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.38%, the ministry said.An increase of 5,400 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.10%. It has been less than 2% for last 87 days. The weekly positivity rate was also recorded at 0.76%. It has been below one per cent for the last 46 days, according to the ministry.The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,42,58,778, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.38%.India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.The 268 new fatalities include 211 from Kerala and 20 from Maharashtra.A total of 4,80,860 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,41,496 from Maharashtra, 47,277 from Kerala, 38,324 from Karnataka, 36,758 from Tamil Nadu, 25,107 from Delhi, 22,915 from Uttar Pradesh and 19,745 from West Bengal.US sees highest spikeThe US has recorded 512,000 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the highest ever since the start of the pandemic. According to Johns Hopkins University, 1,762 people died of the illness in the same time. The previous record of the single-day highest cases was on January 8, 2021 at 294,015.Global COVID-19 infections hit a record high over the past seven-day period, Reuters data showed on Wednesday, as the omicron variant raced out of control and governments tried to contain its spread without paralysing fragile economies.Almost 900,000 cases were detected on average each day worldwide between December 22 and 28. A number of countries posted all-time highs during the previous 24 hours, including Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, the United States and many nations in Europe.Also read | Modi, Kejriwal Don’t Think Omicron Is Spreading Locally. So Why Are They Prepping for a Crisis?Studies have suggested Omicron is less deadly than some previous variants. But the sheer number of people testing positive could overwhelm hospitals in some countries and leave businesses struggling to carry on without workers who government officials have ordered to quarantine.Researchers in South Africa found that a key part of the immune system’s second-line defence – its T cells – are highly effective at recognising and attacking the omicron variant, preventing most infections from progressing to critical illness.Political leaders in some nations, fearful of the economic impact of keeping so many workers at home, were considering shortening the period required for isolation after a positive COVID test or exposure.Spain said on Wednesday it was reducing the quarantine period to seven days from 10, while Italy said it was planning to relax isolation rules for those who came into close contact with sufferers of the virus.Earlier this week US health authorities released new guidance shortening the isolation period for people with a confirmed infection to five days from 10, so long as they are asymptomatic.“I am highly concerned that omicron, being highly transmissible and spreading at the same time as Delta, is leading to a tsunami of cases,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing.French health minister Olivier Veran told lawmakers France was seeing a “dizzying” rise in cases, with 208,000 reported in the space of 24 hours – a national and European record.(With agency inputs)