Health workers, over 60s queue for boosters in India

Healthcare and front-line workers along with people above age 60 with health problems lined up Monday at vaccination centers across India to receive a third dose as infections linked to the omicron variant surged.

The doses, which India is calling a "precautionary" shot instead of a booster, were given as new confirmed coronavirus infections rocketed to over 179,000 on Monday, nearly an eightfold increase in a week.

 Hospitalizations are also beginning to rise in large, crowded cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. About 47% of the population is now fully vaccinated and many have antibodies from previous infections.  Although the omicron variant seems to cause less severe illness than the delta variant, India's massive population, crowded cities, and understaffed hospitals mean that health systems may still become strained.