227 new cases confirmed in India in last 24 hours and 10 coronavirus hotspots identified, including 2 in Delhi

Over three-quarters of a million people have now been infected by the novel coronavirus. At last count, there were just over 786,000 cases and over 37,800 deaths. However, the number of those who have recovered also continues to rise; 165,660 have so far made it out. [caption id=“attachment_8135151” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. PTI[/caption]

Developments in India

227 new cases were reported across the country yesterday, taking the total to over 1,250 confirmed cases. Of these, 32 people have died and 102 have recovered.   The government has identified 10 hotspots across the country - Nizammudin and Dilshad Garden in Delhi, Noida, Meerut, Bhilwara, Ahmedabad, Kasaragod, Pathanamthitta, Mumbai and Pune. A disease cluster is composed of 10 or more cases in a localized area. If several clusters develop in a region, the vicinity is a dubbed a hotspot. Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, said that these areas are being closely monitored; health workers and police have been deployed to ensure containment and strictly enforcing a curfew. Testing will also be increased in these areas, but will still be carried out as per protocol. This means that those who came in contact with positive cases, directly or indirectly, will be tested. The case in Nizammudin is of particular concern; a large public gathering at a mosque in mid-March appears to be the common denominator in a string of cases across the country. 5 deaths in Telangana have been tracked to this gathering, along with cases in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kashmir, and the Andaman Islands. Previous cases have been tracked to the Nizamuddin area as well, with police and health officials trying to locate over 1,600 people associated with a gathering there.  

Global developments  

Italy continued to see a dramatic rise in deaths and cases; 812 people have lost their lives in the last 24 hours and 4,050 new cases were reported. The country now has 101,739 cases, second only to the US. At last count, close to 11,600 people have lost their lives there. The country was supposed to come out of lockdown on Friday, but officials extended the curfew until Easter, the 12th of April. Similarly, Spain also sustained a heavy death toll; over 800 people have passed away in the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 7,700.   France now also has a death toll of over 3,000, following 418 deaths in the last 24 hours. In the US, the country with the highest caseload of over 164,000 cases, New York City remained in a deadly situation. A disproportionate amount of cases are concentrated in the Big Apple, but other outbreaks are also beginning in Florida and Detroit. A military ship, USNS Comfort, has docked outside New York City. It is a 1,000-bed military hospital that will bring some relief to the overstretched health infrastructure in the area.   For more information, read our article on   How COVID-19 spreads_._ Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, India’s first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.