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Coronavirus Outbreak Updates: Nineteen more staffers of the Delhi government’s Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital in Jahangirpuri tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases at the facility to 59, officials said. With 293 new COVID-19 cases reported today in Delhi, the total number of positive cases in Delhi rises to 2,918 and death toll stands at 54, said the CMO. 37,613 tests have been carried out in the National Capital so far and 2094 have been conducted on Sunday. 102 new COVID-19 cases and 7 deaths have been reported in Rajasthan today, taking the total number of cases to 2,185 and deaths to 41, according to the 9 pm update by the state health department. Dharavi reported 34 new cases on Sunday bringing its total to 275 cases including 14 deaths so far, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The Haryana health department has said that there are 296 cases of the novel coronavirus in Haryana, out of which 94 are active. Three people have lost their lives due to the disease so far. With 440 new positive cases and 19 deaths reported in Maharashtra on Sunday, total number of cases mounts to 8,068 and toll rises to 342, according to the state health department. Tamil Nadu on Sunday reported 64 new cases of the novel coronavirus, pushing the total in the state to 1,885. One person also died of the disease and the toll now stands at 24. 60 persons were also cured of the disease taking the number of active cases in the state to 838. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said the coronavirus situation in the country is improving as many hotspot districts (HSD) are moving towards being non-hotspot districts (NHSD). COVID-19 death toll in India has reaches 826, while the number of cases has climbed to 26,917, according to the latest update provided by the Union health ministry. A total of 1,843 positive COVID-19 cases have been reported till date in Uttar Pradesh, of which 289 cases have been cured/discharged and a total of 29 deaths have been reported till now, ANI quotes Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad as saying. Six new COVID19 positive cases have been reported in Ranchi — a staff of Sadar Hospital, three persons in Hindpiri and two in Lowadih have tested positive. 44 staff members at Delhi’s Babu Jagjivan Ram hospital have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, reports ANI.“Test reports of other staff members are awaited. Hospital’s medical services have been closed and hospital is being sanitized,” ANI quotes the Delhi health department as saying. Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has come up with economic suggestions for the Narendra Modi government to help states tackle the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Pawar detailed the steps. One of the steps he suggested was to enhance the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRBM) borrowing limit. Pawar also suggested was an extension of RBI’s new loan deferment policy to state debt too. “The state makes repayment of Rs 10,500 crore every year on account of the NSSF loan given by the Centre. It is requested to extend the two-year moratorium on loan repayment.” He also requested to offer financial assistance to the Maharashtra government to the tune of 1 lakh crores for FY 2020-21. The COVID-19 mortality rate in Maharashtra stood at 4.23 percent after 323 fatalities were registered so far. On the other hand, the COVID-19 recovery rate in the state was at 14.11 percent after 1,076 COVID-19 patients were cured of the infectious disease, according to the data released by the health ministry. The toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 323 on Sunday with 22 deaths reported in past 24 hrs, while the number of confirmed cases saw a jump of 811 to go up to 7,628. We have 80% of patients who are asymptomatic and 20% are there who have mild, serious or critical symptoms. We have to see how these people are also saved. Those who are hiding it and not getting tested, if you have symptoms please go and get tested, said Uddhav Thackeray Train services in Maharashtra cannot be started anytime soon, said Uddhav Thackeray during the briefing on Sunday, adding that such measures can lead to spike in number of coronavirus cases. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that no concession will be made in the lockdown guidelines in the National Capital till 3 May, except for allowing standalone shops to open outside containment zones. Kejriwal further said that a decision on the way forward, after the current nationwide lockdown ends on 3 May, will be taken depending on what the Centre decides. The number of coronavirus cases in Indore rose to 1,176 after 91 more people tested positive for the infectious disease in the Madhya Pradesh district during the past 24 hours, an official said on Sunday. So far, 57 COVID-19 patients have died in Indore, which has emerged as one of the COVID-19 hotspots in the country, district chief medical and health officer Praveen Jadia said. Till now, 107 people have been discharged after recovering from the viral infection, he said. Mumbai reported as many as 203 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday till 6 pm, thereby taking the total number of confirmed cases in the city to 4,870, said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The toll due to the novel coronavirus was 191. According to the municipal corporation, the number of patients who have been cured of the infectious disease stood at 762. Therefore, the COVID-19 recovery rate in the city was at 15.6 percent. A data journalism portal called Health Check also reported that Mumbai was ready to conduct plasma therapy for eligible COVID-19 patients. The report citing BMC said that three units of plasma have already been collected. The total number of confirmed cases in Delhi surged to 2,625 following an increase by 118 new cases of COVID-19 and one death in the National Capital. “A total of 118 more COVID-19 cases and one more death was reported in the National Capital in the last 24 hours. The total cases in Delhi n Maharashtra on Saturday reported 811 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, a single-day record for the state. The total number of positive cases in the state are now 7,628 and the toll rose by 22 to reach 323, a Health department statement said. With 119 patients discharged after recovery, their number rose to 1,076 so far. Of the overall count of COVID-19 cases in the state, Mumbai accounts for 4,870 of them. The financial capital of the country saw 281 new positive cases and 12 deaths on Saturday. The toll in the city stood at 191. India registered the highest single-day rise in COVID-19 fatalities in the past 24 hours with 49, taking the toll to 824. According to the data released by the Union Health Ministry, a spike of 1,990 fresh cases was witnessed, bringing the overall count to 26,496. Of the total, 19,868 are active cases while one patient was migrated. The recovery rate stood at 22 percent after 5,804 COVID-19 patients were cured The Delhi government on Saturday decided to implement the Centre’s guidelines on reopening of neighbourhood and standalone shops during the lockdown, but said no activity will be allowed in containment zones, as the number of coronavirus cases rose to 2,625 in the National Capital. After the home ministry issued clarification on reopening of shops, Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday said standalone shops in colonies will be permitted to operate from 7 am to 6 pm in nine out of 13 districts that have been green zones in the state. “Liquor stores and barber shops will remain closed,” said Rawat. As many as 28 fresh COVID-19 positive cases were reported in Bihar on Saturday, taking the overall count to 251 in the state. Of the total confirmed cases, 45 people have recovered while two have succumbed to the infectious disease. Currently, there are currently 204 active cases. A month into the lockdown, the Union Health Ministry on Saturday informed that there has been a marked improvement in the rate of spread of the novel coronavirus in India, even as the country registered 1,490 new COVID-19 cases and 56 deaths, the highest single day rise in fatalities so far. On Saturday, the nationwide count of confirmed cases climbed to 24,942 with 779 deaths with some states began easing some of the restrictions imposed since the country went on a nationwide lockdown on 25 march.
India’s rate of spread slows down
The average doubling rate of COVID-19 cases in the country is 9.1 days as of now; this was 7.5 days just five days ago, and 3 days on 21 March, when India had just 300 cases. The doubling rate is the rate at which India’s Covid-19 cases are expected to double from today’s figure. [caption id=“attachment_8284841” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP[/caption] Furthermore, from Friday 8 am to Saturday 8 am, India recorded a six percent growth in new cases, which is the lowest daily growth rate recorded since the country crossed 100 cases on 15 March, the government said on Saturday, according to PTI. The recovery figures have also shown some improvement. As of now, 5,062 people have been cured with a recovery rate of 20.66 percent, which is an improvement from the 14.2 percent reported last Sunday (19 April) and 13 percent on 17 April, the ministry said. The government also said that this is comparatively better than most of the countries and may be taken as a positive effect of the lockdown in the country, along with the cluster management and containment strategy. In an announcement that underscored the scientific unknowns about the virus, the World Health Organisation said “there is currently no evidence” that people who have recovered from COVID-19 cannot fall sick again.
Maharashtra, Gujarat account for most cases and deaths
Of the total cases reported on Saturday, 18953 are active, 5,209 have been cured and discharged patients, one migrated while 779 have died, the health ministry said. According to the health ministry data updated in the evening, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country is from Maharashtra at 6,817, followed by Gujarat (2,815), Delhi (2,514), Rajasthan (2,034), Madhya Pradesh (1,952) and Uttar Pradesh (1,778). The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 1,755 in Tamil Nadu, 1,061 in Andhra Pradesh and 984 in Telangana. The number of cases has risen to 571 in West Bengal, 489 in Karnataka, 454 in Jammu and Kashmir, 451 in Kerala, 298 in Punjab and 272 in Haryana. Bihar has reported 228 coronavirus cases, while Odisha has 94. Fifty-nine people have been infected with the virus in Jharkhand and 48 in Uttarakhand. Himachal Pradesh has 40 cases, while Chhattisgarh and Assam have registered 36 infections each. Chandigarh has 28 cases, while there are 27 COVID-19 patients in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Twenty coronavirus cases have been reported from Ladakh, 12 from Meghalaya, while Goa and Puducherry have registered seven COVID-19 cases each. Manipur and Tripura have two coronavirus patients each, while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported a case each. “Forty-nine cases are being assigned to states for contact tracing. Our figures are being reconciled with that of the the ICMR,” the ministry said on its website. State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it added. Of the 56 deaths reported since Friday evening, 18 were in Maharashtra, 15 in Gujarat, nine in Madhya Pradesh, three each in Delhi and West Bengal, two each in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh and one each in Punjab and Kerala. Of the total 779 COVID-19 deaths, Maharashtra accounts for the highest number of 301 fatalities, followed by Gujarat (127), Madhya Pradesh (92), Delhi (53), Andhra Pradesh (31) and Rajasthan (27). The death toll reached 26 in Uttar Pradesh as well as in Telangana, 22 in Tamil Nadu, while Karnataka and West Bengal have reported 18 deaths each, the ministry said. Punjab has registered 17 fatalities so far, Jammu and Kashmir five, Kerala four, while Jharkhand and Haryana have recorded three COVID-19 deaths each. Bihar has reported two coronavirus deaths, while Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Assam have reported a fatality each, according to the ministry data.
States ease lockdown conditions, but no respite for Maharashtra
Some states, taking cue from a late Friday night order from the Union Home Ministry, said they are taking steps to open more categories of shops, including those selling garments, mobile phones, hardware and stationery items. However, these relaxations would not be allowed for shops located in market places, malls and COVID-19 hotspots and containment zones. In rural areas, all shops barring those in malls have been allowed to open. Liquor and cigarette shops would remain closed everywhere irrespective of their location, while sale of non-essential items through e-commerce platforms continue to remain shut. Restaurants, hair salons and barber shops will not be allowed to open as these render services and do not fall under the shop category. The Delhi government said it will implement the Home Ministry order on opening of shops in the National Capital, but Maharashtra ruled out any immediate relaxation saying the lockdown guidelines will remain unchanged in the state till 3 May. In fact, there are also reports that the Maharashtra government is mulling to extend lockdown at least in the containment zones within hotspot districts Mumbai and Pune till at least 18 May. This came after 281 new positive cases and 12 deaths were reported in Mumbai on Saturday, taking the total number of cases in the city to 4,870. Gujarat and the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, on the other hand, decided to follow the directive, while Assam said it will take a decision on Monday. Gujarat has the second highest number of active cases at 2,423 after Maharashtra. Madhya Pradesh, another state hit hard by the novel coronavirus, too decided to ease the restrictions on neighborhood shops while also beginning the process of sending migrant labourers to their respective villages in the state. At least 8,000 migrant labourers were sent to their villages in the state in buses, the govt said on Saturday. According to ANI, Madhya pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Saturday that the state govt has also launched efforts to bring Madhya Pradesh labourers stuck in other states, while announcing that at least 2,400 labourers have already left from Gujarat. Last week, the govt also allowed manufacturing and farming to resume in rural areas to ease the economic plight of millions left jobless by the lockdown. Restrictions in the country have allowed people out of their homes only to buy food, medicine or other essentials.
Congress recommends steps to rejuvenate MSMEs
On the political front, Congress President Sonia Gandhi also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking urgent steps to help the MSME sector, including a Rs 1 lakh crore ‘wage protection’ package. She said the MSME crisis has the potential of having a devastating and expansive ripple effect on our economy. The BJP, meanwhile, hit out at the opposition party, alleging its leaders keep making new demands and claim that the nationwide lockdown has caused problems. “The Congress is doing petty, abhorrent and negative politics. It is writing letters daily. It should go and work on ground. Its leaders don’t do that but keep making new demands,” Union minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters. Instead of making new demands, the Congress should say what it has been doing to help people, Javadekar added. Meanwhile, special teams sent by the Centre, in the meantime, assessed ground situations in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, but a political stand-off continued in West Bengal on this front. The team visiting West Bengal alleged that non-cooperation on the part of the state government over providing logistical support and other relevant information, while the state’s ruling party Trinamool Congress described it as “India’s Most Callous Team” and accused it of trying to spread the political virus “shamelessly”. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier slammed the Centre for sending the teams to look into the state’s preparedness for tackling the COVID-19 outbreak and alleged that faulty testing kits were dispatched to the state. With inputs from agencies
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