Coronavirus India Updates: Total Number Of Cases At 1024; Death Toll Rises To 27

Catch all live updates and announcements around coronavirus and how India is tackling it.

Workers prepare beds inside a quarantine facility for COVID-19 patients, in Guwahati, on March 29, 2020. (Photograph: PTI)

The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases rose to 1024 as of Sunday evening, according to data provided on the Health Ministry website. This includes 96 cured or migrated and 27 who succumbed to the respiratory illness.

On March 29, India added 106 cases, lower than Saturday’s 194 that is the highest single-day rise so far. Sunday was also the fifth day of the three-week mandatory lockdown being enforced by the country.

Globally, cases have topped 6,80,000, leaving more than 32,000 dead. Over 1,45,000 had recovered across the world as of Sunday evening.

Track latest updates on how the coronavirus situation is evolving in India here:

Another Covid-19 patient Dies In Bengal, Death Count 2

A woman infected with the coronavirus died at a state-run hospital in north Bengal on Monday, taking the total number of Covid-19 deaths in West Bengal to two, hospital sources said.

The 44-year-old woman from Kalimpong in Darjeeling district breathed her last around 2 a.m .at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, where she was admitted.

She had recently returned from Chennai, where she had gone for the treatment of her daughter.

Her daughter and the doctor, who was treating the woman, have been quarantined at a centre, a health department official said.

Earlier, an elderly man from Kolkata had died from Covid-19 last week.

The total number of Covid-19 cases has risen to 21 in West Bengal, including the two deaths.

Source: PTI

No Plan To Extend 21-Day Lockdown: Governemnt

The government on Monday said there was no plan to extend the 21-day lockdown which came intro force on Tuesday midnight.

The Press Information Bureau of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting tweeted, saying Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba has denied media reports claiming that the government will extend the lockdown.

"There are rumours & media reports, claiming that the Government will extend the #Lockdown21 when it expires. The Cabinet Secretary has denied these reports, and stated that they are baseless," it said.

The 21-day lockdown is aimed at checking the spread of the coronavirus.

Following the lockdown, there has been a massive exodus of migrant workers from big cities to their villages after being rendered jobless.

Source: PTI

Total Covid-19 Case Count In India Crosses 1,000

The total number of coronavirus cases detected so far in India has risen to 1024, as of 7:30 pm on Sunday evening. 901 cases are active, 96 have been cured, discharged or migrated, and there have been 27 deaths in India as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic.

15 New Cases Reported In Mumbai

15 positive cases of Covid-19 were reported in Mumbai on Sunday, as per a press statement from the BMC. The total number of positive cases in Mumbai and adjoining areas now stands at 123, according to the note.

159 international travellers are in quarantine facilities. The total death toll in Mumbai and adjoining areas now stands at 7 with 5 deaths in Mumbai and 2 in adjoining areas.

Spicejet Pilot Tests Positive, PTI Reports

Spicejet has informed that one of its pilots has tested positive for Covid-19.

“The test report came on March 28. He did not operate any international flight in March 2020. The last domestic flight he operated was the Chennai-Delhi flight on March 21 and has since quarantined himself at home,” a SpiceJet spokesperson told PTI.

As a precautionary measure, the airline has asked all crew and staff who were in direct contact with him to be in self-quarantine for the next 14 days.

Total Number Of Cases Rise To 979

The total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in India rose to 979, as of 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, as per the data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This includes 867 active cases, 87 who were discharged or migrated and 25 who succumbed to the illness. Total number of cases in the last 24 hours have risen by 106.

Twenty Two New Cases In Mumbai

There were twenty two new infections detected in Mumbai and adjoining areas, according to the BMC's daily update. Total number of positive cases is now 108. There have been six deaths so far.

Total Cases Rise To 918

India has a total of 918 confirmed Covid-19 cases as of Saturday evening, according to data provided on the Health Ministry website. This includes 80 cured or migrated and 19 who succumbed to the respiratory illness. Total number of cases has more than tripled in the last one week.

Health Ministry Says Focussing On Disease Burdened Hotspots

The health ministry today said that as the coronavirus outbreak in India evolves, it has started focussing more on disease burdened hotspots.

We are working with state government to do community surveillance, rigorous contact tracing and implementing a containment strategy, joint health secretary Luv Agarwal said in his daily press briefing. Since yesterday, 148 new cases have been detected and there have been two deaths, he informed.

Doctors across the country are being trained on how to manage Covid-19 patients with the help of AIIMS, Delhi, Agarwal said.

The ministry is also working on ensuring that both essential services and essential items are available in the country, he said.

Meanwhile, Indian Council of Medical Research's Chief Epidemiologist RR Gangakhedkar said that there is no need to do random sampling in India for now. He added that India has a capacity of testing 12,000 samples a day. Currently, it is just using 30 percent of that capacity.

Madhya Pradesh Orders Closure Of Liquor Shops Till April 14

The Madhya Pradesh government on Saturday issued a fresh order, asking liquor shops owners to keep their outlets shut during the countrywide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus, officials said.

The state government also extended the closure of cinema halls till April 14. The government had earlier ordered that the cinema halls be kept shut till March 31 as a preventive measure to check the spread of coronavirus.

33 Covid-19 patients were found in Madhya Pradesh so far, two of them died, PTI reported citing officials.

Railways Manufactures Prototype Of Isolation Coaches

The Indian Railways has manufactured a prototype of an isolation ward for treating coronavirus patients by converting non-air-conditioned train coaches, it said on Saturday.

Once the best practices are finalised in the next few days, each railway zone would manufacture a rake with 10 coaches every week. "Then we will serve the hinterlands or whichever region needs the coaches," Northern Railway Spokesperson Deepak Kumar said.

For medical equipment to be plugged in, the railways has provided 220-volt electrical points in each compartment, and provided for 415-volt supply externally. Not just the wards for patients, the coaches will also have facilities such as consultation rooms, medical stores, ICUs and pantry.

Kerala Reports First Covid-19 Death

Kerala reported the first death due to Covid-19 on Saturday, after a 69-year-old man being treated for the virus died at Ernakulam Medical College Hospital.

The man was admitted to the isolation ward on March 22 after his return from Dubai, the government hospital said in a statement. He was admitted with symptoms of pneumonia but later tested positive for coronavirus, it said. The patient was also suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure and had udergone a bypass surgery earlier, the hospital said.

Kerala reported 173 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection as of March 28, according to the Health Ministry website. This includes 11 people who were cured.

Migrant Workers Stuck At State Borders

Thousands of migrant workers from metropolitan regions like Mumbai and Delhi, who started walking back to their native places, have gotten stuck at state borders amid the lockdown.

Over 3,000 migrant workers from Gujarat and Rajasthan got stranded at a village in Maharashtra's Palghar district as the border has been sealed by authorities. These people, who work in parts of Mumbai, Boisar, Virar, Vasai, Vashi and other adjoining places, got stranded in Acchad village in Talasari taluka of Palghar on Friday, PTI reported citing police officials.

After hours of efforts by the district and police authorities, migrants finally returned to the Mumbai metropolitan region in the transportation arranged for them, police said.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh government has arranged a 1,000 buses to take migrant workers from Delhi to their respective hometowns, according to ANI.

Kerala CM Writes To Modi On State Highway Blockade

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Karnataka police blocking a key state highway.

Vijayan has urged Modi to immediately intervene in the matter, pointing out that the Thalassery-Coorg State Highway 30 was crutial to ferrying essential commodites to the state.

"This route is a lifeline for the flow of essential commodities to Kerala. If this is blocked, vehicles carrying essential commodities will have to travel a much longer route to reach our state," Vijayan said in the letter, sent on Friday. "You will naturally agree with me that no action impeding the movement of essential commodities should be initiated at this moment of crisis."

A copy of the letter was released to the media on Saturday. Vijayan requested Modi to ensure smooth flow of essential commodities to Kerala when the state is fighting Covid-19 on a war footing.

Sun Pharma To Donate Drugs, Sanitisers Worth Rs 25 Cr

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. has committed to donate Rs 25 crore worth of Hydroxychloroquine, Azithromycin, other related drugs and hand sanitisers to support India's fight against coronavirus pandemic, according to a company statement.

The national task force for Covid-19 constituted by Indian Council of Medical Research has recommended HCQ as prophylaxis of the infection for high risk population. HCQ is being studied by the World Health Organization for use in conjunction with Azithromycin to treat Covid-19.

"The company is committed to working closely with the governments and relevant stakeholders to ensure there is uninterrupted supply of medicines," Sun Pharma said in a statement. The company is constituting a task force to handle the distribution of these products in India, it added.

Commending the efforts of the entire medical and support fraternity in fighting Covid-19, Sun Pharma said, "To help these front-line warriors, the company has re-purposed its liquid manufacturing facility in India to produce high-quality hand sanitisers." These will be made available to healthcare professionals serving their communities and the nation, it added.

Also Read: Abbott Launches 5-Minute Covid-19 Test for Use Almost Anywhere

Maharashtra Tally Rises To 160, After Seven More Test Positive

With seven more persons testing positive for the coronavirus in Maharashtra, the total number of such cases in the state has gone up to 160, PTI reported citing officials.

Of these new Covid-19 patients, five are from Mumbai and two from Nagpur, health department officials said.

Of the total number of people who tested positive, 28 have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals in different parts of the state, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said in a tweet.

Infosys Engineer Sacked For Facebook Post On Covid-19

The Insofys software engineer who gave a call to the public to sneeze in public to spread the coronavirus has been sacked, the company said.

The tech giant, which had initially believed that it could be a case of mistaken identity, confirmed later that Mujeeb Mohammad was its employee and stated that he has been terminated from service.

The company said the social media post by the employee was against Infosys code of conduct and its commitment to responsible social sharing. "Infosys has a zero tolerance policy towards such acts and has accordingly, terminated the services of the employee."

Mohammad had posted on Facebook, "Let's join hands, go out and sneeze with open mouth in public. Spread the virus." He was arrested on Friday night.

Covid-19 Patient Recovers Iin Himachal Pradesh

A man who had tested positive for the coronavirus has recovered in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district, a PTI reported citing an official.

"The 32-year-old man from Harchakkian tehsil of the district's Shahpur subdivision has recovered from the disease," said Additional Chief Secretary (Health) RD Dhiman in a statement. "His latest report is negative for Covid-19."

Three people had been tested positive for the virus in Himachal Pradesh, including the one who has recovered. Another is being treated at Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College in Tanda. The third patient, a 69-year-old man who recently travelled back from the US, had died on March 23, as per the official data.

"Samples of 150 people were sent for tests till date and 147 of them were tested negative against Covid-19 in the state," Dhiman said.

Six More Test Coronavirus Positive In Gujarat, Count Now 53

With six more people testing positive for coronavirus in Gujarat, the number of such cases in the state has risen to 53 on Saturday, PTI reported citing an official.

“As many as six new cases were reported since last evening, taking the number of such cases in the state to 53," Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi said.

Three Covid-19 patients have so far died in the state - one each in Surat, Ahmedabad and Bhavnagar.

Total Number Of Cases In India Rises To 873

India has a total of 873 confirmed Covid-19 cases as of Saturday morning, according to data provided on the Health Ministry website. This includes 79 cured or migrated and 19 who succumbed to the respiratory illness. Total number of cases have tripled in the last one week.

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