Coronavirus India Updates: Covid-19 Cases Cross 2.36 Lakh Mark, Surpassing Italy’s Tally
Track all the news and updates from the Covid-19 outbreak in India.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Covid-19 cases in India continued to surge unabated with the country just a day away from "unlocking" its economy after a more than two-month lockdown.
India added 9,887 new cases of novel coronavirus over the last 24 hours, taking the total tally to 2,36,657, according to health ministry's 8 a.m. update. This includes 1,14,073 patients who've recovered and 6,642 deaths.
Over the last 24 hours, India saw 4,611 recoveries while 294 people died from the highly infectious respiratory disease.
The lockdown will start lifting in phases from June 8 when malls, restaurants and religious places will be allowed to reopen. States and union territories will still have a say in curbing certain activities if deemed necessary.
Last night, India’s health ministry issued guidelines on how restaurants and malls will have to operate once the lockdown lifts.
Global Update:
Globally, cases passed 67 lakh with deaths exceeding 3.94 lakh as of Saturday morning.
U.K. transmission rates reached near-critical levels in some regions as nationwide deaths passed 40,000. Brazil reported over 1,000 new Covid-19 fatalities.
Track news and developments about the Covid-19 outbreak here.
10 New Covid-19 Cases In Dharavi Today
Dharavi recorded 10 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, increased the total tally in Mumbai’s biggest slum to 1,899 including 71 deaths, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.
States With Maximum Mortality Rates
Among states with most Covid-19 deaths, Gujarat continued to report the maximum mortality rate of 6.2%, followed by West Bengal with 5%.
The national mortality rate stood at 2.8%, according to the health ministry’s 8:00 a.m. update.
Rajasthan's Recovery Rate Stands At 73%
Rajasthan reported the best recovery rate of 73%, among states where at least 1,000 patients have been cured.
Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh reported recovery rates of above 60%, compared to the national average of 48%.
Kerala To Conduct Antibody Tests From June 8
Kerala government will conduct antibody tests from June 8 to check if there was any community transmission.
The plan is to conduct up to 15,000 antibody tests per week, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The state has received 14,000 kits through Indian Council of Medical Research and 10,000 of these have been given to different districts. Another 40,000 kits are expected in the next three days, Vijayan added.
(Source: PTI)
Tamil Nadu Caps Covid-19 Treatment Charges
The Tamil Nadu government capped the charges for Covid-19 treatment in private hospitals at Rs 15,000 per day in intensive care units across the state and announced that no fee over and above the fixed slab can be claimed from patients.
In private sector hospitals, the per-day charges for treatment in ICUs shall not exceed Rs 15,000 and in general wards, for asymptomatic patients and those with mild symptoms, the maximum is Rs 7,500, Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said in an official release.
For the purpose of fixing upper limit on rates, hospitals have been categorised based on factors like amenities and for the first two levels of Grade A1 and A2 hospitals, the maximum allowable per-day fee in general ward and ICU are Rs 7,500 and Rs 15,000 respectively.
In the next two levels of hospitals that fall under Grade A3 and A4, the ceiling for charges per day in general ward and the ICU are Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000.
(Source: PTI)
Delhi Government To Monitor Beds Available At Private Hospitals For Covid-19 Patients
The Delhi government won't spare private hospitals that deny admission to Covid-19 patients, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet.
Here are some of the other highlights from what Kejriwal said:
- One medical professional from the Delhi government will be deployed in all private hospitals to ensure that hospitals do not refuse admission on false grounds.
- Black-marketing of beds will not be allowed.
- An order is being issued to ensure that no hospital turns away suspected Covid-19 patients.
- There are a total of 42 designated coronavirus testing labs in Delhi, out of which 36 are working currently. Action has been taken against the remaining six labs.
Three States Report More Than 1,000 Cases In Last 24 Hours
Maharashtra, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu reported more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry’s 8:00 a.m. update. Karnataka and Gujarat reported over 500 cases in the same period.
Number of tests conducted on June 5
- Maharashtra: 14,007
- Delhi: 5,187
- Tamil Nadu: 15,692
- Karnataka: 13,627
- Gujarat: 5,990
(Testing data is compiled from individual states’ Covid-19 dashboards.)
Covid-19 Hasn't 'Exploded' In India, But Risk Remains: WHO
The coronavirus disease has not "exploded" in India, but the risk of that happening remains as the country moves towards unlocking its nationwide lockdown that was imposed in March, according to a top World Health Organization expert.
WHO Health Emergencies Programme Executive Director Michael Ryan said the doubling time of the coronavirus cases in India is about three weeks at this stage.
“So the direction of travel of the epidemic is not exponential but it is still growing,” he said, adding that the impact of the pandemic is different in different parts of India and varies between urban and rural settings.
“In South Asia, not just in India but in Bangladesh and...in Pakistan, other countries in South Asia, with large dense populations, the disease has not exploded. But there is always the risk of that happening,” Ryan said in Geneva.
He stressed that as the disease generates and creates a foothold in communities, it can accelerate at any time as has been seen in a number of settings.
Ryan noted that measures taken in India such as the nationwide lockdown have had an impact in slowing transmission but the risk of an increase in cases looms as the country opens up.
The measures taken in India certainly had an impact in dampening transmission and as India, as in other large countries, open up and as people begin to move again, there’s always a risk of the disease bouncing back up.Michael Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme
(Source: PTI)
Maharashtra's Case Count Crosses 80,000
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Maharashtra reached 80,229, according to the Health Ministry’s 8 a.m. update. Out of this, 42,224 are active cases, while over 2,800 people have died.
Total cases neared the 29,000 mark in Tamil Nadu, while the number of infected patients in New Delhi crossed 26,000.
Enforcement Directorate Headquarters Sealed
Five Enforcement Directorate employees, including a special director rank officer, have tested positive for Covid-19, following which the headquarters of the central probe agency have been sealed for 48 hours till Monday.
The employees were found infected after the agency carried out section-wise testing at its headquarters in the wake of some coronavirus cases being reported from other floors of the Lok Nayak Bhawan in Khan Market in New Delhi, where the Enforcement Directorate office is located.
(Source: PTI)
Trump Says India, China Will Have More Covid-19 Cases With More Tests
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that countries like India and China would have much more coronavirus cases than America if they conduct more tests.
Trump said that the U.S. has carried out 20 million tests, while Germany has done done four million tests. The much talked about South Korea has done about three million tests, he said on Friday.
India has so far conducted over 4 million coronavirus tests, according to the health ministry.
I say to my people every time we test; you find cases because we do more testing. If we have more cases, if we wanted to do testing in China or in India or other places, I promise you there would be more cases…Donald Trump, U.S. President
(Source: PTI)
India Reported Its Highest Number Of Deaths In A 24-Hour Period
Active Coronavirus Cases Cross 1.15 Lakh Mark
- Active cases: 1,15,942
- Cured/discharged/migrated: 1,14,073
- Deaths: 6,642
India’s Covid-19 Count Is Now Sixth Highest In The World
India now has more cases than Italy, which was once the hotbed of infections in Europe. If cases in India continue to rise at the same pace, the country is likely to overtake Spain as the fifth most infected in the world. India also has the highest number of fatalities in Asia, barring Iran.