Coronavirus India Updates: India’s Covid-19 Tally Tops 5.6 Lakh; Nearly 17,000 Dead

Covid-19 infections in India continues to mount by the day as the country struggles to prevent new contractions amid a reopening economy.

India added over 18,000 new cases of the novel virus, taking the total tally to more than 5.66 lakh in the world’s second-most populous country, according to the Health Ministry’s update as of 8 a.m. on June 30.

Key Numbers

• Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases: 5,66,840
• Active cases: 2,15,125
• Cured/discharged/migrated: 3,34,822
• Deaths: 16,893

India reported 18,522 fresh cases, 13099 recoveries and 418 deaths in the 24 hours preceding the Health Ministry’s update. Fresh cases dropped for the second straight day after hitting a record on Sunday

Despite an improved daily recovery rate of over 10,000 in eight of the past 10 days, the number of active cases in India now stands at 2.5 lakh.

Global Update

The World Health Organization warned the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is still to come because of a lack of global solidarity. More U.S. areas took steps to scale back reopenings, with Arizona closing bars and New Jersey halting plans for indoor dining. Daily deaths in Iran reached a record, while cases in Austria rose to the highest level since mid-May.

Cases pass 10.2 million; deaths top 504,000.

Track news and developments around the Covid-19 outbreak in India here.

Private medical colleges in the city have agreed to provide about 4,500 beds for the treatment of Covid-19 patients, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said on Tuesday.

The government has agreed to include private doctors and paramedical staff involved in treatment of coronavirus patients under insurance coverage.

"We have held discussions, they (private medical colleges) have responded positively, they have assured that they will give more than 50% of beds and provide necessary facility. They have agreed to give about 4,500 beds," Yediyurappa said.

Source: PTI

Thane city will observe a total lockdown between July 2-12 to contain the coronavirus outbreak, municipal commissioner Vipin Sharma said on Tuesday.

Non-essential services will not operate during this period, and nor would movement of vehicles for proposes other than medical and essential travel be allowed, the order said.

Movement of all essential goods as well as perishable items will be allowed during this period, the order said.

In neighbouring Mira Bhayander, also part of Thane district, civic authorities re-imposed total lockdown, including closing of shops dealing in essential items, between July 1-10 to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The order of Mira Bhayander Municipal Commissioner Vijay Rathod said shops selling essential items, including bakery products and those dealing in food grains, will remain closed during this period.

Home delivery of food grains, vegetables, fish, meat, bakery items will be allowed between 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. while milk and dairy items will be delivered at doorsteps between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., the order informed.

Source: PTI

A new flu virus strain, identified among pigs in China, is becoming prevalent among workers in the swine industry, according to a study which says the pathogen has "all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus."

The study, published in the journal PNAS, is based on a surveillance of pigs in China from 2011 to 2018, and found that the influenza virus strain, with genetic material termed as G4 genotype, has become predominant in swine populations since 2016.

According to the scientists, including those from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, these G4 viruses bind to receptor molecules in human cells, and can replicate in the outer layer of the respiratory system.

They demonstrated that the newly identified virus can efficiently infect ferrets via aerosol transmission, causing severe clinical symptoms in them like sneezing, wheezing, coughing, and a mean maximum weight loss ranging from 7.3 to 9.8% of the mammals' body mass.

The study also noted that humans are not protected from the G4 virus by the immunity offered by other human influenza vaccine strains, indicating that there is no preexisting population immunity to the virus.

Blood sample analysis of workers in the swine industry indicated that nearly 10.4%(35/338) of them were positive for the G4 flu virus. Participants between 18 and 35 years of age had about 20 per cent positive rates of the virus in their blood, according to the study, indicating that the predominant G4 strain has acquired increased human infectivity.

"Such infectivity greatly enhances the opportunity for virus adaptation in humans and raises concerns for the possible generation of pandemic viruses," the scientists wrote in the study.

They said the newly identified virus is a growing problem in pig farms, adding that the widespread circulation of G4 viruses in pigs "inevitably increases their exposure to humans."

The scientists said two recent cases of G4 virus infection, reported in 2016 and 2019, were of a 46- and a nine-year-old, respectively.

According to the study, the two patients had neighbours who reared pigs, suggesting that G4 virus "could transmit from swine to human, and lead to severe infection and even death."

"Thus, it is necessary to strengthen the surveillance effort of G4 EA viruses among swine and human populations," the researchers wrote in the study.

Source: PTI

India has carried out over 86 lakh Covid-19 tests so far with 2,10,292 of them on June 29 itself.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address the nation yet another time this evening, as the country faces various adversaries of rising coronavirus cases, a threat from China and economic distress.

Just yesterday, the government released guidelines for the second phase of reopening India’s economy. It includes further relaxations in all areas other than containment zones where the lockdown will continue till July 31.