Coronavirus India Updates: Tally At 37.7 Lakh; Over 66,000 Dead

India continues to add new coronavirus cases at a time the nation announced the fourth phase of lifting lockdown restrictions to revive an economy that has contracted by nearly a quarter.

India added over 78,000 cases in 24 hours, taking the total tally to more than 37.69 lakh in Asia’s third-largest economy, according to the Health Ministry’s update as of 8 a.m. on Sept. 2. This includes over 66,000 deaths and over 29 lakh patients who have recovered.

India now has more than 8 lakh active Covid-19 cases.

Key figures:

• Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases: 37,69,523
• Active cases: 8,01,282
• Cured/discharged/migrated: 29,01,908
• Deaths: 66,333
• Number of fresh cases in 24 hours: 78,357
• One-day recoveries: 62,026
• One-day deaths: 1045

On Sunday, India reported the highest ever one-day surge among all major countries. The Asian country pushed past Mexico for the third-highest number of deaths worldwide, on Monday. At the current trajectory, India’s outbreak will eclipse Brazil’s in about a week, and the U.S. in about two months.

Despite the rise in number of Covid-19 deaths, India’s fatality rate is a mere 1.8%. Active cases make up for 21% of the virus pie and recoveries constitute 77%.

Global update:

Russia became the fourth nation to pass 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases, on the day when schools across the country reopened for the new academic year. European nations are facing a second wave with active cases rising in Spain and Italy.

Globally, the total number of cases top 25.5 million, including more than 852,000 dead.

Track all Covid-19 related news and updates in India, here.

Delhi Metro is set to resume services in three stages from Sept. 7-12 after a hiatus of over five months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but stations in containment zones would remain closed, DMRC said on Wednesday.

Officials of the urban transporter also cautioned that “trains may not stop at some of the stations” if social distancing norms are not adhered to by the passengers.

Trains will operate in batches of four-hour each from 7-11 a.m. in the morning and 4-8 p.m. in the evening, it said.

Get full details here.

A top American scientific body has launched study to track the prevalence and impact of Covid-19 infection among approximately 16,000 pregnant women in seven countries, including India.

The study will follow women through pregnancy and 12 months after childbirth to compare maternal, fetal and newborn outcomes of participants who have been infected with the virus to those of pregnant women who have not been infected, the National Institute of Health (NIH) said, announcing the launch of the study on Tuesday.

The participating countries are India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kenya, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Guatemala, it said.

The study will be conducted by the Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research, a group of clinical sites funded by the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. At delivery, women enrolled in the study will receive an antibody test to determine if they have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, the NIH said in a statement.

Researchers hope to determine if infection increases the risk of complications such as preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, stillbirth, newborn death and birth defects.

They also hope to assess participants' knowledge and attitudes of Covid-19 during pregnancy, including safety, protective practices and prenatal care.

Women in the study will also be invited to participate in a follow-up analysis to determine if maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection influences infant outcomes such as cerebral palsy, developmental delays and hearing and vision abnormalities, the NIH said.

Source: PTI

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said he has tested positive for coronavirus. Sawant, 47, said he is asymptomatic and under home isolation.

A liquid oxygen plant set up at a government-run Covid-19 hospital in Maharashtra's Jalna district has improved the recovery rate of patients and lowered the death rate, a senior health official said.

The plant, inaugurated by state Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Aug. 15, is equipped with bulk tanks which are filled periodically with liquid oxygen generated there. These tanks help supply oxygen to 100 patients at a time in the hospital, civil surgeon Archana Bhosale told PTI on Tuesday.

Oxygen therapy is a core part of the treatment of severely ill Covid-19 patients, she said.

Initially, the Covid-19 death rate in the district was 4.5%, and it has now come down to 2.8%. The recovery rate in Jalna is 71%, the official said. Currently, 238 patients are being treated at the 200- bed Covid-19 hospital here, she said.

So far, the district has reported 4,808 Covid-19 cases. Out of these, 148 patients have died till now and 3,269 have been discharged after recovery, she said.

Source: PTI