Coronavirus India Updates: Total Cases Top 1.58 Lakh With Days Left For Lockdown To End

Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India is close to the 1.6-lakh mark with just days left in the fourth phase of the nation-wide lockdown.

Total number of cases now stand at 1,58,333 including 67,692 who have recovered and 4,531 deaths. The number of active cases is at 86,110.

India added more than 6,000 fresh cases of infection for the seventh straight day. Authorities reported 6,566 new cases, 3,266 recoveries and 194 deaths in the 24 hours preceding the Health Ministry’s update at 8 a.m. on May 28.

Global Update

The U.S. reached the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus, the highest tally in the world. South Korea reported the most cases in seven weeks. Brazil’s cases continued to soar, topping 411,000, the second most in the world after the U.S.

So far, the highly contagious strain of virus has infected more than 5.6 million people across the world. More than 355,000 have died of it.

Track latest news and updates on the coronavirus situation in India, here:

India today said that the final battle against the infectious Covid-19 can only be won through drugs and vaccines.

“A vaccine is not a switch that it will be made available to everyone on day one,” said K Vijay Raghavan, the principal scientific advisor to the government of India. “In this disease everybody will need it. The logistics of making the vaccine accessible to everyone is a big challenge, and that is also being discussed now.”

Raghavan said that usually, it takes almost 10-15 years to develop a vaccine at a cost of around $200-300 million. But now, the challenge for the world is to do it in one year. The entire process will cost around $2-3 billion, he said.

“We will have to do parallel processing and have to go fast on regulatory process without compromising on the quality,” Raghavan said. “Our vaccine manufacturing capabilities are strong. Globally out of every 3 vaccine given to children under standard immunisation program, 2 are manufactured in India.”

Watch the full press conference here.

Nearly 50% of people who contract Covid-19 may experience altered or lost sense of taste, according to a review of studies. The review, published in the journal Gastroenterology, could provide diagnostic hint for clinicians who suspect their patients might have the deadly disease.

"Earlier studies didn't note this symptom, and that was probably because of the severity of other symptoms like cough, fever and trouble breathing," said Muhammad Aziz, from the University of Toledo in the U.S.

"We were beginning to note that altered or lost sense of taste were also present, not just here and there, but in a significant proportion," Aziz said.

The research team analysed data from five studies conducted between mid-January and the end of March.

Of the 817 patients studied, 49.8% experienced changes to their sense of taste, according to the study.

The researchers noted that the true prevalence could be even higher because some of the studies were based on reviews of patient charts, which may not have noted every symptom.

Source: PTI

Domestic flight operations to and from Kolkata resumed on Thursday after a gap of two months due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

Though domestic flight operations across the country began on May 25, they could not be restarted in Kolkata as the state machinery was involved in relief and restoration work after Cyclone Amphan whiplashed many areas of the state.

The first flight from Kolkata left for Guhawati at 6:05 a.m. with 40 passengers, whereas 122 passengers arrived from New Delhi on Thursday morning, the sources said.

"Welcome Back, Passengers! #KolkataAirport saw the arrival of 122 passengers from @DelhiAirport after two long months and 40 passengers departed to #Guwahati. Proper checks were followed, and regular sanitization was carried out in terminal which was abuzz with passengers," the Kolkata airport tweeted.

On Thursday, ten flights will take off from Kolkata, and an equal number will arrive in the city, sources at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport said.

Domestic flight operations will resume at Bagdogra airport in north Bengal too.

The West Bengal government had recently come up with a set of guidelines for people arriving in the state in domestic flights.

According to it, those entering the state from Thursday must submit a self-declaration form stating that they have not tested positive for Covid-19 in the past two months, according to an advisory of the Health Department.

The passengers will also need to undergo health screening after they arrive at the airport, the advisory said on Monday.

Source: PTI