Coronavirus India Updates: Total Covid Cases At 46,711; More Than 1,500 Dead

The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in India inched closer to 47,000 on Tuesday after the largest one-day spike in cases, as restrictions eased in some areas of the country.

The country reported 3,875 new cases over the last 24 hours, taking the total tally to 46,711, according to the health ministry’s 5 p.m. update. This includes 13,161 patients who’ve been discharged and 1,583 who’ve died.

The data also shows a spike in the number of deaths reported. Over the last 24 hours, 194 people have succumbed to the virus, while 1,399 people have recovered.

To be sure, the spike in new cases is likely because of increased testing. India conducted its highest number of tests so far on Monday, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research. Total tests done so far are at 11,91,946. The health ministry has also said that the rise in new cases is due to data correction from some states which had under-reported cases.

Global Update:

Global deaths from the pandemic topped 250,000. Signs of optimism emerged in the U.S. as New York reported the fewest new infections since mid-March and California took steps toward reopening. Scientists created a monoclonal antibody that can defeat the new coronavirus in the lab, an early but promising step.

The worst-hit countries in Europe moved to ease curbs as cases slowed. Italy began to reopen its economy after two months, but the premier was criticized for being too cautious, and Spain started to relax its lockdown regime after weeks of confinement.

Telangana has extended the lockdown restrictions in the state to May 29. The nationwide lockdown imposed by the Centre ends on May 17.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has withdrawn relaxations that allowed the opening of liquor shops.

Now only grocery shops and medical stores will be allowed to open, an order issued by the BMC commissioner said.

India added 3,875 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total tally to 46,711 cases.

• Active cases: 31,967
• Cured/discharged/migrated: 13,161
• Deaths: 1,583

The Health Ministry attributed a spike in new cases and deaths reported over the last 24 hours to correction of under-reporting by some states.

Contact tracing is being done and asymptomatic cases are being tested,”the ministry’s Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said. “We are fighting an infectious disease and we have to fight it together. Need of the hour is community participation so that every person contributes in breaking the chain of transmission.”

India saw 3,900 new infections and 195 deaths in the 24 hours preceding the Health Ministry’s 8 a.m. update. The same 24 hours also saw the highest testing conducted - accounting for 7 percent of all testing done in India so far.

• Thermal scanning, hand wash, sanitisers and face mask is mandatory to be made available in workplaces.
• Social distancing should be ensured in office vehicles.
• There should be a gap between two shifts, Staffs should be given different lunch breaks to ensure social distancing.
• Companies should ensure that all the employees have downloaded Aarogya Setu app.
• Workplaces should be sanitised between the shifts.

While the decision to resume domestic flights is yet to be taken, between May 7-13 India will operate 64 flights to evacuate stranded Indians from different countries, according to Hardeep Singh Puri from the ministry of civil aviation. This will be the largest peacetime repatriation exercise in history of the world.

These flights will be from-

• 10 flights from UAE
• 2-Qatar
• 5-Saudi
• 7-U.K.
• 5-Singapore
• 7-U.S.
• 5- Phillipines
• 7-Bangladesh
• 2- Bahrain
• 7- Malaysia
• 5-Kuwait
• 2- Oman

Passengers who wish to avail these flight will have to pay, besides undergoing mandatory 14 days quarantine and medical checkup, he said.

• Of the total flights 15 flights from 7 countries will come to Kerala, 11 flights to come Tamil Nadu, 7 to Maharashtra, 11 to Delhi.
• Fares to range from Rs 50,000 from London to Mumbai and Rs 1 lakh from Chicago to Delhi. From Singapore-Delhi the cost will be about Rs 20,000.
• In the first week these 64 flights will bring about 15,000 people.
• Air India will conduct these flights for the first week. As we go along we will also consider to rope in private airlines.

The Andhra Pradesh government has enhanced prices of liquor by another 50 percent on Tuesday, only a day after imposing a 25 percent hike as shops were reopened in relaxation of the ongoing lockdown.

Special Chief Secretary (Revenue) Rajat Bhargava said the increase in liquor rates was to 'discourage' people from consumption and safeguard health. The enhanced rates would come into force with immediate effect, he said.

The state government also decided to open liquor outlets from 12 noon, instead of 11 a.m., till 7 p.m. Sources said the fresh hike (50 percent) in rates could fetch an additional revenue of Rs 9,000 crore per annum to the cash-starved state government.

The entire liquor business in Andhra Pradesh is controlled by the state government through its own retail outlets, numbering 3,468. Sources said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed that 15 percent of the retail liquor shops be closed down by this month end.

Source: PTI

Koyambedu market for vegetables, fruits and flowers, one of the largest in the country that used to teem with thousands of people every day here, has emerged as the latest hotspot for Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu.

The development has prompted authorities to shift the market -spread over 295 acres with over 3,000 outlets of which only about 200 of them are presently functional- to suburban Tirumazhisai from Thursday.

Of the 527 positive cases on Monday, a "large number are linked to the Koyambedu market," a bulletin said while rough estimates provided by officials here and in districts pegged at least 450 cases to have a link to the market place.

In Chennai alone, at least 215 of the 266 new cases were linked to the Koyambedu market.

An inquiry launched to probe the "serious" case of 137 Covid-19 infections, and a death, in a single CRPF battalion will be completed soon, officials said on Tuesday, even as the force is undertaking new measures to combat the outbreak.

They said the probe is being monitored by CRPF chief AP Maheshwari and it will be taken to its "logical end at the earliest."

"The coronavirus outbreak in the 31st battalion of the force has been viewed seriously. The Director General (DG) has directed to gear up the force to face the challenge of the pandemic during 'hotspot policing' duties and while rendering other security related tasks," a senior officer said.

There are 137 positive cases in this unit till now and six more results are awaited, he said. Overall, the force has 146 confirmed cases, with two recoveries.

Source: PTI

Eleven states now have more than 1,000 coronavirus cases, with West Bengal - reporting 1,259 cases - being the latest one to join the club. Maharshtra is nearing the 15,000-mark.

Swabbing more people than ever in a day, India tested 84,713 people in the 24 hours preceding the Indian Council of Medical Research’s 9 a.m. update.

This takes the total number of tests done so far to 11,91,946.

To put things into better perspective, 7 percent of all testing done in India so far happened int he last 24 hours.

The government is close to testing 1 lakh people a day - a goal it announced on April 6, when its daily testing numbers were around 18,000.

India reported 3,900 new coronavirus cases in the 24 hours preceding the Health Ministry’s update at 8 a.m. today morning. This is the largest spike of fresh cases seen so far, and takes the tally of total confirmed cases to 46,433.

• Active cases: 32138
• Cured/discharged/migrated: 12727
• Deaths: 1568

It also reported the largest spike in deaths, with 195 people succumbing to the illness in the last 24 hours. 1,020 people recovered in the same time period.

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There are now ten Indian states with over 1,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases. Maharashtra has the most number of cases at nearly 13,000—almost a fourth of the total cases in India.