Coronavirus India Updates: Tally Tops 2.56 Lakh As India Begins To ‘Unlock’
Track news and developments about the Covid-19 outbreak here.
Covid-19 infections crossed the 2.5-lakh mark on a day the country ends its two-month lockdown. This comes a day after the subcontinent’s total tally surpassed Italy and Spain’s, now at the fifth spot.
The world’s second-most populous nation added 9,983 fresh cases in the 24 hours preceding the Health Ministry’s 8 a.m. update on June 8, taking the total tally to 2,56,611. This includes 7,135 deaths and 1,24,095 patients who have recovered.
Authorities reported 206 deaths and 4,802 recoveries during the same 24 hours.
Key Numbers
- Total confirmed cases: 2,56,611
- Number of fresh cases in last 24 hours: 9,983
- Total number of active cases: 1,25,381
- Total patients cured/discharged/migrated: 1,24,095
- Total deaths: 7,135
Indian authorities have now reported more than 9,000 fresh cases for the fifth straight days, with the latest figure showing the country’s largest spike.
Even as confirmed cases continue to mount in India, the lockdown will be lifted in phases from June 8. Malls, restaurants and religious places will be allowed to open as the government aims to revive the economy that’s headed for its first full-year contraction in more than four decades. India was already growing at its slowest pace in over a decade when the virus struck. The lockdown, effective March 25, made it worse, stalling all business activity. Some states like Maharshtra, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab have extended the isolation restrictions but with some relaxations.
Global Update
Worldwide deaths from the coronavirus pandemic topped 400,000, while infections are approaching the 7 million mark. U.S. cases rose at a rate below the week’s average. New Zealand reported zero active cases of Covid-19 for the first time since the pandemic reached its shores, indicating it may have achieved its aim of eliminating the virus. China lambasted suggestions that it hid information about the coronavirus outbreak, saying it has acted transparently.
Cases pass 6.9 million; deaths exceed 402,000.
Track news and developments about the Covid-19 outbreak here.
High Court Seeks Delhi Government Reply On Plea To Direct Hospitals Not To Deny Admission
The Delhi High Court Monday sought response of the Aam Aadmi Party government on a plea seeking direction to the government and private hospitals not to deny admission to asymptomatic and symptomatic Covid-19 patients.
The plea has also sought direction that hospitals should not insist for coronavirus test before admitting people even in emergency.
A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan, which conducted the hearing through video conferencing, issued notice to the Delhi government and listed the matter for further hearing on June 25.
The bench was hearing a petition filed by advocate and petitioner Krishna Kumar Sharma who has also sought direction for not charging higher amount for personal protection equipment from patients and that they be charged a reasonable amount.
He also sought to ensure that hospitals are not forcing frontline health workers to wear used PPE.
He has also called for taking immediate action against those government and private hospitals or nursing homes in the national capital, which refuses emergent medical care to the patients in this Covid-19 pandemic.
The petition, filed through advocate KM Monika, sought direction to the authorities for ensuring that Covid-19 test shall not be mandatory before admitting elective and even emergency patients by government and private hospitals.
Multiple private hospitals have made Covid-19 test mandatory before admitting elective and even emergency patients, despite respondent (Delhi government) issued a clarification on the aforesaid issue, asking hospitals authority not to test asymptomatic patients, it said.
Source: PTI
Kejriwal Goes Into Self-Quarantine; To Be Tested For Covid On Tuesday
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has gone into self-quarantine and will get himself tested for Covid-19 on Tuesday, officials said on Monday. They said the chief minister was feeling unwell since Sunday afternoon.
Source: PTI
State Data
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Gujarat remain the states with the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases. Here’s the state-wise breakup.
To be sure, the total cases and daily jumps reported by states depend on multiple factors such as population, effectiveness of the lockdown, and most directly, the pace of testing. States which are conducting more tests are likely to report more cases compared to those which are conducting fewer tests.
The Indian Council of Medical Research has conducted 47,74,434 tests till date with 1,08,048 int he last 24 hours. Data for individual states, however, is more difficult to obtain as different local governments choose to divulge this information at different points of time or not at all.
Here’s the states which carried out the most number of tests on June 7, according to the data available.
Hydroxychloroquine Shows No Covid-19 Benefit In U.K. Study
A U.K. study of hydroxychloroquine for treatment of Covid-19 was halted after an early analysis found no benefit, the biggest blow yet for the therapy touted by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Initial results from the trial clearly show the antimalarial drug doesn’t reduce the risk of death among hospitalized patients with the disease, the investigators said in a statement on the University of Oxford’s website. About 26% of patients in the trial getting the drug died, compared with about 24% receiving standard care.
“Although it is disappointing that this treatment has been shown to be ineffective, it does allow us to focus care and research on more promising drugs,” said Peter Horby, an Oxford professor and chief investigator for the trial.
Breakup Of India's Covid Cases
Private Hospitals Charging Hefty Sums From Covid-19 Patients In Maharashtra: BJP
Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Praveen Darekar has claimed that private hospitals are charging hefty amounts from Covid-19 patients and demanded the state government to intervene in the matter.
The state government has included Covid-19 treatment under the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana, but private hospitals are still charging huge sums from patients, the BJP leader told reporters on Sunday.
Charges of some hospitals for Covid-19 treatment range from thousands to lakhs of rupees and they have no fear of the government, he said.
"The state government should intervene in this and reimburse the excess money charged from patients. We will undertake an agitation for this, if needed," Darekar said.