Coronavirus Pandemic LIVE Updates: Niti Aayog Building Sealed After Official Tests Positive, Colleagues Asked to Quarantine; 2nd Doctor Dies in Kolkata

Harsh Vardhan on Coronavirus | For 3.5 months we have been fighting Covid-19 batte from the front, said Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. "Right now we are in a position we are able to exactly pinpoint areas where the virus is disturbing the people. About 129 districts are where we have significant amount of cases, can call them hotspots. These are the areas where we are focusing our attention on," he said.

Niti Aayog Coronavirus Case | After an official of the Niti Aayog tested positive for Covid-19 today, the building is undergoing disinfection and sanitisation.

An employee working at NITI Bhavan has been detected positive with COVID-19. It was informed to the authorities at 9 am this morning. NITI Aayog is following all the due protocols necessary as per the Ministry of Health guidelines. The building has been sealed.

— NITI Aayog (@NITIAayog) April 28, 2020

Niti Aayog Building Sealed After Official Tests Positive | After a Niti Aayog official tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease today, the Niti Aayog building has been sealed today as per Health Ministry protocols. Contacts of the positive person have been asked to go on quarantine.

'No Fresh Case in 80 Districts Since a Week': Harsh Vardhan | ​Health Minister Harsh Vardhan addresses media on coronavirus pandemic -- "No fresh case reported in 80 districts since last 7 days. In 47 districts, no case has been reported in last 14 days, while 39 districts have not reported a case since last 21 days. Seventeen districts have not reported a case for last 28 days."

Watch Live!! Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for HFW, S&T, ES interacts through Video Conferencing with Autonomous Institutes & PSUs under Dept of Biotechnology https://t.co/3QM2ioNx7d

— DrHarshVardhanOffice (@DrHVoffice) April 28, 2020

Health Min Harsh Vardhan on Coronavirus | Health Minister Harsh Vardhan addresses media on coronavirus pandemic -- "For the last 14 days, our doubling rate is 8.7, while for the last 7 days, it is 10.2 days. In last 3 days, it is 10.9 days roughly."

AP Coronavirus Updates | In Andhra Pradesh, 82 new coronavirus positive cases have been reported. The total infections stand at 1,259. Andhra has been testing thousands of samples on daily basis, which is why there’s a spike in positive cases number. No new deaths have been reported.

Doctor Dies of Coronavirus in Kolkata | In Kolkata, another doctor died after testing positive. Dr Sishir Mondal, 69, expired on late Monday night. He had been on ventilator support since April 17.

Coronavirus in India State Wise Update: Maharashtra Cases Rise | A total of 522 news cases and 27 deaths were reported in Maharashtra today. Total 8,590 positive Covid-19 cases and 369 deaths have been reported in the state till date. Mortality Rate stands at 4.30%: Maharashtra Health Department, reports ANI.

Delhi Coronavirus Cases | The total number of positive cases in Delhi stands at 3,108 now, of which 190 cases were reported yesterday. Total of 877 patients have been cured, while 11 are on ventilator. Death toll stands at 54. The doubling rate of Covid-19 in Delhi is 13 days, said Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain, ANI reports.

UN Chief Says Extremist Groups Taking Advantage of Covid-19 | UN chief Antonio Guterres has warned that extremist groups are taking advantage of the COVID-19 lockdowns and intensifying efforts on social media to recruit youths online by exploiting their anger and despair, asserting that the world cannot afford a lost generation due to the unprecedented global health crisis.

#COVID19 has exposed the fragility of our societies to global shocks, such as disease or the climate crisis.

As we recover, we must build a better future for all.

Together, we can protect our planet, improve health, reduce inequality & re-energize struggling economies.#PCD11 pic.twitter.com/C8CgIvcdtG

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) April 28, 2020

Link Between Kawasaki Disease & Coronavirus ? Italian and British medical experts are investigating a possible link between the coronavirus pandemic and clusters of severe inflammatory disease among infants. Doctors in northern Italy, one of the world's hardest-hit areas during the pandemic, have reported extraordinarily large numbers of children under age 9 with severe cases of what appears to be Kawasaki disease, more common in parts of Asia.

Manipur Detains 1,658 People for Lockdown Violation | The Manipur Police detained 1,658 people for violating the curfew and the lockdown norms over the past two days and collected fines amounting to Rs 1.99 lakh, officials said on Tuesday.

ITI Develops Device for Coronavirus Medics | The Government-run Industrial Training Institute (ITI) here has come up with protective devices for the frontline medical professionals fighting the deadly COVID-19 pandemic by developing an aerosol box for intubation process.

UP CM Chairs Coronavirus Meeting | Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath chaired a meeting with 'Covid-19 management Team-11' of the state, over the coronavirus pandemic in Lucknow. (Image: ANI)

Business Coronavirus Update: Novartis Sales Grow | Swiss drugmaker Novartis boosted first-quarter sales and profit and confirmed its 2020 targets as its generics unit's sales were lifted during the coronavirus epidemic without disruptions in business for its main products, Reuters reports.

Coronavirus in India State Wise Update: Kerala | With no Covid-19 positive case in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, currently, the city has been removed from the list of hotspots, ANI reports.

Agra Coronavirus Cases Rise | Nine new cases of the novel coronavirus disease, Covid-19, were reported in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The total number of positive cases has climbed to 398 here.

China Coronavirus Updates | The coronavirus outbreak is posing new challenges and risks to workplace safety for manufacturers, including an increase in unused inventory of dangerous goods and lack of adequate safety training for staff, a senior Chinese official said on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

What is Coronavirus ? Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment.

HAL Employees to Resume Work Amid Coronavirus | HAL employees to resume work from today. Employees to be treated on par with Defense acc to 18(1) of revised guidelines, as HAL provides essential services to IAF​. Deployment of manpower should not exceed more than 50% of strength in each shift.

Punjab Coronavirus Cases Rise | One more positive Covid-19 case reported today in Mohali, taking the total number of cases to 64, of which 27 are cured. Two deaths reported till date in Mohali, said Girish Dayalan, DC Mohali, ANI reports.

China Coronavirus Updates | Authorities in Beijing are set to close a COVID-19 special hospital after clearing all the cases even as China reported six new coronavirus infections and 40 fresh asymptomatic cases, health officials said on Tuesday.

Mexico GDP Shrank Amid Coronavirus | Mexico's gross domestic product likely contracted in the first quarter of this year as the coronavirus pandemic put the brakes on economic activity, a Reuters poll showed on Monday. The median forecast of a poll of 12 analysts is that Mexico's GDP shrank 1.7% in seasonally adjusted terms during the January-March period.

Coronavirus in India State Wise Update | Haryana has reported 296 coronavirus cases, while Odisha has 118 cases. Eighty-two people have been infected with the virus in Jharkhand and 51 in Uttarakhand. Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh have reported 40 cases each, Chhattisgarh has 37 cases while Assam has registered 36 infections each so far.

Italy Coronavirus Updates | The northern region of Veneto, one of Italy's early coronavirus hotspots, broke ranks with the national government on Monday and announced it would lift some lockdown restrictions a week ahead of schedule.

World Coronavirus Updates: New York | Scientists at New York City's health department have begun to analyze the novel coronavirus's genetic material to allow them to trace the origins of any future outbreaks in the coming months as they cautiously look to reopen the largely shuttered city, Reuters reports.

Oil Prices Slump Amid Coronavirus | Oil prices slumped on Tuesday, extending the previous session's slide, on worries about limited capacity to store crude worldwide and expectations that fuel demand may only recover slowly as coronavirus pandemic restrictions are gradually eased, Reuters reports.

HSBC's Profits Halve amid Coronavirus | HSBC Holdings PLC's first-quarter profit nearly halved from a year-ago, missing estimates, after boosting provisions against bad loans as the coronavirus pandemic hits borrowers worldwide.

Coronavirus in India State Wise Update | The number of Covid-19 cases has gone up to 1,183 in Andhra Pradesh and 1,004 in Telangana. The number of cases has risen to 697 in West Bengal, 546 in Jammu and Kashmir, 512 in Karnataka, 481 in Kerala, 345 in Bihar and 313 in Punjab.

Maharashtra Has Most Coronavirus Deaths | Of the 934 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 369 fatalities, followed by Gujarat at 162, Madhya Pradesh at 110, Delhi at 54, Rajasthan at 46 and Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh at 31 each.