Globally, nearly 8.4 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported
India on June 19 reported the highest single-day spike of 13,586 fresh COVID-19 cases, with over 3.8 lakh infections reported across the country till date. Over 12,500 people have lost their lives to the viral infection in India, with 336 new deaths recorded in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry's latest update.
Maharashtra continues to report the highest number of infections (1,20,504), followed by Tamil Nadu (52,334), Delhi (49,979) and Gujarat (25,601).
Globally, nearly 8.4 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported, with the death toll due to the infection at over 4.5 lakh, as per the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Here are the top developments of the day:
>> People testing positive for COVID-19 will have to undergo five-day institutional quarantine instead of home quarantine even if they are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) tweaked rules for Delhi. Earlier, all those in the national capital who tested positive for the coronavirus but were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms were advised home quarantine.
>> A string of US cities have mandated or urged mandatory mask use with the aim of getting a grip on the spiralling coronavirus cases.
>> The Union Home Ministry said a high-powered committee set up by Amit Shah, has recommended fixing the cost of a COVID-19 isolation bed in any hospital in Delhi in the range of Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 and an ICU bed with ventilator between Rs 15,000 to Rs 18,000 per day.
>> The Supreme Court, after taking note of the differences in COVID-19 testing charges across states, asked the Centre to decide on the issue. It said all states should set up a panel of experts to inspect hospitals to ensure proper care of the patients.
>> British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new one-billion pounds COVID-19 catch-up package of measures to tackle the impact of lost teaching time as a result of the coronavirus lockdown. Meanwhile, UK's coronavirus alert level has been downgraded from four to three, a move hailed by the government as a big moment in its pandemic fight. Under level three of a five-level alert system, the virus is now considered to be "in general circulation" and therefore allow for a "gradual relaxation of restrictions" to ease the lockdown further.
>> After he tested positive for COVID-19 on June 18, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain's condition deteriorated and he was also diagnosed with pneumonia. Jain was then put on full-time oxygen support and was shifted to an intensive care unit (ICU).
>> European Central Bank (ECB) chief Christine Lagarde urged European Union (EU) leaders to quickly come to an agreement on a recovery package, that would pull the economy from a "dramatic fall" or risk a change in sentiment on markets, which were expecting a deal soon.
>> The global coronavirus pandemic is accelerating, with Thursday's 150,000 new cases the highest in a single day, World Health Organization (WHO) director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "Almost half of the cases reported were from the Americas," he told in a virtual briefing.WEBINAR: Tune in to find out how term insurance can provide risk protection during tough times. Register Now!
