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Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Mumbai Civic Body's Testing Scheme to Make Available 1 Lakh Antigen Kits, Results in 30 Minutes

News18.com | June 23, 2020, 10:41 PM IST

Event Highlights

3,214 New Virus Cases in Maharashtra
BMC to Launch 'Mission Universal Testing'
Delhi Reports Highest Surge in Cases

Coronavirus LIVE Updates: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will soon launch the 'Mission Universal Testing' in which one lakh antigen kits for coronavirus infection will be made available and test results will be known in 30 minutes. Private hospitals have been instructed to buy the antigen testing kits and corporate firms can also buy and test their employees. Those above 70 years can do these tests at home without any prescription.

Global coronavirus infections topped nine million as the World Health Organization warned that the pandemic was accelerating and Saudi Arabia said it would allow a "very limited" number of pilgrims to the hajj next month. France took its biggest step yet back to normality by allowing millions of children to return to school. But despite Europe further easing lockdowns, cases are still rising around the world, especially in Latin America with Brazil now registering more than 50,000 deaths. And there are fears of new clusters in Melbourne and Lisbon as well as renewed outbreaks in Beijing and other parts of Asia.

Jun 23, 2020 10:41 pm (IST)

WATCH | WHO Calls For Ramping Up Of Dexamethasone Production

Jun 23, 2020 10:35 pm (IST)

Puducherry Covid-19 Update | Puducherry reported 15 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections to 402. The tally includes 165 recovered/cured and nine deaths, according to the latest health bulletin.

Jun 23, 2020 10:30 pm (IST)

63 New Covid-19 Cases in UP's Gautam Buddh Nagar | Sixty-three more people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar, the second-highest for any district in the state in a 24-hour period. A total of 19 deaths have been recorded so far.

Jun 23, 2020 10:19 pm (IST)

WATCH | Novak Djokovic Tests Positive For COVID-19, Are We Ready For Commercial Sports Yet?

Jun 23, 2020 10:10 pm (IST)

Update | Union minister Jitendra Singh said the widespread use of homeopathy and other medicines to build immunity has generated people's interest in alternative systems of medicine.

Jun 23, 2020 9:59 pm (IST)

Telangana Confirms 879 New Cases | A total of 879 new cases of coronavirus and three deaths were reported in Telangana today, taking the total number of cases to 9,553, while the death toll rose to 220.

Jun 23, 2020 9:50 pm (IST)

3,214 New Coronavirus Cases in Maharashtra | The number of coronavirus case in Maharashtra reached 1,39,010, today after 3,214 new infections were reported. A total of 248 deaths were reported taking the toll to 6,531.

Jun 23, 2020 9:32 pm (IST)

Low Covid-19 Testing Can be 'Dangerous', Warns Fadnavis | BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis suggested ramping up coronavirus testing in Maharashtra, the worst-hit state, and warned that not testing as per available capacity can be "dangerous".

Jun 23, 2020 9:12 pm (IST)

READ | Remdesivir for Covid-19 Under Rs 5,000? Cipla Plans to Sell Generic Version of Drug in India

Cipla and privately held Indian drugmaker Hetero Labs on Sunday gained approval to sell generic versions of remdesivir in the country.

Jun 23, 2020 8:53 pm (IST)

Eight New Coronavirus Cases in UP's Muzaffarnagar | Eight more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, taking the number of active cases to 81.

Jun 23, 2020 8:47 pm (IST)

READ | Covid-19 Might Push 120 Million Children Into Poverty in South Asia, Including India: UNICEF

The UNICEF report, titled Lives Upended- How COVID-19 threatens the futures of 600 million South Asian Children - covers eight South Asian countries namely Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

Jun 23, 2020 8:40 pm (IST)

West Bengal Registers 370 New Cases | A total of 370 new coronavirus cases and 11 deaths were reported in West Bengal today, taking the total number of cases in the state to 14,728. The tally includes 9,218 discharged/cured cases and 4,930 active cases. The death toll rose to 580.

Jun 23, 2020 8:35 pm (IST)

BMC to Launch 'Mission Universal Testing' | As coronavirus cases continue to rise in Maharashtra, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced the launch of 'Mission Universal Testing' in which 1 lakh antigen kits will be used for Covid-19 testing. Private hospitals have been instructed to buy antigen testing kits which gives results in half an hour. The tests can be bought by corporate houses for testing their employees. Elderly above 70 years can do these tests at home without any prescription.

Jun 23, 2020 8:31 pm (IST)

148 New COVID-19 cases in J&K | Jammu and Kashmir recorded 148 coronavirus cases, taking the virus count to 6,236 in the Union Territory. Of the fresh cases, 20 are from the Jammu region and 128 from the Kashmir Valley,

Jun 23, 2020 8:20 pm (IST)

WATCH | Patanjali's 'Coronil' Runs Into Trouble After Claims of 'Curing' COVID-19 in 7 Days

Jun 23, 2020 8:18 pm (IST)

Goa Registers 25 New Coronavirus Cases | Health officials found 45 new coronavirus cases today, taking the cumulative total to 909. The tally includes 702 active cases, 205 recovered/cured patients. The death toll stands at two.

Jun 23, 2020 8:13 pm (IST)

Kejriwal Thanks Shah for Help | Indian army, doctors, healthcare workers, the Centre and the Delhi government have joined forces and working together. I believe that we can defeat the coronavirus together. During difficult times, thank you for helping the Delhi government and its residents: Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal

Jun 23, 2020 8:08 pm (IST)

Railway Deploys Isolation Wards at 14 Stations | The North Eastern Railway has deployed train coaches converted into coronavirus isolation wards at 14 of its stations. At every station, at least 10 coaches have been deployed for suspected patients, while an AC coach has been deployed for doctors and nurses. An SLR coach has been kept for keeping things.

Jun 23, 2020 7:57 pm (IST)

Meghalaya SBI Branch Closed after Employee Tests Positive | A branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) in Meghalayas Ri-Bhoi district was ordered to shutdown its operation after an employee tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Jun 23, 2020 7:52 pm (IST)

Delhi Records Highest Single Day Spike of 3,947 Virus Cases | Latest health bulletin shows Delhi recorded its highest single day spike of 3,947 coronavirus cases, taking the cumulative total to 66,602. The death toll reached 2,301 after 68 new fatalities were registered. The tally includes 24,988 active cases and 39,313 dicharged/cured patients.

Jun 23, 2020 7:44 pm (IST)

Odisha Covid-19 Update | Health officials reported 167 new coronavirus cases and two deaths today, taking the total number of cases to 5,470. The tally include 3,988 recovered/cured and 1,458 active cases. The death toll now stands at 17.

Jun 23, 2020 7:34 pm (IST)

85 New Covid-19 Cases in Ladakh | Ladakh recorded 85 more coronavirus cases today, raising its tally to 932, while 12 patients were cured of the disease and subsequently discharged from a hospital.

Jun 23, 2020 7:25 pm (IST)

3 ITBP Personnel Test Positive | Three more Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours. There security force has reported a total of 61 active cases and 218 have recovered till date.

Jun 23, 2020 7:21 pm (IST)

Dharavi Reports 5 New Covid-19 Cases | Health officials reported five new coronavirus cases in Mumbai's Dharavi today, the lowest number of single day cases reported in the region since April 5. The total number of cases in Dharavi stands at 2,189.

Jun 23, 2020 7:14 pm (IST)

Suspected Virus Patient's Bod 'Unattended' for 20 Hours in Kanpur | The body of a man suspected to be suffering from coronavirus kept lying outside his house for around 20 hours in UP's Kanpur as health officials allegedly failed to turn up for help. Read more here

Jun 23, 2020 7:04 pm (IST)

READ | Another Lockdown in Bengaluru? As Minister Drops Hint, Chennai’s Results May Decide Karnataka Strategy

While the heath minister said the government will have to consider a lockdown in Bengaluru yet again if rise in cases continues, the state’s deputy CM said such a step is not warranted at this stage as situation is under control.

Jun 23, 2020 6:59 pm (IST)

Armed Forces Medics to Provide Services at Delhi Railway Coaches | Armed Forces personnel have been detailed for providing medical care and attention to coronavirus patients housed in the Railway coaches in Delhi: Home Minister, Amit Shah

Armed Forces personnel have been detailed for providing medical care and attention to COVID patients housed in the Railway coaches in Delhi. 8,000 additional beds have already been placed at Delhi government’s disposal for making COVID care centres, as per requirement.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 23, 2020

Jun 23, 2020 6:55 pm (IST)

Update | Armed Forces personnel will be running a 1,000-bed full-fledged hospital with 250 ICU beds for Covid-19 patients. DRDO and Tata Trust are building the facility. This Covid Care centre will be ready in next 10 days, said Home Minister Amit Shah in response to a letter by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

Jun 23, 2020 6:52 pm (IST)

Amit Shah Responds to Kejriwal's Letter on Covid-19 Hospital | It has already been decided in our meeting three days back and Ministry of Home Affairs has assigned the work of operating the 10,000 bed Covid Care Centre at Radha Swami Beas in Delhi to ITBP. The work is in full swing and a large part of the facility will be operational by 26th June: Home Minister, Amit Shah

Jun 23, 2020 6:41 pm (IST)

Tamil Nadu Records 2,516 New Coronavirus Cases | A total of 2,516 new coronavirus cases were reported in Tamil Nadu in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections in the state to 64,603. The death toll rose to 833 after 39 fatalities were confirmed. Of the total new cases, 1,380 patients were from Chennai alone.

Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Mumbai Civic Body's Testing Scheme to Make Available 1 Lakh Antigen Kits, Results in 30 Minutes

A medical worker collects a sample from a woman at a school turned into a centre to conduct tests for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), amidst its spread in New Delhi on Monday. (Reuters)

"The pandemic is still accelerating," WHO's director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual health forum organised by Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Tedros said the greatest threat facing the world was not the virus itself, which has now killed over 465,000 people and infected nine million, but "the lack of global solidarity and global leadership." "We cannot defeat this pandemic with a divided world," he said. "The politicisation of the pandemic has exacerbated it."

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly played down the threat, comparing the virus to a "little flu" and arguing the economic impact of shutdowns is worse than the virus itself. Brazil is the second worst-affected country behind the United States, where the number of deaths topped 120,000 on Monday and political infighting has prevented a unified policy. Mexico, Peru and Chile are also coping with severe crises -- Mexico City being forced to delay plans for a broad reopening of the economy as the country's death toll raced past 20,000.

With a vaccine still far away, the WHO has called for a rapid increase in production of the steroid dexamethasone, which has been shown to have life-saving potential for critically ill patients.

'Very limited' hajj

Saudi Arabia announced it would allow a "very limited" number of pilgrims to its annual hajj ritual, which last year drew 2.5 million pilgrims from around the world.

The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, represents a potentially major source of contagion. The authorities on Monday said a hajj only involving pilgrims already in the kingdom would be permitted.

In Europe, countries continued to ease their lockdown restrictions. Thousands of French danced and partied well into Monday for an annual music festival, in the first big blowout since the lockdown. Revellers packed the streets of Paris, most shunning masks and social distancing, to enjoy concerts in cafes and on street corners.

Although there were none of the usual extravaganzas, many felt the authorities were too lax. "This is not what a gradual end to the lockdown looks like," said Dr Gilbert Deray. "I understand that the Festival of Music is something of a liberation, but did we really have to have it this year?"

Swimming pools and cinemas also reopened on Monday while children up to the age of 15 returned to school, attendance once again becoming compulsory. But illustrating the persisting risks, Portugal Prime Minister Antonio Costa said restrictions on gatherings of more than 10 people would be reimposed and cafes and shops ordered to close at 8:00 pm in Lisbon.

Australians were warned on Monday to avoid travelling to Melbourne, as the second-biggest city tightened restrictions over fears of an upsurge in cases. China, Germany and Japan are also battling new outbreaks with some reintroducing containment measures.

The spike in infections increased nervousness in global markets, which mostly fell on Monday on news of a worrying jump in fresh cases in several US states including California, Texas and Florida.

German airline group Lufthansa, meanwhile, says it has backup plans ready in case shareholders reject a nine-billion-euro ($10.1 billion) pandemic rescue plan agreed with the state.