There are currently 3,11,565 active Covid-19 cases in India.
Coronavirus India Updates: With 28,498 fresh cases recorded in the last 24 hours, India’s COVID-19 tally crossed nine lakh on Tuesday, just three days after it crossed the eight-lakh mark, according to the Union health ministry data.
The total coronavirus caseload in the country surged to 9,06,752 and the death toll mounted to 23,727 with 553 people succumbing to the disease in 24 hours, the data from the ministry showed. Of the total instances of the infection, the number of recoveries stood at 5,71,459, leaving 3,11,565 cases active. (Follow Coronavirus India LIVE Updates)
Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus infections across the world hit 13 million on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, climbing by a million in just five days.
Here are the top COVID-19 developments from across the country:
86% of total active Covid-19 cases are in 10 states: Health Ministry
As the number of coronavirus cases crossed the 9-lakh mark on Tuesday, the Health Ministry said that 86 per cent of the total active cases were recorded in 10 states of the country.
Addressing a press briefing, Rajesh Bhushan, the officer on special duty in the Health Ministry, said two of the most affected states are Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu which are contributing to 50 per cent of the total active cases (154,134 active cases), news agency PTI reported.
Karnataka, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Gujarat and Assam are the other affected states that contribute to 36 per cent of the total active cases (111,068 active cases)
Complete lockdown in Bihar from July 16-31
On a day Bihar recorded the worst single-day spike of 1,432 Covid-19 cases, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi Tuesday announced that a complete lockdown would be enforced in the state from July 16 to July 31 to break the chain of transmission.
In a tweet, Sushil Modi informed that the lockdown would remain in force at all municipal, district, sub-divisional and block headquarters level. “The government has taken a decision to this effect… Corona has neither any vaccine nor any medicine,” Modi said in a virtual rally.
Presently, Bihar has recorded 18,853 novel coronavirus cases. Of the 1,432 cases on Tuesday, Patna reported the maximum number of patients at 162, followed by East Champaran at 124, Begusarai at 114, Nalanda at 107, Nawada at 92, Bhagalpur at 61, West Champaran at 58, Siwan at 55 and Muzaffarpur at 54, news agency PTI reported.
Railways customises coaches for post COVID times
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal Monday took to social media to share details of newly customised “Post-COVID” coaches designed by the Railways. Goyal indicated that these new coaches “could be the new normal”.
The coaches rolled out from the Railway Coach Factory in Kapurthala have foot-operated water tap and soap dispensers, lavatory doors, flush valve and latches.
The coaches have been designed at the Railway Coach Factory in Kapurthala. (Source: Twitter/PiyushGoyal)
Giving details of the two coaches, one air-conditioned and other non-air conditioned, Railways said the use of hands to navigate washrooms and other parts has been brought down to a minimum, making them almost hands-free.
The Railways has also installed copper-coated handrails and latches. “Copper degrades the virus landed on it within a few hours. Copper has anti-microbial properties. When virus lands on copper, Ion blasts pathogen and destroys the DNA and RNA inside the virus,” it said Railways said.
The coaches also have the provision of plasma air equipment in the AC duct that will sterilise the coaches using ionised air to make it COVID-19 free.
IIT-Delhi’s low-cost COVID kit to be launched commercially on Wednesday
A low-cost COVID-19 test kit developed by Indian Institute of Technology Delhi that uses an alternative testing method will be launched on Wednesday, news agency PTI reported.
IIT Delhi campus. (File photo)
IIT Delhi, which became the first academic institution to develop a COVID-19 testing method, gave non-exclusive open licence to companies for commercialising the test, but with a price rider.
While the institute had kept a price rider of Rs 500 per kit, the company Newtech Medical Devices, which is launching the kit named ‘corosure’ on Wednesday, has not announced the price yet.
Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank and Minister of State for HRD Sanjay Dhotre will launch the kit.
Rajasthan Covid-19 tally crosses 25,000
Rajasthan recorded three more deaths due to coronavirus on Tuesday, taking the total number of fatalities in the state to 521. With 98 new cases, the total number of people infected with the deadly virus in the state so far is 25,034, of which, 5,759 are under treatment, news agency PTI reported.
One death each was recorded in Jaipur, Ajmer and Alwar.
Delhi records 1,246 new Covid-19 cases
Delhi reported 1,246 new coronavirus cases on Monday, taking the city’s total tally to over 1.13 lakh, while the death toll climbed to 3,411. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)
Delhi reported 1,246 new coronavirus cases on Monday, taking the city’s total tally to over 1.13 lakh, while the death toll climbing to 3,411, PTI quoted authorities as saying. This is the third day when the national capital has reported cases in the range of 1,000 to 2,000.
The total number of cases stands at 1,13,749 while 40 deaths have been recorded in the last 24 hours, the health department said in a bulletin. There are nearly 19,017 active cases in the city, while 91,312 people have recovered from the infection.
However, the total number of tests conducted so far were revised to 6,92,845 on Monday from 7,89,853 tests on Sunday, a reduction of 97,000.
Kolkata: Metro work on East-West corridor affected after labourers test positive
Work on the East-West Metro corridor in Bowbazar locality of Kolkata was partially affected due to sanitisation of the area after a few workers tested positive for coronavirus, PTI quoted a KMRCL official as saying on Tuesday.
The official however, said that there has been no suspension of the tunnelling work being carried out in the area.
As per protocol, only those areas where the infected labourers were working are being sanitised and work in only those areas has been stalled, he added.
KMRCL is the executing agency for the 16.6 km-long East-West Metro corridor project connecting Salt Lake Sector V with Howrah Maidan.
6,497 fresh cases, 193 deaths in Maharashtra
A health worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) checks the temperature of a resident with an electronic thermometer during a check up campaign for coronavirus in Mumbai, India, July 13, 2020. (Reuters)
Maharashtra on Monday registered 6,497 new Covid-19 cases taking its total patient count to 2,60,924. With 193 deaths, the total fatalities in the state stand at 10,482. Mumbai, meanwhile, registered 1,158 cases taking its total patient count to 94,146. With 47 deaths, the total death count in Mumbai stands at 5,335. (
The total active cases in the state now stand at 1,05,637. On Monday, 4,182 patients were discharged taking the total number of patients discharged so far to 1,44,507. The recovery rate in the state now is 55.38 per cent.
Residents and vegetable vendors at a vegetable market in Gultekdi, Pune on Monday. (Express Photo By Pavan Khengre)
With 357 new cases, Punjab sees sharpest single-day spike
In the sharpest ever spike in new cases in a day, 357 new cases were reported in Punjab on Monday, driving up the total tally of persons testing positive for novel coronavirus infection to 8,178. Prior to this, maximum number of cases reported in a day were 302 when pilgrims from Nanded had returned to the state.
Five more deaths were reported — three from Jalandhar (Two men aged 37 and 54 and a 65-year-old woman), and two from Amritsar (men aged 72 and 48). With this, the total death count due to Covid-19 reached 204, breaching the 200 mark.
The Punjab government is using mobile tower location of Covid-19 positive patients to trace their movement over 15 days, and to use it for declaring micro-containment zones.
The state government has partnered with IIT-Madras experts to intensify surveillance through data procured from telecom companies, to identify super-spreader gatherings. Based on this data, the micro-containment zones will be declared.
The micro-containment zones are small pockets in a city like a street or a mohalla which are identified and all activity is sealed to check further spread of the disease.
Four more Covid-19 deaths in Assam
Four more Covid-19 patients, including a senior doctor of the Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) died and 1,001 new cases were reported in Assam on Monday, taking the state’s total caseload to 17,807, PTI quoted Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as saying.
The death toll in the state to rose to 45. Sarma said that 513 out of the newly detected cases are from Guwahati, adding that this is the highest single-day spike in cases so far.
Odisha death toll rises to 70
The death toll due to coronavirus rose to 70 in Odisha, with six more fatalities, while the total number of cases climbed to 13,717, PTI quoted a health department official as saying.
616 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours. Out of 616 new cases, 415 were reported from those who were in quarantine, while 201 were local contact infections, an official said. The official said there are 4,896 active cases in the state, while as many as 9,255 people have recovered from the disease.
The state government on Monday allowed home treatment of asymptomatic and mild cases in urban areas.
“All Covid-19 positive cases, who are asymptomatic/have mild symptoms in Urban areas, District/Sub-division/Block Headquarter towns are allowed Home Isolation. They have to follow all protocols laid out by the Health and Family Welfare Department,” Chief Secretary AK Tripathy said.
He said the strategy was changed in order to intensify and strengthen Covid-19 management and ensure optimum use of all treatment facilities.