Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Bengal Govt Says No Plan to Impose Lockdown, But Curbs to Continue in Containment Zones

Curfew in Himachal's Nahan | As 11 members of a family in Himachal Pradesh's Nahan tested positive for coronavirus, authorities imposed a curfew in the town till 7 am on July 21, officials said. Sirmaur Deputy Commissioner R.K. Pruthi imposed the curfew in the town, the first such case in the hill state, after a pregnant woman tested corona positive during a routine test at Dr Y.S. Parmar Medical College in Nahan on July 15.

Testing to be Doubled in Chhattisgarh | Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel today chaired a meeting of his Cabinet over Covid-19 situation. It has been decided that testing will be increased to almost double. District collectors can impose curfew but they should announce it 3 days in advance: State Minister Ravindra Choubey

Kerala Covid-19 Cases | Kerala reports 593 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours, taking total number of cases to 11,659 out of which 6,416 patients are undergoing treatment. 173 cases have been reported in Thiruvananthapuram in the last 24 hours: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

10 Covid-19 Afflicted Women Give Birth in Guwahati Hospital | A day after the gloom of the highest single day spike of 1,218 coronavirus cases in Assam, ten expecting mothers afflicted with the pandemic delivered their babies at the Gauhati Medical College Hospital(GMCH).  The ten Covid-19 affected women gave birth to six infant boys and four girls through caesearan section at the state-run hospital, Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Thiruvananthapuram Coastal Areas to be under Complete Lockdown from Midnight | With community transmission occurring in two coastal hamlets here, the district administration clamped a complete lockdown for 10 days in the coastal areas of Thiruvananthapuram from midnight to contain the spread of Covid-19. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said that community spread had occurred in Poonthura and Pulluvila and its nearby places have seen a rapid increase in the number of contact cases.

Himachal Pradesh Covid-19 Cases | Himachal Pradesh reports 2 new Covid-19 cases today, taking the total number of cases to 1,430 including 383 active cases, 1,021 recoveries and 9 deaths: State Heath Department

Central Team Discusses Treatment Protocol in Gujarat | On the second day of a two-day visit to Gujarat, a Central team held discussions with officials and doctors from across the state on Covid-19 treatment protocol, an official said here. The team of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria, ICMR director general Dr Balram Bhargav, NITI Aayog member Dr Vinod Paul and Additional Secretary in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Arti Ahuja was in the state to review the pandemic situation.

Dharavi Covid-19 Cases | Six new Covid-19 cases reported in Dharavi area of Mumbai, taking active cases in the area to 107: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

Increase Rapid-antigen Testing in UP: CM | People who have shown suspected symptoms of Covid-19 during house-to-house screenings should  either undergo the rapid-antigen test or the RT-PCR test, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath said. He also asked doctors to study the case history of patients who have recovered from COVID-19.

17,502 Cases in Nepal | Nepal's coronavirus tally reached 17,502 with the detection of 57 new cases in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said. The virus has so far claimed 40 lives in the Himalayan nation.

'Wise to Admit Moderately, Severly Ill Patients in Karnataka Hospitals' | Prudent to admit moderately and severely ill patients in hospitals and encourage asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients to get admitted in Covid-19 Care Centres or be in home isolation as per their eligibility and suitability: Karnataka Commissionerate of Health and Family Welfare Service

Antigen Tests Planned in Aurangabad Industrial Units | Industrial units in Aurangabad will be part of a massive antigen test initiative to contain the coronavirus outbreak in the region, with number of tests expected to be in the range of 70-80,000, a senior Chamber of Marathwada Industries and Agriculture (CMIA) functionary said.

Jharkhand Covid-19 Cases | Jharkhand's total coronavirus cases reached 5,100 after more than 300 new cases were detected in 22 of its 24 districts, official data said. In the last 24 hours, five more deaths were reported -- one each in East Singhbhum, Godda, Hazaribagh, Dhanbad, and Ramgarh districts, taking the state's death count to 47.

'Antigen Testing May be Behind Rise in Pune Cases' | The surge in Covid-19 cases in Pune district of Maharashtra since the last few weeks can be attributed to the use of rapid antigen detection tests, district officials said. Simultaneously, the case recovery rate has gone up to 65 per cent while the mortality rate has fallen to 2.65 per cent, stated a report released by the district health officer on July 17.

25 Million Cases Estimated: Iran | Iran's president estimated as many as 25 million Iranians could have been infected with the coronavirus since the outbreak's beginning, as he urged the public to take the pandemic seriously, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Read full article here

3 Superspreaders in U'khand's US Nagar District | There were three super spreaders in Udham Singh Nagar district which caused rise in Covid-19 cases there. Problem was that there was no information about domestic workers amd a domestic worker infected 49 people. Lockdown implemented there has been successful: Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Rawat

Karnataka Govt Transfers Bengaluru Civic Body Chief | Amid the rising coronavirus cases in the city, the Karnataka government transferred the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Commissioner B H Anil Kumar and replaced him with Revenue Department Principal Secretary N Manjunatha Prasad. Read full article here

72 SRPF Troopers Test  +ve in Maharashtra | In an alarming development, 72 more troopers of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) posted in Gadchiroli tested Covid-19 positive, officials said here. The test reports of these 72, from a battalion of around 600 who joined duty last week, came out Covid positive and they have been sent into quarantine.

'Covid-19 Peak in India by Mid-Sept if Govt Acts' | Covid-19 cases may peak in India as early as mid-September provided strong public health measures are in place and people behave in a responsible manner to contain the virus, President of Public Health Foundation of India, Prof. K Srinath Reddy, said. He expressed concern over the microbe spreading with renewed vigour, as confirmed infections and deaths crossed one million and 25,000 respectively in India earlier this week.

Puducherry Covid-19 Cases | Three people died of Covid-19 in Puducherry, taking the toll to 28, while 58 new cases took the tally to 800, the health department said. The deceased, all men, died at the Indira Gandhi Medical College hospital here, taking the toll to 28, a department spokesman said.

Telangana to Launch App for Symptomatic Covid-19 Patients | The Telangana government is all set to introduce an app for monitoring the health of asymptomatic Covid-19 patients who are in home isolation, a senior official of the state government said.

Thane Pvt Hospital Bill Audit Shows Overcharging of Rs 27L | The Thane Municipal Corporation has asked private hospitals in the city to refund patients Rs 27 lakh which was found to be excess billing in an audit conducted by the civic body amid the coronavirus outbreak. The amount is a cumulative one from 196 objectionable cases found in a preliminary audit of 1,752 bills, and there were more rounds to follow, a TMC official said.

Odisha Exempts Biometric Aadhar Authentication for PDS Distribution | Odisha government exempts biometric mode of Aadhar authentication using finger print scanner and IRIS device for the distribution of PDS commodities at fair price shops until further orders.

Andhra Covid-19 Cases | Andhra Pradesh reported 3,963 new Covid-19 cases and 52 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 44,609 including 21,763 recoveries and 586 deaths: State Health Department

Australian Uni Develops Blood Test to Trace Covid-19 in 20 Minutes | Researchers at the prestigious Monash University here have developed a new blood test that they say can detect positive Covid-19 cases in just about 20 minutes and identify if someone has contracted the novel virus, a finding that could assist the world to mitigate the virus spread through robust contact tracing.

No Plan for Further Lockdown in Bengal | The state government has no plans for introducing lockdown in the state but there will be strict lockdown only in containment zones. There is no plan for further lockdown: West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha.

Recoveries Exceed Active Cases by 2.95 Lakh | India's actual Covid-19 caseload is 3,58,692, while close to 18,000 people have recuperated from the disease in 24 hours taking the the number of recoveries to 6,53,750 which exceed active cases by 2,95,058, the Union Health Ministry said. Medical attention is being provided to all active cases, either in home isolation or in hospitals for severe cases, it said.

Scientists Identify 6 Clusters of Symptoms | Scientists have claimed that there are six distinct 'types' of Covid-19, each distinguished by a particular cluster of symptoms in patients, findings, if validated, can help physicians better diagnose and monitor those infected with the novel coronavirus.

TMC Urges Youth Wing to Help Needy | Trinamool Congress MP and senior party leader Abhishek Banerjee exhorted members of its youth wing to visit households and help the needy amid the coronavirus crisis. He also asked them to "work selflessly" in cyclone Amphan-hit districts of the state.

Admit Patients from Hotspots: Odisha to Pvt Hospitals | The Odisha government warns private hospitals of strong action for denying treatment to patients coming from Covid-19 hotspots. Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy said there are instances of some private hospitals being reluctant in admitting patients coming from hotspot districts. He termed such act as unethical and illegal.