Less than 1% COVID-19 patients are on the ventilators, less than 2% cases in ICUs, and less than 3% on oxygen beds said the Union Health Ministry on July 17, stating that the actual case load of COVID-19 patients in the country is 3.42 lakh, with recovered cases now at 6.35 lakh.
Meanwhile, global coronavirus infections passed 140 lakh on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, marking the first time there has been a surge of 10 lakh cases in under 100 hours.
Here is a list of State Helpline numbers. You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here.
Here are the latest updates:
Coimbatore's TK market to be closed for a week
Traders at Thyagi Kumaran market in Coimbatore have decided to close shops for a week as one of the traders tested positive for COVID-19.
According to M. Rajendran, president of the vegetable traders association of the market, a trader was unwell for a week and was admitted to a private hospital. He was shifted to ESI hospital on Friday and died later. It was found that he was COVID-19 positive.
"We have informed the Coimbatore Corporation officials and have decided to close down the shops till further notice from the civic body. We will abide by whatever the officials say," he said.
Update on today's COVID-19 numbers:
With 34,884 fresh infections, India’s COVID-19 caseload is now 10,38,716, according to Union Health Ministry's daily bulletin.
The death toll has risen to 26,273 with 671 fatalities.
India’s active COVID-19 cases stand at 3,58,692 with 6,53,750 people having recovered so far,according to Ministry data.
Fewer COVID-19 re-tests mar Delhi’s testing strategy
Only 1 in 200 of those who tested negative in an antigen test in Delhi to detect possible coronavirus cases were re-tested, a fraction that epidemiologists say is too low given what is known about the disease. From June 25, daily cases appear to have peaked at 3,390 and steadily declined to 1,790 as of 15 July.
Delhi formally began using antigen testing kits on June 18 and has accelerated their use since July. While these tests dominate daily testing, using them widely without following up with adequate retests contradicts Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines on use of the test, experts told The Hindu.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao in quarantine
Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao went into home quarantine on Friday after his driver tested positive for COVID-19.
“I have home quarantined myself for four days and will get myself tested again on Monday for the fifth time in three months. I had to be in numerous inadvertent interactions with positive cases,” he tweeted.
Centre asks W.B., Assam, Bihar, Odisha to pull up socks
With a surge in COVID-19 cases in Bihar, West Bengal, Assam and Odisha, the Union Health Ministry, a letter to Principal Secretaries (Health) and Secretary (Health) of the States, has asked these States to make renewed efforts to suppress transmission of the virus and keep case fatality rate below one percent.
With these States imposing lockdowns anew, the Ministry emphasised that the restrictions should be utilised to focus on containment, surveillance and testing in the containment and buffer zones.
- PTI
Review into England’s coronavirus death total amid questions
The British government ordered an urgent review into how daily coronavirus death figures in England are calculated amid claims the current method overestimates the tally.
The review was prompted by concerns raised over why England is still recording way more deaths than Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Researchers looked at whether differing methods may account for the discrepancy.
On some days recently, England has seen more than 100 daily virus-related deaths as opposed to none in the other parts of the U.K. As a whole, the U.K. has recorded a coronavirus death toll of 45,119, the third-highest in the world behind the United States and Brazil.
- PTI