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:
Ask Gujarat govt to ramp up coronavirus testing: AMA to HC
The Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA) has moved the Gujarat High Court seeking a direction to the state government to increase the testing for coronavirus in a big way.
Labs that can conduct coronavirus tests should be set up in every district, it demanded.
The AMA has filed a civil application to be heard with a public interest litigation (PIL) about the handling of the coronavirus situation in the state, taken up by the court on its own.
The matter is likely to come up for hearing next week.
The AMA application said the present rate of around 6,000 tests per day is not enough considering the population of Gujarat and the spread of the virus.
Per day tests in Gujarat should be at least five times that of Delhi (which is conducting 23,000 tests per day) as per a directive of the Union Government, it said.
The Union government has asked the states to utilise all the existing COVID-19 testing labs to ramp up testing, and .
“inconsistency in implementing the national strategy of testing, tracing and isolation will inevitably lead to uncontrolled increase in cases and deaths,” the association said.
Nineteen out of Gujarat’s 33 districts do not have laboratories that can conduct RT-PCR tests for COVID-19, it said. - PTI
Australian university develops new blood test to trace coronavirus in 20 minutes: statement
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.
Researchers at the university developed the simple agglutination assay, an analysis to determine the presence and amount of a substance in blood to detect the presence of antibodies raised in response to the SARS-CoV-2 infection.
As part of the research, the team of researchers were able to identify recent COVID-19 cases using 25 microlitres of plasma from blood samples, the university said in a statement.
Positive COVID-19 cases caused an agglutination or a clustering of red blood cells, which was easily identifiable to the naked eye. Researchers were able to retrieve positive or negative readings in about 20 minutes, according to the statement.
While the current swab/PCR tests are used to identify people who are currently positive with COVID-19, the agglutination assay can determine whether someone had been recently infected once the infection is resolved — and could potentially be used to detect antibodies raised in response to vaccination to aid clinical trials, the researchers said.
Using a simple lab setup, this discovery could see medical practitioners across the world testing up to 200 blood samples an hour, they said. - PTI
COVID-19: Recoveries exceed active cases by 2.95 lakh, says health ministry
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 on Saturday.
Medical attention is being provided to all active cases, either in home isolation or in hospitals for severe cases, it said.
In a statement, the ministry said, “The last 24 hours saw 17,994 COVID-19 patients recovering. The recovery rate is now 63 per cent.”
Timely, proactive, and graded strategy initiatives for effective coronavirus infection management in the country, led by the Centre and implemented by the states and Union Territories, have ensured that the actual COVID-19 caseload remains manageable, it said, adding that expansion of hospital infrastructure continuously has aided in increased recoveries.
Cumulatively, 1,34,33,742 swab samples have been tested till now, of which 3,61,024 were carried out on Friday raising the number of tests per million to 9734.6, the ministry said.
The Centre continues to support and supplement the efforts of the state governments by sending teams of experts to areas witnessing increase in caseload, it said. - PTI
Odisha’s COVID-19 tally rises to 16,701, death toll now 86
Odisha’s COVID-19 tally rose to 16,701 with 591 fresh cases, while the death toll reached 86 with three more patients succumbing to the disease, a Health Department official said on Saturday.
Of the total COVID-19 fatalities, 52 were reported from Ganjam, followed by Khurda (13), Cuttack (8) and Gajapati (3), while two each were from Angul and Puri, and one each from Baragah, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Rayagada and Sundergarh districts.
Besides, twenty-six patients have died in Odisha, but their deaths were due to “non-COVID reasons”, the official said.
The new 591 cases were reported from 25 districts.
Of the fresh cases, 394 were detected in different quarantine centres and 197 during contact-tracing exercises, the official said.
Contact tracing and follow-up actions are underway, he said.
The maximum of 182 fresh cases were reported from Ganjam, the worst-hit district by the coronavirus pandemic, 121 from Khurda, 38 from Cuttack, 35 from Bargarh, 22 each from Jagatsinghpur, Nabarangpur and Mayurbhanj, 20 from Sambalpur, 19 from Jajpur, 18 from Sundergarh, 13 from Balasore and 11 from Nayagarh.
Odisha now has 5,259 active cases, while 11,330 patients have so far recovered from the disease.
The health department had conducted 8,155 tests on Friday, he added. - PTI
Chennai sees dip in COVID-19 positivity ratio amidst ramped up testing
After clocking 37% COVID-19 positivity ratio a month ago, the city has now brought it down to around 12 per cent following measures such as ramped up testing and increased surveillance, a top official of the Greater Chennai Corporation said in Chennai on Saturday.
The government announcing a 12-day lockdown last month had also been largely beneficial as it reduced people’s mobility, GCC Commissioner G Prakash said.
Ramped up testing for coronavirus, fever camps and door surveillance have brought down the positivity ratio to 10 -12 per cent from about 35-37 per cent just a month ago, he told reporters.
Since March, the civic body has conducted over five lakh RT-PCR tests.
“A month ago, we increased the testing as per Chief Minister K Palaniswami’s instruction. This has been a major turning point (in bringing down the positivity ratio). As of today we have achieved a positivity ratio of 10-12 per cent, from about 35-37 per cent a month ago,” he said.
“When 4,000 samples were tested in the past, there were 1,400-1,500 positive cases. And of the 13,000 samples being tested now, only 1,200 to 1,250 positive cases are being reported,” Mr. Prakash added. - PTI
Bachchans responding well to treatment: hospital sources
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, son Abhishek Bachchan, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and granddaughter Aaradhya Bachchan are responding well to the treatment to COVID-19, hospital sources said on Saturday.
Amitabh, 77, and Abhishek, 44, are in the isolation ward of Nanavati hospital since July 11 after they were diagnosed with COVID-19, while Aishwarya, 46 and eight-year-old Aaradhya were shifted to the facility on Friday night, almost a week after they tested positive for the virus.
The mother-daughter duo were self-quarantining at home till Thursday.
"They all are ok. They are responding well to the treatment. They are in the isolation ward. Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan will be in the hospital maybe for a day or two," a hospital source told PTI.
"Aishwarya had cough. She is ok now. Aishwarya and Aaradhya will have to be in the hospital for a couple of days," the insider added.
Since his diagnosis, Amitabh has been regularly updating his admires about his health on social media. - PTI
COVID took ‘gigantic form’ in U.P. as govt. did not pay attention to testing, contact tracing: Priyanka
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday attacked the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the rapid rise in coronavirus cases, alleging that the disease has taken a “gigantic form” as the Yogi Adityanath dispensation did not pay attention to key containment measures such as testing and contact tracing.
The Congress general secretary has been criticising the state government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, alleging that it is indulging in propaganda, instead of dealing with the pandemic.
“Despite almost three months of lockdown and all claims of the UP government, coronavirus cases have increased sharply in 25 districts of UP in July,” she said in a tweet in Hindi.
There has been a jump of 200 per cent in COVID-19 cases in three districts of UP, 400 per cent in three districts and above 1,000 per cent in one district, Priyanka Gandhi said.
“According to media reports, 70 per cent of the COVID-infected people in Prayagraj died within 48 hours of testing positive,” she said.
“We were afraid of this and therefore, at the beginning itself, we had written a letter to the Chief Minister of UP and gave constructive suggestions in this context and also raised the issue of maximum testing,” she said.
The disease has taken this “gigantic form” because of the lack of attention to testing, delay in giving reports, juggling of data and not doing contact tracing properly, Priyanka Gandhi alleged.
The U.P. government has no answers on these issues, she added. - PTI
Mumbai’s COVID-19 recovery rate better than national: Data
Even as Mumbai’s COVID-19 case count is nearing the one lakh-mark, the recovery rate of the country’s financial capital is nearly 70%, which is seven per cent more than the national average, official data has revealed.
A release issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Friday said that there were 3,42,756 COVID 19 cases in the country (till Friday) and the number of of recovered patients was approximately 6.35 lakh, which was 63% of the reported cases.
Mumbai’s recovery rate is nearly 15% more than that of Maharashtra, which is 55.62 per cent, it said.
According to the data released by Maharashtra Medical Education and Drugs Department (MEDD) on Friday, the number of active cases in Mumbai was 24,307, while 67,830 patients have recovered from the infection so far.
The COVID-19 recovery rate in Mumbai stood at 50% around mid-June, when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) launched “Mission Zero” under the Rapid Action Plan to contain coronavirus transmission.
The rate improved to 57 per cent on July 1 and further to around 70 per cent on July 15, the PIB statement said.
According to the BMC, the number of coronavirus cases in the city on Friday rose to 98,979, while the death toll due to the pandemic reached 5,582.
- PTI
118 fresh cases take Tripura’s COVID-19 tally to 2,380
The COVID-19 tally in Tripura has risen to 2,380 as 118 more people have tested positive for the disease, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said.
He appealed to the people to follow government guidelines to contain the spread of COVID-19.
“Out of 4,510 samples tested for COVID-19, 118 people found positive. 17 were flight passengers. 4 were in contact with positive & symptomatic patients. 97 detected positive in antigen test,” Deb said in a tweet on Friday night.
The state now has 679 active cases, while 1,684 people have recovered from the disease and three died, officials of the health department said.
Fourteen patients have migrated to other states.
According to the officials, returnees from other states have contributed to the spurt in the coronavirus cases in Tripura.
- PTI
Health Ministry issues COVID-19 guidelines for gated residential complexes
The Health Ministry has issued a COVID-19 advisory for gated residential complexes, asking them to make provisions for hand hygiene (sanitiser dispenser) at entry points and in work areas.
Thermal screening of visitors/staff is to be carried out at entry points and only asymptomatic individuals shall be allowed to enter the premises. Vendors, household help, car cleaners, delivery personnel, etc. will also undergo such screening daily. Physical distancing of at least six feet to be followed as far as feasible at all locations at all times in all common areas, including parks, corridors, lift lobbies, gyms and clubs.
The advisory notes that all persons above 65 years of age, persons with comorbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 should be encouraged to stay only at home and keep contact with visitors/guests to a minimum.
Hope amid gloom in Assam as elderly recover, 10 positive mothers give birth
Resilient and cheerful women have ignited hope amid the gloom surrounding the spike in COVID-19 positive cases and resultant deaths in Assam.
Octogenarian Anima Boro was the 14,105th COVID-19 patient discharged from the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on July 17. Her discharge almost coincided with the death of a 75-year old – Assam’s 51st victim of the virus – in the same hospital.
She was critically ill during hospitalisation after testing positive more than a week ago but doctors said her will to survive and ability to stay cheerful saw her through.
Google bans ads on coronavirus conspiracy theory content
Google said it would prohibit websites and apps that use its advertising technology from running ads on “dangerous content” that goes against scientific consensus during the coronavirus pandemic.
Content not allowed to make money from ads include debunked conspiracy theories, such as the notion that the novel coronavirus was created in a Chinese lab as a bioweapon, that it was created by Microsoft Corp founder Bill Gates, or that the virus is a hoax, Google said in a statement.
Complete lockdown in Uttarakhand today and tomorrow
The Uttarakhand government on Friday decided to impose a complete lockdown in the State this weekend in view of a rapid surge in COVID-19 cases.
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, however, clarified that the decision has been taken only for this Saturday and Sunday.
“All of a sudden 200 fresh cases came in yesterday. The only solution is to create a gap and break the cycle. Even traders wanted to open the market for five days only and the situation also calls for it. So a lockdown is being imposed on Saturday and Sunday,” he told reporters.
It depends on the situation if the complete lockdown on weekends will be imposed in the coming weeks too, Mr. Rawat said. - PTI
Kolkata airport extends flight curbs
The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata has extended the restrictions on incoming flights from six cities till July 31.
Airport’s director Kaushik Bhattachrya said the extension was made on an appeal from the State government.
“The restriction on arriving flights to #KolkataAirport from 6 cities viz Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Nagpur & Ahmedabad has been extended upto 31st July,” the airport tweeted from its official handle.
TTD's Pedda Jeeyar admitted to Tirupati hospital
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam's Pedda Jeeyar was rushed to Padmavati state COVID hospital at Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) super specialty hospital in Tirupati on Friday night.
Mr. Jeeyar, who has been reportedly unwell for the past couple of days, developed a fever last night while at Tirupati and on suspicion immediately shifted to the hospital said the sources in the Mutt.
Meanwhile TTD Chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy has directed the authorities to ensure best of the medical care available to the swamiji and if warranted not to hesitate to rush him to Apollo hospital in Chennai.
He also urged them to ensure that the daily rituals are carried out to the presiding deity inside the temple without any deviance.
On the other hand state BJP spokesperson and former TTD member trustee G. Bhanuprakash Reddy demanded the authorities to temporarily stop the darshan for public and carry out the rituals in private as was done during the lock down period.
The TTD honorary Priest AV Ramanan dikshitulu who had kicked up a controversy with his tweet a couple of days back reiterated his demand to stop darshan for few weeks citing 15 of the priests falling a prey to COVID-19.
Interestingly, he said that he was making the tweet in his capacity as an advisor and this time also tagged both the Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and TTD Chairman as well.
It is against this back drop that Chairman Reddy’s statement that he would review the situation with authorities with regard to the continuation of darshan at Tirumala assumed significance.
- G.P. Shukla
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