Record single-day spike of 38,902 COVID-19 cases pushes India’s tally to 10,77,618; death toll to 26,816 with 543 new fatalities, according to the Health Ministry's bulletin. Active COVID-19 cases stand at 3,73,379; 6,77,422 people have recovered so far in the country.
Meanwhile, Johns Hopkins University says the global death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 6,00,000. The number of confirmed infections worldwide has passed 14.2 million, out of which 3.7 million are in the United States. There are over 2 million in Brazil and more than 1 million in India.
The number of deaths linked to COVID-19 has doubled in just over two months, and more than 1,00,000 new deaths have been registered in the three weeks since June 28.
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:
Modi speaks to TN CM over COVID scenario
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on the COVID-19 prevention measures and aspects related to treatment in the state, where the infection count has crossed 1.65 lakh, the government said.
During the phone conversation, Mr. Palaniswami apprised Mr. Modi that 48,000 coronavirus tests — a national high - were being done daily (average) in Tamil Nadu, an official release said.
The Prime Minister was briefed about the COVID-19 prevention measures and information related to treatment for people who have tested positive.
The State government has been taking all steps for prevention of virus spread and to facilitate an early return to normalcy, the statement quoted Mr. Palaniswami as having told Mr. Modi.
Tamil Nadu has been witnessing increase in COVID-19 cases with the total reaching 1,65,714 and the death toll rising to 2,403 as of Saturday.
Situation not conducive for resumption of tourism in J&K, say stakeholders
Most of the tourism players in the valley are not enthused over the Jammu and Kashmir government’s move to reopen the Union Territory for tourists amid the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the ground situation is far from normal for any such activity to take place.
They said in these extraordinary times, the survival of people is paramount and everything else comes later.
“Even as the financial condition of the tourism players in the Kashmir valley is bad, majority of them do not want tourists to start coming yet, more so when there has been a spike in the COVID cases. Everyone is concerned about his safety and well-being,” Javaid Ahmad, a travel agent, said.
He said the situation in the wake of the pandemic was not conducive for resumption of tourism.
“We see cases increasing with each passing day. The situation is far from normal. In fact, it is getting worse,” Ahmad said.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided to open the tourism sector in a phased manner, but limiting it to tourists arriving by air only.
However, it has advised the tourists above the age of 65 years to avoid coming to the UT and also announced compulsory RT-PCR testing of all tourists at the airport on arrival.
-- PTI
India’s fatality rate ‘progressively falling’, among lowest in world
India’s COVID-19 case fatality rate is “progressively falling” and is currently at 2.49 per cent, which is one of the lowest in the world, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday, crediting efficient clinical management of hospitalised cases for it.
There are 29 states and union territories with a case fatality rate (CFR) lower than India’s average, with five of them having a CFR of zero and 14 having fatality rate of less than 1 per cent.
The focused efforts of the Centre and state and UT governments on efficient clinical management of hospitalised cases have ensured that India’s case fatality rate has fallen below 2.5 per cent, the ministry said.
With effective containment strategy, aggressive testing and standardized clinical management protocols based on holistic standard of care approach, the CFR has significantly dipped, it said.
“The CFR is progressively falling and currently, it is 2.49 per cent. India has one of the lowest fatality rates in the world,” the ministry said.
From 2.82 per cent over a month earlier, India’s COVID-19 case fatality rate declined to 2.72 per cent on July 10 and has further reduced to 2.49 per cent presently.
Under the guidance of the Centre, the state and UT governments have ramped up testing and hospital infrastructure by combining public and private sector efforts, the ministry said.
Many states have conducted the population surveys to map and identify the vulnerable population like the elderly, pregnant women and those with co-morbidities.
-- PTI
Central team visits Bihar to assess COVID-19 situation
A three-member central team on Sunday visited Bihar to assess COVID-19 situation in the state. Bihar, of late, has been witnessing alarming rise in number of patients of the pandemic disease.
The central team led by ministry of health and family welfare department joint secretary Luv Agrawal comprises Dr S K Singh of National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and Dr Niraj Nischal from medicine department of All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.
The team is likely to visit one containment zone in Patna to assess the ground realities of government’s preparedness to prevent the disease.
Over 89 containment zones have been created in the state capital, Patna alone to prevent spread of the disease.
Before leaving for Delhi on late Monday evening, the team is also scheduled to meet the state health minister and other department officials.
-- Amarnath Tewary
Coronavirus is not transmitted by mosquitoes, study shows
Scientists have confirmed for the first time that the novel coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be transmitted to people by mosquitoes, a finding that adds evidence to WHO’s claim that the disease is not mosquito-borne.
The research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, provided the first experimental evidence on the capacity of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease, to infect and be transmitted by mosquitoes.
“Here we provide the first experimental data to investigate the capacity of SARS-CoV-2 to infect and be transmitted by mosquitoes,” the study noted.
“While the World Health Organization (WHO) has definitively stated that mosquitoes cannot transmit the virus, our study is the first to provide conclusive data supporting the theory,” said Stephen Higgs, a co-author of the research from Kansas State University in the US.
According to the study, conducted at the university’s Biosecurity Research Institute, the virus is unable to replicate in three common and widely distributed species of mosquitoes — Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus, and hence cannot be transmitted to humans.
-- PTI
Total lockdown in Arunachal’s Capital Complex extended till August 3
The Arunachal Pradesh government has extended the total lockdown in the Capital Complex for another two weeks in the wake of the spurt in COVID-19 cases in the region, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar announced on Sunday.
The restrictions, which were imposed till Monday evening, have been extended till 5 am on August 3, he said addressing a virtual press conference.
The State cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Pema Khandu took the decision on Friday after reviewing the scenario in the capital region, he added.
Mr. Kumar said the reason it was extended for two more weeks was the surge in COVID-19 cases.
“The district administration needs more time to control the local transmission by undertaking antigen tests on all primary and secondary contacts of the COVID-19 patients, he said, justifying the extension.
The chief secretary said no movement of people and vehicles, other than those of essential services, will be allowed during the period.
The district administration will ensure home delivery of essential items. Grocery stores in sectors and colonies will be allowed to open, he said.
-- PTI
Two Cong MLAs test positive for COVID-19
Two Congress legislators in Punjab have tested positive for COVID-19, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Sunday.
Mr. Singh wished both of them a speedy recovery.
"My colleagues @INCPunjab Mla Phagwara, Balwinder Dhaliwal ji & MLA Tarn Taran @DrDharambir ji have tested positive for #Covid19. Wishing them a speedy recovery," the CM said in a tweet.
Earlier, a Cabinet Minister had tested positive for the virus. He was the first minister to have contracted the infection. Later, the minister’s wife and son had also got infected.
Punjab has been witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases for the past several days. The state’s COVID tally stood at 9,792, with 246 deaths as on Saturday evening.
-- PTI
Parliamentary panels have started scrutinising handling of COVID-19: Venkaiah Naidu
Parliamentary panels have started scrutinising the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country a little over three months after Parliament was adjourned ahead of its schedule due to the virus and a shorter timeframe to hold the standing committee meetings would not have been possible given the present situation, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday.
In a Facebook post hailing the media’s role during the pandemic, the Vice President also said Parliament is “on course” for holding the Monsoon session.
The Rajya Sabha Chairman said he has held several rounds of discussions with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on enabling the meetings of the parliamentary committees and the Monsoon session of Parliament.
“Given the corona-induced social distancing norm, the logistics of seating of MPs required detailed deliberation and planning. The government also recently reached out to both the presiding officers (Naidu and Birla) on holding the Monsoon session.
“We are on course,” Mr Naidu said.
With the easing of restrictions on domestic air travel in May and to a lesser degree on rail travel, the department-related standing committees of both Houses of Parliament have resumed their meetings this month, he pointed out.
They have undertaken an examination of various aspects of the management of the pandemic and its fallout, Naidu said.
“This, in effect, means the required parliamentary scrutiny of the handling of the pandemic started in about three and half months of the last sitting of the apex legislature of the country. Any other shorter timeframe may have not been possible given the situation prevailing in the country,” he asserted.
-- PTI
Five booked for quarantine violation
Three technicians from Tamil Nadu, who had come to a private medical college in Sullia to service MRI scanning machine, and two Sullia taluk residents were booked for alleged violation of home quarantine norms.
The Sullia police gave the names as Wanons, Devaraman, Premkumar G from Tamilnadu, Praveen George from Gandhi Nagar of Sullia town and Shruti C.S from Bellare of Sullia Taluk.
The police said the three technicians had come to the private medical college on July 15. These three technicians and two local residents were named as primary contacts of a person found with COVID-19. All the five were advised to remain in home quarantine.
Personnel monitoring the Quarantine watch app noticed these five moving out the houses they were staying. They alterted Tahsildar of Sullia Taluk, who filed a complaint with the police on Friday (July 17).
The Sullia police registered the case for offences under sections 269, 270 and 271 of Indian Penal Code and Section 5 (1) Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act 2020.
-- Special Correspondent
50-year-old woman dies of COVID-19 in Jammu
A 50-year-old woman died of COVID-19 at a hospital here on Sunday, taking the total number of fatalities due to the infection in Jammu and Kashmir to 237, officials said.
The woman, hailing from Rajouri district, was suffering from comorbidities.
This is the second COVID-19 death in Rajouri district, which had recorded a spike in coronavirus cases over the past week, prompting local authorities to reimpose a lockdown to prevent the spread of the disease.
- PTI
Indore case count crosses 6,000 mark
As many as 129 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Indore in the last 24 hours, taking the tally in Madhya Pradesh’s worst hit district to 6,035, an official said.
There has been a rapid rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in the State’s industrial hub during the last 10 days.
“Out of 1,957 samples tested in the last 24 hours, we have found 129 new patients,” Indore’s Chief Medical and Health Officer Praveen Jadia said. In the last four months, 292 patients in the district have died of coronavirus, while 4,238 people have recovered after treatment, he said.
- PTI
Aadi festival at Meenakshi temple to be a quiet affair
The flag hoisting ceremony for the annual Aadi festival at the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple will begin on July 21. However, this year, only a limited number of people would be allowed to enter the temple due to the COVID-19 lockdown..
In a press statement, the temple authorities said the festivities would happen between July 21 and July 30.
It will not be televised or webcast but photos will be shared on the internet, the source added.
Palaniswami apprises Modi of steps being taken against COVID-19
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the steps being taken by the State government against the spread of COVID-19.
The Prime Minister spoke to the Chief Minister over phone this morning and enquired about the COVID-19 situation in the State, an official release stated.
Under 'Sunday lockdown', all activities halt in T.N.
Tamil Nadu came under an intense lockdown, the third successive Sunday of full curbs without any relaxations to help fight COVID-19 and roads everywhere wore a deserted look as people stayed indoors.
Barring milk supply and health care services, all other activities came to a halt and markets were closed down. Shops, including those selling essential commodities, were shut.
But for cargo trucks, other vehicles went off the roads. State run low cost Amma canteens also functioned.
- PTI
DMK legislator tests positive
DMK legislator T. Senguttavan has tested positive for COVID-19. According to Health officials, the legislator is undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
Mr. Senguttavan had mild symptoms for about a week and his swab samples were taken for test on Saturday at a private hospital. Persons who came in contact with the MLA have been quarantined.
Kochi City police crank up contact tracing
The Kochi City police have cranked up contact tracing by deploying 42 teams who will follow a technologically-aided Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for judicious designation of containment zones.
The contact tracing teams include a Sub Inspector and two police personnel. This is in addition to the special round-the-clock COVID Control Room with nearly 50 personnel headed by an Assistant Commissioner and directly supervised by the Inspector General and District Police Chief (Kochi City) Vijay Sakhare.
Punjab reports seven deaths
Punjab recorded 350 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday. It also reported seven more deaths, taking the tally to 246, according to an official statement.
The number of positive cases has reached 9,792. The major chunk of new cases was reported from Ludhiana (72) and Jalandhar (71) districts. The Health department said the number of active cases is 3,092 and 6,454 patients have so far been cured.
Odisha Congress irked over mass shifting of doctors from tribal dists. to Ganjam
The Odisha Congress has lashed out at the Naveen Patnaik Government for reported mass shifting of 100 doctors from tribal and backward districts to Ganjam – Odisha’s epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic.
“About one crore people in backward districts will be deprived of health service as doctors have been shifted en masse to Ganjam and people in six districts have been left to die. Who will be responsible for this situation?,” said Congress working president Pradip Majhi.
West Bengal govt. tells people not to panic
The West Bengal government on Saturday urged people not to panic over the spread of COVID-19 and said that the situation in the State was under control. Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha said that there were no plans to introduce a complete lockdown in the State, adding that complete restrictions would be imposed only in containment zones.
He said the COVID-19 death rate in the State had come down to 2.7%, which is very close to the national average of 2.5%. Noting that the State has a population of over 10 crore, Mr. Sinha said that out of the 14,709 active cases, over 70% were asymptomatic.
Several areas declared containment zones in Arunachal
Arunachal Pradesh reported 41 new cases of COVID-19, taking the state’s tally to 650, a senior health official said.
Most of the new cases were detected in the Capital Complex with 18 people testing positive, followed by 10 in Lower Siang, six in Papum Pare, three in Lower Dibang Valley and two cases each in West Kameng and Lower Subansiri districts, he said.
Papum Pare’s Deputy Commissioner Pige Ligu declared Chiptua village in Doimukh sub-division as containment zone after six cases were detected there. Capital Complex Deputy Commissioner, Komkar Dulom, declared seven buildings in Naharlagun and one in Itanagar as containment zones for a period of 28 days.
- PTI
Two more COVID-19 patients, including a BSF jawan, die in Meghalaya.
The State’s death toll rises to four, according to officials.
- PTI
Tripura records 171 new cases
The surge of Coid-19 cases in Tripura continued with the detection of 171 new cases on Saturday. This has been the highest single day count in the State so far.
Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, in a late night statement, also informed of the death of two patients that took the toll to five.
Policing in doldrums in Ernakulam rural as cases surge
Police personnel within the Ernakulam rural limits are increasingly turning vulnerable to the pandemic, with 62 officers forced into quarantine till now and two of them testing positive for SARS-COV-2.
While 29 personnel have rejoined duty, 18 continue to be in quarantine as on Friday.
'More than 70% deaths due to comorbidities'
The Health Ministry stressed that more than 70% of the deaths in the country occurred due to comorbidities.
Of the 543 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, 144 are from Maharashtra, 93 from Karnataka, 88 from Tamil Nadu, 52 from Andhra Pradesh, 27 from West Bengal, 26 from Delhi, 24 from Uttar Pradesh, 17 from Haryana, 16 from Gujarat and nine from Madhya Pradesh.
Of the total 26,816 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra accounted for the highest 11,596 fatalities followed by Delhi with 3,597 deaths, Tamil Nadu 2,403.
- PTI
Man booked for opening gym, 10 others fined
The owner of a gymnasium in Shahdara’s Shivpuri area was booked under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code for opening his gym in violation of Delhi government orders, the police said on Saturday.
The government has directed all gyms to remain closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Sikh body begins free transport for patients
The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Saturday said that a free medical transportation facility has been launched for COVID-19 patients requiring assistance with mobility.
Under the first phase, 12 ambulances equipped with modern medical facilities have been rolled out in the Capital, it said.
109 new cases reported in Puducherry
Puducherry reported in excess of 100 new COVID-19 cases for the second time in four days with 109 admissions taking the cumulative total to 1,999 on Sunday.
The positivity rate also touched a new high of 14.2%.
The tally is 28 deaths, 817 active cases, cumulative total of 1,999 and 1,154 patients discharged.
People testing negative for COVID-19 to be intimated via SMS in Karnataka
All those testing negative for COVID-19 will receive SMS in English and Kannada intimating them about the finding and asking them to get in touch with the helpline (14410 /104) if they develop COVID-19 symptoms.
In a notification on Saturday, Arundhati Chandrashekhar, Director of National Health Mission, directed all nodal officers of COVID-19 laboratories in the State to intimate the concerned people via SMS soon after receiving the reports.
The English SMS should be in the format "SRF ID: xyz, Result: Negetive, If you develop any symptoms like fever, cough, breathlessness, call toll free helplines 14410 or 104".
Similar format will be used in Kannada.
- Raghava M.
In Assam’s blowout zone, volunteers help fight virus, flood
A ‘resistant army’ of volunteers has been helping an eastern Assam district combat a pandemic and two concurrent disasters — flood and a blazing blowout natural gas well untamed for almost two months.
Protirodhi Bondhu, meaning Resistant Friends, are a force multiplier in a district battling COVID-19, flood and the impact of an oil well disaster.
Virudhachalam Tahsildar dies due to COVID-19
I. Kaviarasu, 48, tahsildar of Virudhachalam, died of COVID-19 in Chidambaram on Saturday night.
According to a Health department official, Mr. Kaviarasu was admitted to the Rajah Muthiah Medical College and Hospital (RMMCH) in Chidambaram on July 7 after he complained of breathlessness.
Record single-day spike of 38,902 cases in country
India saw a record single- day jump of 38,902 COVID-19 cases pushing its tally to 10,77,618, while the total number of recoveries rose to 6,77,422, according to the Union Health Ministry data. The death toll due to the disease rose to 26,816 with 543 fatalities reported in a day. The data showed that 23,672 patients have recuperated in the past 24 hours, the highest so far.
- PTI
Ganjam reports highest number of cases in Odisha
Odisha reported 736 new COVID-19 positive cases taking the State’s count to 17,437. While 11,937 patients recovered from the disease, active cases stood at 5,381.
Highest number of cases - 247 - was reported from Ganjam district.
'Inter-State travellers responsible for spurt in COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru'
State Minister for Medical Education K. Sudhakar said when the lockdown was eased, people from various parts of the country, including high-prevalence States of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, came to Karnataka. “As you know, Bengaluru is a cosmopolitan city. So from every nook and corner people came here. When they came they were not mindful of what they were supposed to do (health precautions) and they spread the infection,” he claimed.
Mr. Sudhakar maintained there was no community transmission of the pandemic, adding if it were to be the case, the number of infections would be running into ‘lakhs.’
- PTI
Chennai becomes first Indian city to test five lakh residents
The Greater Chennai Corporation has conducted 5 lakh RT-PCR tests for COVID-19, making the city the first in the country to achieve the feat. Corporation Commissioner G. Prakash said the State government had spent ₹200 crore on testing residents in the city’s 15 zones. A total of ₹400 crore had so far been spent on containment measures.
67-year-old patient dies in Kerala
A 67-year-old patient who was being treated for COVID-19 at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery, died on Sunday.
He was admitted to the ICU at the hospital on July 8 with symptoms of the infection. He had high blood pressure and was a diabetic.
Gautam Buddha Nagar residents adapt to weekend lockdowns
Having already experienced a series of nationwide lockdowns, residents said they prefer to stay indoors between 10 p.m. on Friday and 6 a.m. on Monday rather than risk being questioned and issued fines by the police; or stand in queues at essential commodities stores, given the possibility of contracting COVID-19.
Complete lockdown in Kozhikode
All commercial establishments in the district, including shopping complexes, malls and supermarkets, have been directed to ensure physical distancing on their premises, failing which their licences will be cancelled.
The majority of fresh COVID-19 cases reported in Kozhikode district on Saturday contracted the disease through local transmission even as the district is poised for a complete lockdown on Sunday.
City reports more than 1 lakh recoveries from COVID-19
A total of 1,475 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the Capital in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 1,21,582, according to a health bulletin released by the Delhi government on Saturday.
Also, 26 more deaths were reported, taking the toll to 3,597. Of the total cases, 1,01,274 people have recovered and there are 16,711 active cases.
Two prisoners escape from care centre in Assam
Two prisoners escaped from a COVID care centre on the outskirts of Guwahati where they had been lodged with other inmates of the city’s central jail after testing positive for COVID-19.
The incident happened on Thursday night, hours after some 30 asymptomatic COVID-19 patients came out of another COVID care centre in Kamrup district’s Changsari and blocked the adjacent highway demanding proper food and water.