The number of coronavirus deaths in India have doubled in the past month, according to data compiled from State and Union government bulletins. While the toll stood at 16,075 on June 27, the number has gone up to 32,823 as of today.
Meanwhile, more than 1.613 crore people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 6.44 lakh have died, according to a Reuters tally.
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:
Computer operator in Manipur CM’s office tests positive
A computer operator in the office of Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and health officials have declared the Durbar Hall and some other portions as containment zone.
Health officials said that as of Sunday, there were 2,573 positive cases and 1,524 had recovered. The active cases were 652. There has been no death in Manipur due to the virus so far.
Nearly 50,000 new COVID-19 cases in past 24 hours
India has registered nearly half a lakh COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, according to the daily bulletin from the Union Health Ministry. A record single-day spike of 49,931 COVID-19 cases has pushed India’s caseload to 14,35,453, it said.
The death toll has risen to 32,771 with 708 new fatalities, it added.
According to government data, the number of active COVID-19 cases in the country stands at 4,85,114, while 9,17,567 people have recovered. - PTI
PM Modi to launch COVID-19 testing facilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch “high throughput COVID-19 testing” facilities capable of testing up to 10,000 samples daily, on Monday, according to a statement from the Press Information Bureau.
“These facilities have been set up at the ICMR-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Noida; ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Mumbai; and ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, and will be able to test over 10,000 samples in a day. These labs will also reduce turn-around-time and exposure of lab personnel to infectious clinical materials. The labs are enabled to test diseases other than COVID as well, and post the pandemic, will be able to test for Hepatitis B and C, HIV, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Cytomegalovirus, Chlamydia, Neisseria, Dengue,” the press statement said.
COVID-19 task force not in favour of emergency use of psoriasis drug itolizumab
The COVID-19 task force, at a meeting on Friday, recommended against the emergency use of psoriasis drug, itolizumab, according to a person privy to proceedings.
Task force recommendations usually reflect in periodic guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research on what drugs, therapies may be used under what conditions for COVID-19 patients.
Because the ICMR is yet to issue fresh guidelines on itolizumab, the drug can still be used by physicians as it still has been approved this month for emergency use by the drug regulator.
Most parents in Karnataka, Delhi, T.N. want longer online classes: poll
Although the Centre has recommended a three-hour limit on live online classes for school kids, it is up to States to actually frame and enforce mandatory norms. An online poll on the Local Circles has found that a majority of the over 20,000 respondents thought the limits were too restrictive, with parents from Karnataka, Delhi and Tamil Nadu especially keen to allow longer classes.
Opinions differed by State. In Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, a majority of parents believed that the overall cap of three hours proposed by the government should be followed. Only about a sixth of parents in these States wanted a 5-hour cap instead.
Meanwhile, online classrooms have exposed teachers to cyberbullying from their students. Here is how schools can deal with this problem.
Sikkim extends coronavirus lockdown till August 1
The Sikkim government has extended the Statewide lockdown till August 1 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to a notification.
A complete, six-day lockdown, imposed by the hilly state, was scheduled to end on Sunday.
The State reported its first COVID-19 death on Sunday after a 74-year-old man succumbed to the disease at a State-run hospital here, the official said. - PTI
8-day lockdown begins in Nagaland’s Dimapur district
An eight-day total lockdown began in Dimapur, the commercial hub of Nagaland, from Sunday to stem the spread of COVID-19, district task force officials said.
Out of the 1,339 coronavirus positive cases in the State, Dimapur district with 527 has the highest number of people infected by the virus followed by Kohima with 334 confirmed cases, health officials said.
The Kohima district administration had already announced a seven-day lockdown starting from July 25 in the State capital. - PTI