Corona screening in progress at a residential building in Mumbai on Monday, August 3, 2020. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Coronavirus India Updates: After crossing 19 lakh just two days ago, the Covid-19 tally in India zoomed past the two million-mark to stand at 2,027,074 on Friday. Over 60,000 fresh cases were reported for the first time today, news agency PTI reported. It took 110 days for the cases in the country to reach one lakh and 59 days more to cross the 10-lakh mark. Thereafter, it took just 21 days more to go past 20 lakh, it added.
The Health Ministry said India’s Covid-19 management was marked by “two significant achievements” of continuously rising recovery rate among patients and a case fatality rate that has remained much below the global average. While the number of fatalities were recorded at 41,585, the number of recoveries surged to 13.78 lakh.
A cumulative 2,27,88,393 samples have been tested for the infection till Thursday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said. Globally, India is the third worst-affected country after the US and Brazil.
A look at the top developments today:
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tests negative for Covid-19
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday said he had tested negative for Covid-19. Prasad had earlier this week gone into self-isolation after he met Home Minister Amit Shah on August 1 evening. Shah, on Sunday, had said he had tested positive for coronavirus.
In a tweet on Friday, Prasad said, “Friends! My Covid test is negative. The report came today. I was in isolation for the last one week because I had attended a meeting with Amit Shah Ji a day before he was found positive”.
Friends! My COVID test is negative. The report came today. I was in isolation for the last one week because I had attended a meeting with Amit Shah Ji a day before he was found positive.
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) August 7, 2020
In another tweet, he said, “Many friends and well wishers sent their overwhelming messages of support. I was fine throughout, following my daily routine, exercise and also working from home. My sincere gratitude and thanks to all. God bless”.
Covid-19 management marked by rising recovery rate, falling fatality rate: Centre
A day after cases crossed the 2 million mark, the Health Ministry said the government’s management was marked by “two significant achievements” of continuously rising recovery rate and a case fatality rate that has remained much below the global average.
While the recovery rate among coronavirus patients has risen to a record high of 67.98 per cent, the fatality rate has gone down to 2.05 per cent. “These two in tandem have enabled a higher and rising difference of more than 7.7 lakh between the number of recovered patients and active cases in India,” the ministry said.
Passengers line up to catch a bus at Barasat (Express photo)
The recovery rate has increased from 51.08 per cent on June 15 to 67.98 per cent on August 7, while active cases which comprised 46.06 per cent of the total Covid-19 caseload now account for 29.96 per cent.
“Ramped up hospital infrastructure and emphasis on efficient treatment of hospitalised patients through the standard of care incorporated in the Clinical Treatment Protocol issued by the Centre, have effectively ensured improvement in the recovery rate,” the ministry said.
At present rate, India to cross Brazil’s Covid-19 tally in a month
The total number of Covid-19 infections have now crossed 20 lakh, with the journey from 15 lakh to 20 lakh cases taking just nine days. India had crossed the 15-lakh figure mark on July 28. In the nine days after that, more than 4.95 lakh cases have been added.
During the same time, the United States, which has the maximum number of cases in the world, added about 5.19 lakh cases. Brazil, the only other country with more infections than India, added only 3.82 new cases during this period.
As of now, the United States has 47.28 lakh people who have been infected with the virus, while Brazil has 28.01 lakh. At the rate India is growing right now, it seems poised to overtake Brazil in about a month’s time.
Rahul attacks Modi govt over Covid tally crossing 20-lakh mark
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday took a swipe at the Centre over the latest Covid tally, saying that the Narendra Modi government is “missing”. “The 20 lakh-mark has been crossed, the Modi government is missing,” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi, which was in a rhyme.
People gyming with safety gears at a gym in Chandigarh’s Sector 34 , on Wednesday, August 5, 2020. (Express Photo by Jasbir Malhi)
Serum Institute of India to provide Covid-19 vaccines at $3 a dose
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has decided to provide $150 million in at-risk funding towards helping the Serum Institute of India rapidly manufacture the Covid-19 vaccines developed by the University of Oxford-AstraZeneca and Novavax. As part of this new agreement, SII will be responsible for delivering up to 100 million doses of the vaccines priced at $3 (around Rs 225) a dose for India and low- and middle-income countries.
The collaboration, which involves GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance, will provide SII with “upfront capital” through the Foundation’s Strategic Investment Funds. Once they receive regulatory approvals and WHO prequalification, the doses are expected to be produced “as early as the first half of 2021”, according to SII. The distribution will be done through the COVAX mechanism.
At a Covid-19 testing centre in New Delhi
Shops, offices reopen in Raipur as lockdown ends in Chhattisgarh
After a two-week long lockdown came to an end on Thursday in Chhattisgarh, shops and commercial establishments in Raipur and other urban parts resumed their operations on Friday. Roads in state capital Raipur witnessed a rise in traffic movement as all the state government and private offices, which were shut since July 22 due to the lockdown, started functioning again from Friday.
As per the fresh guidelines, sale of vegetables, dairy products, mutton and fish will be allowed from 6 am to noon while grocery shops and general stores will open from 8 am till 4 pm in the district. Similarly, hotels and restaurants will operate from 10 am to 9 pm, while the home delivery facilities for them have been permitted from 10 am to 10 pm. Other businesses, such as cloth stores, shoe shops, wholesale markets, hardware, can run their business from 11 am to 7 pm.
West Bengal has enforced weekly lockdown to curb rising Covid-19 cases
On Sundays all shops should remain closed except the home delivery of milk from 6 am to 9.30 am and 5 pm till 6.30 pm. Chhattisgarh reported 11,020 Covid-19 cases till Thursday. Of these, 2,855 were active cases as 8,088 patients have been discharged while 77 others have died.
Bombay HC quashes orders putting curbs on elderly film, TV artistes
The Bombay High Court today put aside two resolutions issued by the Maharashtra government that barred film and TV artistes and crew members above 65 years of age, from going to work to studios or outdoor sets.
A bench of Justices SJ Kathawalla and RI Chagla set aside the GRs (government resolutions) issued on May 30 and June 23 by the state government. The bench, however, said that “all other advisories applicable for all persons above 65 years of age, will be applicable for those above 65 years of age working in the film and TV industry.”
A woman wearing a mask as a precaution against the coronavirus wades through a water logged street during heavy rain in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
Former Himachal CM Dhumal in home quarantine
Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, along with his staff members, has quarantined himself at his house in Hamirpur after state power minister Sukh Ram Chaudhry tested positive for coronavirus.
In a Facebook post, Dhumal said he had recently attended a meeting with state BJP chief Suresh Kashyap, who was in close contact with Chaudhry.
Besides, state BJP chief Suresh Kashyapm, who also met Chaudhry, has gone into self-quarantine despite testing negative for the virus, a party spokesperson told news agency PTI on Friday.
A gym worker sanitizes the gym equipments wearing a PPE suit, in Sahibabad, on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)
Liquor shops in Delhi to remain open for one more hour
The Delhi government on Friday decided to extend the timings for opening of liquor shops by one hour.
According to a notification issued by the excise department on Thursday, liquor shops in the city will now open from 10 am to 10 pm instead of the earlier timing of 10 am to 9 pm.
“In pursuance to guidelines issued by chairperson, state executive committee, Delhi Disaster Management Authority, Government of NCT of Delhi vide order no..dated 31.07.2020, all L-6, L-7, L-8, L-9 and L-10 liquor vends are allowed to open from 10 am to 10 pm instead of 10 am to 9 pm with immediate effect till further orders,” the order read.
Hairdressers wearing personal protective clothing (PPE) attend to customers at the Hair Palace Salon during a partial lockdown due to the coronavirus in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. (Photographer: T. Narayan/Bloomberg)
Mizoram Governor writes 13 books during lockdown
Amid the lockdown, Mizoram Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai made use of his free time at the Raj Bhavan by writing books and poems. He has written at least 13 books, which include collections of poems in English and Malayalam since March.
Speaking to news agency PTI, Pillai said: “No visits are allowed inside Raj Bhavan. My communication with the public is also restricted and all my scheduled travels are suspended for the time being. This means more time for reading and writing.”