
Coronavirus Cases In India: The positivity rate on Friday increased to 10.88 per cent (File)
India has become the third country in the world to cross 20 lakh coronavirus cases after the United States and Brazil amid constant surge in infections.
A record surge of 62,538 new cases - biggest single-day jump so far - took the tally to 20.27 lakh cases.. More than 13 lakh patients have recovered so far. The country's COVID tally has doubled almost within three weeks of India crossing the 10-lakh mark. 41,585 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in the country so far.
The positivity rate on Friday increased to 10.88 per cent from Thursday's 8.47 per cent.
The country reported majority of cases last month. As July began, India had over 6 lakh cases. By the end of the month, the tally had surged to 16 lakh cases.
Here are the Updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases:
India's Covid tally surged to 20.88 lakh cases after a massive surge of over 61,000 new cases in a day, the Health Ministry said this morning.
A tie-up between Serum Institute Of India, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the GAVI vaccines alliance would ensure 100 million vaccine doses as early as 2021. The Serum Institute of India said on Friday it would receive $150 million in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the GAVI vaccines alliance.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Brazil has increased by 50,230 to 29,62,442 in the past 24 hours, the national Ministry of Health said on late Friday, reported news agency ANI. The death count has risen by 1,079 to 99,572 people within the same period of time. On Thursday, Brazil reported 53,139 new cases of the coronavirus disease and 1,237 new fatalities. Brazil comes second on a global tally of coronavirus cases after the United States, which has recorded more than 4.9 million COVID-19 cases.
Odisha has allowed private hospitals with 30 or more beds to open COVID-19 units. The state, however, cautioned these hospitals not to charge exorbitant fees and warned of strict action in case of any violations, reported news agency ANI. Issuing a host of guidelines, the state health department said: "It is observed that the private hospitals are treating the non-COVID cases, but when they find such patients to be COVID-19 positive during the process of treatment they immediately request the government machinery to shift the case to a COVID facility, set up by the government. It eventually caused a large surge of patients in such COVID facilities." All asymptomatic or mild cases shall be sent to institutional quarantine or home isolation, or a paid COVID Care Centre run by the hospital, it said. Interested private hospitals shall designate a minimum of 10 per cent of all beds to be reserved for COVID treatment with an option to convert the entire hospital to a COVID hospital, it added.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has ordered night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am in the worst-affected cities of Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala from Saturday to contain the spread of coronavirus, reported news agency ANI. "Concerned over the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am in the worst affected cities of Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala from Saturday, while directing all big cities/towns to prepare an integrated management plan for treatment of the disease at both government and private facilities," said the state government in a press release on Friday. The chief minister has also announced a week-long trial of enforcement of the mandatory mask-wearing rule by making offenders stand at the spot for an hour with a mask on.