Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual discussion with the Chief Ministers of seven states on Wednesday. As Unlock-4 phase ends on September 30, the meeting was held with Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Punjab, states which have had a comparative high Covid-19 caseload in the country.
The government of Punjab has set a limit on coronavirus test rates for private labs. No private laboratory will now be able charge more than Rs 1,600 for RT-PCR tests inclusive of taxes, and a limit of Rs 2,000 has been set for TrueNat tests. Cbnaat test rates have been capped at Rs 2,400.
HERE ARE THE LIVE UPDATES ON THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC:
◕ Manish Sisodia Hospitalised | Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was hospitalised on Wednesday due to coronavirus, sources said. The 48-year-old Aam Aadmi Party leader has been admitted to the state-run LNJP Hospital here, they added.
◕ India's Coronavirus Tally | India's Covid-19 case tally crossed the 56-lakh mark today with a spike of 83,347 new cases and 1,085 deaths in last 24 hours.The total case tally stands at 5,646,011 including 9,68,377 active cases. The number of people have been cured, discharged or have migrated is 45,87,614, while the total number of fatalities has risen to 90,020, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.
◕ ASHA Workers Protest in Bengaluru | Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers hold a protest at Freedom Park, demanding a fixed monthly honorarium of Rs 12,000, protective gear against coronavirus and regular health checks in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Bengaluru: Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers hold a protest at Freedom Park, demanding a fixed monthly honorarium of Rs 12,000, protective gear against Coronavirus and regular health checks pic.twitter.com/5N40SpJyn5
— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2020
◕ New Cases in Puducherry | A total 543 new Covid-19 cases, 439 discharges, and 8 deaths were reported in Puducherry today, taking the total number of positive cases to 24,227 so far, including 4853 active cases, 18,893 recovered cases and 481 deaths till date, informed the State Health Department, Government of Puducherry.
◕ Maharasthra Police said today that 253 police personnel of Maharashtra Police tested positive for Covid-19 and five died in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections in the state force to 21,827 including 3,435 active cases, 18,158 recovered cases and 234 deaths.
◕ Testing Remains Under 10 Lakh |9,53,683 Covid-19 samples were tested on Tuesday. With this, the total number of samples tested so far stands at 6,62,79,462, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today. The positivity rate stands at to 8.75%.
◕ US President Donald Trump told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that China must be held accountable for having "unleashed" COVID-19 on the world, prompting Beijing to accuse him of "lies" and abusing the UN platform to provoke confrontation. China's President Xi Jinping struck a conciliatory tone in his pre-recorded virtual address to the General Assembly, calling for enhanced cooperation over the pandemic and stressing that China had no intention of fighting "either a Cold War or a hot war with any country." "We must hold accountable the nation which unleashed this plague onto the world, China," he said in remarks taped on Monday and delivered remotely to the General Assembly due to the pandemic.
◕ Canada at 'Crossroads' as COVID-19 Cases Surge | COVID-19 infections have surged in Canada and if people do not take stringent precautions, they could balloon to exceed levels seen during the first wave of the pandemic, health officials warned on Monday. "Canada is at a crossroads and individual action to reduce contact rates will decide our path," the Public Health Agency said in a statement.