With India recording the highest number of COVID-19 recoveries in the world, the government on Tuesday said that for the past four consecutive days the number of daily recovered cases surpassed the new infections reported per day.
Addressing a press briefing, Union Health Ministry Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said India has the highest number of recovered cases in the world at 44,97,867.
You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.
Here are the latest updates:
Sikkim CM’s wife test positive for COVID-19
Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang’s wife Krishna Rai and some of her family members have tested positive for COVID-19.
In a Facebook post she said: “We made all possible efforts to keep corona at bay but unfortunately we got infected. I appeal to those who came in contact with us to get themselves tested and my close contacts to go into quarantine.”
Meanwhile, an order issued by the Health department said that doctors and nurses have been deputed to Mintokgang, the official residence of the Chief Minister which has now been turned into a Corona Care Centre.
The chief minister is staying in another house.
Deputy CM tests positive
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Govind M. Karjol tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
He is the second Deputy Chief Minister to have tested positive for the virus. Earlier, C.N. Aswath Narayan also announced that he had tested positive and is currently under home isolation.
Varsha Gaikwad tests positive
Maharashtra Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. Ms. Gaikwad represents Dharavi constituency and was instrumental in bringing down the number of novel coronavirus patients in one of the biggest slums in the country.
“I request everyone who has come in my contact to be careful and follow protocol. Stay safe. Take care,” she tweeted.
Health department deputy directors told to prepare micro plan for COVID-19 vaccination
The Director of Public Health (DPH) and Preventive Medicine has instructed all Deputy Directors of Health Services to prepare a micro plan, at the level of health sub-centres (HSC), primary health centres (PHC) and districts, for carrying out vaccination against COVID-19 in the near future.
COVID-19 curve shows downward trend in Kurnool
Devotees wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus offer prayers at Shakti Ganesh temple in Hyderabad on Sept. 22, 2020. | Photo Credit: AP
With the number of active COVID-19 cases falling by the day, and the number of new positive cases also showing a downward trend, the Government General Hospital in Kurnool, designated as a State COVID-19 Hospital, will now revert to its original oeperations, officials said, adding that cleaning and sanitising of different super-specialty wards will be taken up.
COVID-19 vaccines must have at least 50% efficacy, says Drug Controller
A potential COVID-19 vaccine ought to confer at least 50% protection and be able to either prevent infection or disease — but not necessarily both — according to draft guidelines issued by the Central Drugs and Standards Control Organisation, the apex regulator of drug and vaccine trials.
Children form 8.9% of COVID cases in Kochi
A girl wears a protective mask amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mumbai on September 20, 2020. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Of the total number of active COVID-19 cases in the district, 8.9% or 300 patients, are children below the age of 10, going by data till Tuesday morning from the district information office.
“The exposure of children in this age group to the virus has been kept low since they are unlikely to go out, though they might contract it from family members in the age group of 20 to 50, in which the maximum number of cases are concentrated,” said Dr. N. K. Kuttappan, District Medical Officer.