The Capital on Tuesday witnessed its highest single-day jump in COVID-19 cases as 6,725 persons were found positive in a 24-hour period, during which 59,540 tests were conducted — taking the positivity rate to 11.29%.
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:
COVID-19 active caseload sustained below 6 lakh for 6th successive day: Health Ministry
Seventy-six per cent of the new confirmed COVID-19 cases are from 10 States and UTs, with Kerala and Delhi contributing the maximum over 6,000 cases each. Maharashtra follows them with more than 4,000 new cases, according to data released by the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday.
Case fatalities numbering 514 have been reported in the past 24 hours, and of these, nearly 80% was concentrated in 10 States/UTs, with Maharashtra reporting the maximum single day deaths (120), it stated.
Theaters, swimming pools, yoga centres can reopen from tomorrow
Cinema halls, drama theaters, multiplexes, swimming pools and yoga institutes in Maharashtra can reopen outside containment zones from November 5, the State government said on Wednesday.
Cinema halls, multiplexes and drama theaters will be allowed to operate with 50% of seating capacity and no eatables will be allowed inside.
As per the latest government guidelines, swimming pools used for training of state-, national- and international-level sportspersons and located outside containment zones can operate from November 5.
Yoga institutes, indoor sports facilities such as badminton halls, tennis, squash courts, indoor shooting ranges will also be allowed to operate from Thursday.
Physical distancing and sanitization must be ensured, the guidelines said. The remaining lockdown restrictions have already been extended till November 30.
- PTI
Fall in mortality rate, high recovery keep active COVID-19 cases in India below 6 lakh
Active COVID-19 cases in India have been witnessing a steady decline and remained below six lakh for the sixth consecutive day on Wednesday due to a sustained fall in the mortality rate and a large number of patients recuperating from the disease daily, the Union health ministry said.
There are 5,33,787 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country as on date which comprise only 6.42 per cent of the total caseload, while the total number of recoveries has surged to 76,56,478 pushing the national recovery rate to over 92 per cent.
Sixteen states and Union Territories, including Assam, Punjab, West Bengal, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, have cases per million lower than the national average, the ministry said.
Delhi facing third wave of coronavirus: Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the city has seen a jump in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the last few days and it can be called a “third wave”.
“Delhi has witnessed a jump in the number of COVID-19 cases. I think we can call it a third wave,” he told reporters.
Mr. Kejriwal said people do not need to panic and the government was monitoring the situation regularly.
The chief minister said there was no shortage of beds for coronavirus patients in the city. “However, there is scarcity of ICU beds in some big, private hospitals. But we are trying to set things right,” he said.
Lung damage in COVID dead may shed light on ‘long COVID’: study
A study of the lungs of people who have died from COVID-19 has found persistent and extensive lung damage in most cases and may help doctors understand what is behind a syndrome known as ‘long COVID’, in which patients suffer ongoing symptoms for months.
Scientists leading the research said they also found some unique characteristics of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, which may explain why it is able to inflict such harm.
16.4% have developed antibodies against COVID-19 in Karnataka, sero survey finds
A sero survey done to estimate the prevalence of COVID-19 in Karnataka has found that while 16.4% of the 15,624 samples studied have developed antibodies against COVID, 12.7% was found to have current (active) infection.
Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar, releasing the findings on Wednesday, said the overall adjusted prevalence of COVID-19 in the State was 27.3% (combined IgG and active infection).
The survey done from September 3 to September 16, included the proportion of people who had COVID-19 infection recently and those currently having active SARS-CoV-2 infection. The sampled population surveyed were all adults aged 18 years and above. All 30 districts of the state, including eight zones of BBMP, were included in the survey. The survey was conducted in 290 hospitals and selected population settings, said Mr. Sudhakar. - Afshan Yasmeen
Villupuram government lab completes 2 lakh tests for COVID-19
The Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) at the Government Villupuram Medical College and Hospital (GVMCH) has crossed a significant milestone by processing over 2 lakh RT-PCR tests for COVID-19.
The VRDL, which is a decade old, was one of the earliest labs among those in government medical colleges in the State to get approval from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Initially started as a sample collection centre, the lab was recognised as a testing centre by National Institute of Virology (NIV).
Manipur plans free mass testing
The Manipur government is planning a free mass testing for all people for possible COVID-19 infection. This is a part of the new standard operating procedure the State had formulated.
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren had said that there was a general tendency among the people to keep their ailment concealed. He said, “It is the main reason for the spread of COVID-19 in the State”.
Sources said that the people of the Imphal East and West districts would first be tested for the pandemic. Other districts would be covered later.
Losses due to COVID-19 forces BMTC to drop plans of leasing AC electric buses
Citing losses incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has scrapped its plan of introducing air-conditioned electric buses in its fleet. Instead, it will lease non-AC electric buses.
The Corporation, on Wednesday, floated a fresh tender to lease 300 non-AC electric buses under the Centre’s FAME India II scheme (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid and) Electric Vehicles). It had cancelled two tenders in the past citing different reasons, including high operational costs quoted by private bidders.
Since the onset of the pandemic, commuters have been wary of using public transport, with few takers for air-conditioned buses. Managing Director of BMTC C. Shikha told The Hindu that the pandemic had forced the Corporation to rethink its decision on leasing AC buses.
Daily case tally crosses 6K mark for first time
The Capital on Tuesday witnessed its highest single-day jump in COVID-19 cases as 6,725 persons were found positive in a 24-hour period, during which 59,540 tests were conducted — taking the positivity rate to 11.29%. According to the health bulletin released by the Delhi government, 48 deaths and 3,610 recoveries were also recorded in the same period. There are now 36,375 active cases and 3,453 containment zones in the city.
Total cases now stand at 4,03,096 with 6,652 deaths and 3,60,069 recoveries. The cumulative positivity rate stands at 8.36% and the case fatality rate at 1.65%.