According to Union Health Ministry data, 5 states – Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala – together account for 70.82% of India’s total Covid-19 active cases.Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker Live, Covid-19 Cases in India Live News: India’s Covid-19 situation continues to remain grim as the number of active coronavirus cases in the country on Sunday breached the critical 11-lakh mark for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic has started last year, even as the country’s 4-day vaccine festival (Tika Utsav) is underway. Five states – Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala – together account for 70.82% of India’s total Covid-19 active cases. Maharashtra alone accounts for 48.57% of the total active caseload of the country
According to data from the Union Health Ministry data, Covid-19 cases in 16 states/UTs in the country are inching towards their peaks, which is “a worrying sign”; two weeks ago, only 10 states were showing upward trajectory. The worst-hit Maharashtra on Sunday reported over 57,000 cases, its highest biggest ever 1-day surge since the pandemic struck the nation last year
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray yesterday held a meeting with the Covid-19 taskforce in the state; all stakeholders were agreed on a “need for lockdown” in the state to contain the spread of Coronavirus infections. Thackeray will hold another meeting today with state departments to discuss the imposition of lockdown in the state. The focus of today’s meeting is likely to be on standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines for the lockdown. However, the formal decision on the imposition of a lockdown is likely only after the cabinet meeting on April 14. “A formal decision on the imposition of a lockdown in Maharashtra is likely to be taken by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray after a cabinet meeting on April 14,” State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Sunday. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also warned of a possible lockdown as the national capital recorded 10,774 Covid-19 cases, its highest ever single-day spike.
Gujarat, another severely affected state, has extended night curfew extended to rural parts of Surat amid the Covid-19 spike; the state has imposed night curfews, shuts schools and colleges in order to limit the spread of the second wave of coronavirus infection. Uttar Pradesh, too, imposed night curfew in major districts seeing Covid-19 spike. It also closed schools till 30 April. States like Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Karnakata have announced several restrictions. Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Odisha have announced restrictions on the movement of people from other states.
As India reported a new peak in single-day spike of Covid-19 cases and states announced new restrictions, night curfews and lockdowns (in some cases, weekend lockdowns) to contain coronavirus infections, here’s FE Online blog covering every single development – virus, vaccine, Covid-19 guidelines, curbs, night curfew, and lockdowns, etc. We bring you developments from across the country and the world. Follow our live blog and get instant, verified updates on the coronavirus pandemic:
Highlights
We added 5,000 more beds last week and will add more. At present, there are 5,525 beds in Delhi. 190 beds are occupied which amounts to 2%. We have also requested the central govt to increase beds to their current tally of 190: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain
Arunachal Pradesh reported four fresh COVID-19 cases, including a security personnel, pushing the tally to 16,882, a senior health department official said on Monday. The northeastern state now has 36 active cases, while 16,790 people have recovered from the disease. A total of 56 people have died due to the contagion so far, the official said. (PTI)
Batting for coronavirus vaccine for all, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said it is the need of the country as everyone has the right to a safe life. He said this as part of "SpeakUpForVaccinesForAll" campaign launched by the party on social media, demanding COVID-19 vaccine for all citizens to protect them from the virus. "Corona vaccine is the need of the country. You all should also raise your voice for it. Everyone has the right to a safe life," he said in a tweet. He also shared a short video about making the vaccine available for all citizens. (PTI)
The COVID-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 5,190 on Monday as 15 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said. All the fresh infections were detected during contact tracing, he said. Two more people were cured of the disease, the official said. The Union territory now has 88 active cases, while 5,040 people have been cured of the disease and 62 patients have succumbed to the infection so far, he said. The administration has tested 3.37 lakh samples for COVID-19, the official added. (PTI)
Tokyo adopted tougher measures against the coronavirus Monday as it struggles to curb the rapid spread of a more contagious variant ahead of the Olympics in a country where less than 1 per cent of people have been vaccinated. Japan started its vaccination drive with medical workers and expanded Monday to older residents, with the first shots being given in about 120 selected places around the country. The tougher COVID-19 rules, just three weeks after a state of emergency ended in the capital, allow Tokyo's governor to mandate shorter opening hours for bars and restaurants, punish violators and compensate those who comply. The measures remain through May 11. The status was also raised for Kyoto in western Japan and the southern island prefecture of Okinawa, where cases have surged in recent weeks. The near-emergency status there is to continue through May 5, the end of Japan's 'Golden Week' holidays, to discourage traveling. (PTI)
Maharashtra | One police officer from Mumbai's Vakola Police Station, aged 54, has died after testing positive for #COVID19. He was admitted at BKC jumbo Covid centre for treatment. 101 police personnel have died due to coronavirus so far: Mumbai Police (ANI)
In view of a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, the Maharashtra government has decided to set up three jumbo field hospitals in Mumbai in the next five-six weeks, city civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal said on Monday. Each of these medical facilities will have a capacity of 2,000 beds, including 200 ICU beds and 70 per cent oxygen beds, and they will be set up at three different locations in the city, Chahal told reporters. He said they have also requested certain 4-star and 5-star hotels to create CCC2 facilities (COVID-19 care centres for patients), which will be "dovetailed and run by professionals from major private hospitals". (PTI)
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World-renowned South African Indian-origin academic Prof Hoosen Mahomed Jerry' Coovadia has described the COVID-19 pandemic as something he has never seen in a career of over six decades. Dr. Coovadia, now retired at 80, was speaking from his residence in Durban after the launch of the 7th edition of his seminal textbook 'Paediatrics and Child Health', 37 years after he first published it. "Coronaviruses have been around for a long time, but I've never seen a disease like COVID-19," Coovadia told the weekly Saturday Independent as he confirmed that both he and his wife Dr Zubie Hamed have been vaccinated against the deadly virus. According to Johns Hopkins University tracker, the number of confirmed cases in South Africa are 1,557,527 and 53,256 people have died. (PTI)
The Central teams deputed to Maharashtra to coordinate the response to the coronavirus pandemic have observed that containment operations were sub-optimal in Satara, Sangli and Aurangabad districts, says a report sent by the Centre to the state government. The teams found 'less than satisfactory perimeter control and lack of active surveillance' in COVID-19 cases, the report sent by the Union Health Ministry said. 'Efforts at surveillance and contact tracing were found to be sub-optimal in Buldhana, Satara, Aurangabad and Nanded, mostly due to limited manpower engaged in this task. The team from Bhandara has reported that most cases are being reported from outside of containment zones,' the report said.(PTI)
The subject expert committee to meet today to take up Sputnik V application for Emergency Use Authorisation in India, ANI reported citing sources.
India will come out of the COVID-19 crisis that has impacted the entire world with flying colours, Deloitte CEO Punit Renjen has said, asserting that the 21st century is “India’s century”. Renjen said the Indian government has performed well in addressing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is India’s century and I’m convinced about it,” the 60-year-old prominent Indian-American business leader told PTI. READ MORE
A 23-year-old Indian national with a work permit who had received both doses of COVID-19 vaccine was the sole locally transmitted case among 20 infections confirmed on Sunday. The Health Ministry has warned that an individual can get infected even after vaccination. The Indian, who worked as a lashing specialist, was detected as COVID-19 positive through pooled rostered routine testing on April 7, according to a news report. After his polled test results came positive on April 8, he was immediately isolated and an individual test was conducted on April 9. READ MORE
In a rare admission of the weakness of Chinese coronavirus vaccines, the country’s top disease control official says their effectiveness is low and the government is considering mixing them to get a boost. Chinese vaccines “don’t have very high protection rates,” said the director of the China Centres for Disease Control, Gao Fu, at a conference Saturday in the southwestern city of Chengdu. READ MORE
Thane has added6,733 new cases of coronavirus, raising the infection count in the Maharashtra district to 3,80,097, an official said on Monday. These new cases were reported on Sunday, he said. The virus also claimed the lives of 19 more people, pushing the death toll in the district to 6,707, he said. The COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane is 1.76 per cent, he added. (PTI)
Union minister Sanjeev Balyan said he has tested positive for coronavirus following which he has isolated himself. In a tweet on Sunday night, he said, "I got tested for COVID-19 after showing some symptoms while campaigning for West Bengal elections. The report is positive and I have isolated myself." Balyan requested those who came in contact with him in the last few days to get themselves tested for the virus. (PTI)
Entry for Samaypur Badli station has temporarily been closed to ensure social distancing as part of our crowd control measures. Exit is allowed: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC)
Supreme Court benches would sit one hour late from their schedule time in the morning on Monday as many staffers have tested positive for coronavirus, sources said. They said that as many staffers have got infected, the judges would hold courts through video conferencing from their residences. The entire court premises, including courtrooms, are being sanitised, they said. The apex court has also come out with a notification that the benches, which used to assemble at 10.30 AM, would assemble one hour late on Monday. (PTI)
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India reports 1,68,912 new #COVID19 cases, 75,086 discharges, & 904 deaths in last 24 hours, as per Union Health Ministry
Total cases: 1,35,27,717 Total recoveries: 1,21,56,529 Active cases: 12,01,009 Death toll: 1,70,179 Total vaccination: 10,45,28,565 (ANI)