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Coronavirus News Live Updates: Centre writes to 4 states and Delhi to enforce stricter Covid-19 rules; DDMA to meet today to discuss measures amid rising cases

Delhi Coronavirus News Updates Live Today: Delhi recorded 632 fresh Covid-19 cases with a marginal drop in the positivity rate from Monday's 7.72 per cent to 4.42 per cent, while Maharashtra reported 137 Covid-19 cases and three deaths.

By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi |
Updated: April 20, 2022 8:38:54 am
Covid-19 testing underway at a centre in New Delhi. (Express/Praveen Khanna)

Coronavirus News Live Updates Today: With an increase in Covid-19 cases being reported in a few states, the Union health ministry on Tuesday directed four states including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra and Mizoramand the Union Territory of Delhi — to enforce the adherence to Covid-19 behaviour with particular emphasis on wearing masks in crowded areas. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan Tuesday raised a red flag to three states — Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Mizoram — and the union territory of Delhi, which are a reporting increase in positivity rate — directing them to maintain a strict watch and take pre-emptive action in any areas of concern to control any emerging spread of infection.

Meanwhile, amid a rise in Covid cases in Delhi, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) will meet on Wednesday to discuss the prevailing situation and is likely take a call on reimposing fine for not wearing face masks at public places, official sources said. Delhi recorded 632 fresh Covid-19 cases with a marginal drop in the positivity rate from Monday’s 7.72 per cent to 4.42 per cent, while Maharashtra reported 137 Covid-19 cases and three deaths.

In a separate development, witnessing a surge in new Covid-19 cases, China Tuesday reported 2,753 locally transmitted confirmed cases, the National Health Commission said. Of these new locally transmitted cases, China’s economic hub Shanghai reported 2,494 cases and 16,407 local asymptomatic infections, Xinhua reported.

Live Blog

Coronavirus News Live Updates Today: Wear masks in crowded places, says govt as India sees 90% jump in daily cases; Country records 1,274 cases, 1 death on Tuesday; Delhi's positivity rate at 7.72%. Read today's latest news and update below.

08:38 (IST)20 Apr 2022
Welcome to today's Indian Express live blog

Hello and welcome to today's Indian Express Covid-19 live blog. We bring to you the latest news updates on the Covid-19 cases across the country. Stay tuned!

Coronavirus cases, Coronavirus cases today Coronavirus India Live: A healthcare worker collects a swab sample of a woman for Covid-19 testing, at a market in Jammu, Friday, April 15, 2022. (PTI Photo)

The Pune-based Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) has reported three episodes of Covid-19 infection in a healthcare professional. The report was published in the Journal of Infection on Tuesday. The professional had primary SARS-CoV2 infection, breakthrough infection with Delta and reinfection with Omicron over a 16-month period.

NIV researchers said the findings of the study prove the immune evasion potential of the Omicron variant, even after infection and vaccination. In the case of the 38-year-old healthcare professional from New Delhi, researchers at NIV said the patient had a breakthrough infection with Delta derivative (AY.112) and reinfection with the Omicron sub-lineage BA.2. Although the clinical specimens of the primary infection couldn’t be characterised, the probability of B.1 as an infecting variant would be higher as the infection occurred in October 2020, when emerging variants had not been detected in India.

Just when the pandemic seemed to be getting over in India, the rise in cases in Delhi and Haryana has begun to sound alarm bells once again. The silver lining, as of now, is the fact that the rise in cases has been restricted in these two states, basically Delhi and its neighbourhood, and has not been reported from other parts of the country.

Unlike the other major cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai or Pune where the number of daily new cases dropped to the lower double-digits, Delhi has continued to report a significantly higher number of cases, over 100 per day on an average.

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