08:45 (IST)
Coronavirus Outbreak in South Africa Latest Update
Two-day-old baby youngest victim of COVID-19 in South Africa
A two-day-old baby became the youngest victim of coronavirus in South Africa as the death toll due to the infection continues to rise ahead of the proposed easing of lockdown restrictions from 1 June.
According to the latest figures, the fatality count has risen to 339 in the country with 25 fresh deaths while the number of those testing positive for the virus has gone up to 18,003. A total of 8,950 people have recovered from the disease so far
08:39 (IST)
Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Update
95 new COVID-19 cases emerge in Barabanki, takes district total to 124
95 new coronavirus positive cases reported in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki taking the total number of positive cases in the district to 124 including 122 active cases and 2 cured/discharged, District Magistrate Barabanki told ANI.
95 new #Coronavirus positive cases reported in Barabanki taking the total number of positive cases in the district to 124 including 122 active cases and 2 cured/discharged: District Magistrate Barabanki pic.twitter.com/z11NnMWMhb
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 21, 2020
08:35 (IST)
Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Update
House helps, service personnel permitted in societies, high rises, says Gautam Buddh Nagar admin
The entry of domestic help, drivers, and service personnel are permitted into societies and high-rises in Noida and Greater Noida except in containment zones, the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration said on Wednesday.
The resident welfare associations (RWAs) of the twin-cities can only impose restrictions to enforce certain rules, like compulsory wearing of masks and thermal screening, it added.
The clarification came after queries by residents and RWAs of the twin cities near Delhi over regulations on entry of house helps. The entry of domestic help and other service personnel were prohibited in the district as a precautionary measure ever since the lockdown came into force to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
08:25 (IST)
Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Update
South Delhi district adds two more containment zones
The South Delhi district administration on Wednesday issued two containment zone orders following the health department's direction to all district magistrates to create such zones as per the existing guidelines.
The department's direction was prompted by a mismatch between the number of coronavirus cases and that of containment zones in Delhi. While the cases in the national capital have been rising, the number of containment zones has gone down.
According to government data, the number of COVID-19 containment zones in the city stood at 76 on Monday, 70 on Tuesday and 69 on Wednesday.
08:18 (IST)
Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Update
Over 26% of COVID-19 deaths in Delhi between the age group of 50 to 59 years
People in the age group of 50-59 years constituted over 26 percent of the total COVID-19 fatalities in the National Capital, according to official figures. At least 176 people have died in Delhi due to the coronavirus, authorities said.
Of the total deceased patients, 92 were aged 60 and above, accounting for over 52 per cent of the fatalities in Delhi.
Forty-seven of them were aged between 50-59 years (26.71 per cent) and 37 were less than 50 years (21.02 per cent), according to the latest health bulletin released on Wednesday.
08:10 (IST)
Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Update
71-year-old man succumbs to COVID-19 in Greater Noida
A 71-year-old man died of COVID-19 on Wednesday at a government hospital in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar district, a hospital official said.
"He was put on ventilator support, antibiotics, and supportive therapy. He expired on May 20 at 4.30 pm. His COVID-19 positive report came on 20 May at 9 pm," Gupta said in a statement. The cause of death is COVID-19 positive with pneumonia and severe sepsis, he added.
District authorities in Bulandshahr have been informed, the doctor said.
Gupta told PTI that death will not be counted in Gautam Buddh Nagar, while administration officials could not be contacted for their response immediately.
08:04 (IST)
Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Update
For every positive COVID-19 test more than 20 negative tests have been done: ICMR
For every positive COVID-19 test more than 20 negative tests have been done, the ICMR said Wednesday, asserting there has been a 1,000-fold increase in the quantum of test per days in the last two months.
A total of 25,12,388 samples have been tested by 9 AM of May 20, and the testing capacity has been scaled up to 1 lakh tests per day, it said.
Starting with less than 100 COVID-19 tests per day just two months ago, a 1000-fold increase in just 60 days was made possible by dedicated teams from research institutions, medical colleges, testing laboratories, ministries, airlines and postal services working together, the ICMR said in a statement.
07:57 (IST)
Coronavirus Outbreak in Brazil Latest Update
Brazil records nearly 20,000 cases in a day
Brazil recorded 19,951 new COVID-19 cases yesterday (in the previous 24 hours) — the highest single-day increase. This took the South American country’s tally to 2,91,579 confirmed cases. The country has the third-highest number of confirmed cases in the world, after the United States and Russia.
07:50 (IST)
Coronavirus Outbreak in US Latest Update
US records 1,561 COVID-19 deaths in 24 hours
The United States has recorded 1,561 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 93,406, according to Johns Hopkins University. The country -- hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of the number of fatalities — has now confirmed a total of 1,550,959 cases.
07:47 (IST)
Coronavirus Outbreak in Assam Latest Update
Assam reports 28 new COVID-19 cases, total stands at 185
Assam reported 28 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases to 185, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Fifteen cases were reported tonight, all from quarantine centres, while 13 others were reported in the evening, he said.
14 patients detected with #COVID19 have been admitted to MMCH a short while ago. Along with my regular checks, I & @Pijush_hazarika was present to ensure their smooth and safe admission as well as proper briefing.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 20, 2020
Request families to co-operate with us.
Update 1 am / May 20 pic.twitter.com/Zbvb8zLtxM
07:42 (IST)
Coronavirus Outbreak in Bihar Latest Update
96 more COVID-19 cases reported in Bihar, state's total count reaches 1,675
Ninety-six people tested positive for COVID-19 in Bihar on Wednesday, raising the total number of coronavirus cases confirmed in the state so far to 1,675, an official said in Patna.
State epidemiologist Ragini Mishra said East Champaran reported the maximum number of 26 cases followed by Buxar (21), Darbhanga and Patna (9 each), Siwan (8) Nawada (7), Bhojpur (6), Bhagalpur (3), Supaul (2) and Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Nalanda and Vaishali (1 each).
The number of samples tested so far is 62,503 and 571 people have been discharged till date after full recovery, she told PTI-Bhasha.
07:41 (IST)
Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Update
India registers 5,611 new infections in one day
The nationwide total of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to over 1.06 lakh on Wednesday as India witnessed the highest single-day spike of 5,611 new cases. The country also reported 140 deaths in 24 hours, taking the toll to 3,303.
The Union health ministry said the recovery rate among those having tested positive has risen to nearly 40 percent, from about seven percent before the lockdown began on 25 March. It also said that than less seven percent of patients require hospital support.
Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST Updates: People in the age group of 50-59 years constituted over 26 percent of the total COVID-19 fatalities in the National Capital, according to official figures. At least 176 people have died in Delhi due to the coronavirus, authorities said.
Ninety-six people tested positive for COVID-19 in Bihar on Wednesday, raising the total number of coronavirus cases confirmed in the state so far to 1,675, an official said in Patna. Meanwhile, the United States has recorded 1,561 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 93,406, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The nationwide total of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to over 1.06 lakh on Wednesday as India witnessed the highest single-day spike of 5,611 new cases. The country also reported 140 deaths in 24 hours, taking the toll to 3,303.
The Union health ministry said the recovery rate among those having tested positive has risen to nearly 40 percent, from about seven percent before the lockdown began on 25 March. It also said that than less seven percent of patients require hospital support.
The Ministry for Civil Aviation announced a gradual resumption of domestic flights from 25 May amid mounting worries over the country's economy.
Highest single-day increase in cases takes total to 1,06,750
According to the 8 am update issued by the health ministry, the COVID-19 toll has risen to 3,303 as 140 more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. The country also witnessed a sharp increase of 5,611 new cases, taking the total number of infections to 1,06,750.
Of the 140 deaths reported since Monday morning, 76 were from Maharashtra, 25 from Gujarat, six each from West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, five each from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, three each from Tamil Nadu Karnataka and Telangana, two each from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir and one each from Odhisha and Punjab.
Of the 3,303 fatalities, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of deaths with 1,325 fatalities, followed by Gujarat at 719, Madhya Pradesh at 258, West Bengal at 250, Delhi at 168, Rajasthan at 143, Uttar Pradesh at 123, Tamil Nadu at 84 and Andhra Pradesh at 52.
The toll reached 40 in Karnataka, 38 each in Punjab and Telangana. Jammu and Kashmir has reported 17 fatalities due to the disease and Haryana 14. Bihar has registered nine deaths and Odisha five. Kerala and Assam have reported four deaths each.
Jharkhand, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh each have recorded three COVID-19 fatalities, while Meghalaya, Uttarakhand and Puducherry have reported one fatality each, according to the data shared by the health ministry.
As per the health ministry data updated in the morning, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 37,136. The state is followed by Tamil Nadu at 12,448, Gujarat at 12,140, Delhi at 10,554, Rajasthan at 5,845, Madhya Pradesh at 5,465 and Uttar Pradesh at 4,926.
The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 2,961 in West Bengal, 2,532 in Andhra Pradesh and 2,002 in Punjab. It has risen to 1,634 in Telangana, 1,498 in Bihar, 1,397 in Karnataka, 1,317 in Jammu and Kashmir and 978 in Odisha.
Haryana has reported 964 coronavirus infection cases so far, while Kerala has 642 cases. A total of 231 people have been infected with the virus in Jharkhand and 200 in Chandigarh.
Health ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal said the total active COVID-19 cases now stands at 61,149 in the country and 42,298 people have recovered. The current recovery rate stands at 39.62 percent while it was 7.1 percent at the beginning of lockdown, he added.
The country went into a 21-day lockdown on 25 March, but it later got extended till 3 May in the second phase and then for another 14-day third phase till 17 May. A two-week-long fourth phase is now underway till 31 May, but with several restrictions having been relaxed to boost economic activities.
Domestic flights to gradually resume from 25 May
Announcing further relaxations, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Wednesday that domestic flights will resume in a calibrated manner from 25 May, two months after the services were shut due to the coronavirus.
Domestic civil aviation operations will recommence in a calibrated manner from Monday 25th May 2020.
All airports & air carriers are being informed to be ready for operations from 25th May.
SOPs for passenger movement are also being separately issued by @MoCA_GoI.
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 20, 2020
Puri said that domestic flights will commence from 25 May, but initially, "only a small percentage of the total number of domestic flights will be operated".
"Then, depending on the experience we gain, we will increase the number of flights. I think Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) should not be made so onerous that it is difficult to be followed. We've now reached a happy balance and SOPs will be announced soon. Those will be the norms for some time," he added.
The minister, however, did not mention any update for international flights, which have also remained shut during the lockdown, barring for special flights being operated to bring back stranded Indians and expatriates from abroad.
Mounting concerns over economy
The aviation sector has been among the worst hit by the pandemic as various countries, including India, decided to suspend commercial flights completely to curb the spread of the virus. Several Indian carriers have resorted to pay cuts, layoffs and leave without pay for their staff members.
Similar is the situation for many other sectors, while a huge workforce shortage is looming large due to the return of lakhs of migrant workers to their native places after being rendered jobless, and even homeless in most cases, from most of the industrial clusters across the country where they were working before the lockdown.
Cab aggregator Ola is laying off 1,400 staff as its revenue declined by 95 percent in the last two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said in an email to employees.
Rating agency Icra warned of a deep recession and drastically lowered its FY21 GDP forecast for Indian economy to a contraction of five percent, citing the very modest fiscal support, extension of the nationwide lockdown and the looming labour shortage.
The Congress party accused the government of implementing the lockdown in an unplanned manner and also alleged it does not have any exit strategy.
In Mumbai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Udhhav Thackeray interacted with representatives of the entertainment industry and asked them to prepare an action plan on limited resumption of film shooting and post-production activities by adhering to social distancing norms amidst the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
He, however, ruled out reopening of cinema halls or theatres anytime soon.
New cases reported in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu
Thackeray said the Union government feels that the spike in coronavirus cases will be higher by May-end and in June, but the spread has been controlled to a large extent in Maharashtra, which has been the worst-hit by the deadly virus with 39, 297 confirmed cases and 1,390 deaths. Of these, 2,500 infections and 65 deaths were reported on Tuesday with 41 succumbing to the viral infection in Mumbai.
The city also reported 1,372 cases pushing the total number of infections to 23,935 while the toll touched 841, according to the civic body.
Tamil Nadu, another badly affected state by the infection, reported 743 new cases to take its tally to 13,191, but also announced nearly 1,000 recoveries. Of the new cases, the state government said, 83 were returnees from Maharashtra.
The Gujarat health department said that 398 new coronavirus cases have been reported in the state in the last 24 hours. The total number cases in the state stands at 12,539, including 5,219 persons who were cured/discharged and 749 deaths. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani sought people's participation in a week-long online campaign on COVID-19 fight. "Now, it's a direct battle against coronavirus. We have to live with coronavirus and also fight against it," he said.
Notices were issued to at least 16 private hospitals in the state for allegedly refusing to admit COVID-19 patients referred to them by Ahmedabad's civic body. Ahmedabad, the worst coronavirus-afflicted district in Gujarat, has reported 9,216 cases and 602 deaths.
The Delhi government, in the meantime, launched an exercise to define its own red, orange and green zones — marking of areas based on COVID-19 case load, PTI quotes sources as saying. Currently, all 11 districts are marked as 'red' under the central government labelling. However, the Centre had in its revised guidelines issued on 17 May had given greater freedom to states to delineate zones as well impose additional lockdown restrictions.
New cases were reported across various other states as well, including in Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tripura, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sounded an alarm that the state was slowly heading towards a "more serious situation" as the total number of positive coronavirus cases in state reached 666. On Wednesday, 24 new cases were detected and all all but one are returnees— 12 from abroad and 11 from other states, including eight from Maharashtra.
"We are moving towards a more serious situation with each passing day. We have eased some restrictions. But in the coming days, we need to have stringent restrictions at certain regions. As Keralites from abroad and other states have started reaching the state, the number of patients is rising," Vijayan said.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the north-eastern states have done better than the rest of India in handling the COVID-19 situation. While Sikkim and Nagaland do not have a single COVID-19 positive case till date, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram had one patient each, who have since recovered.
Meghalaya had 13 cases in a hospital in Shillong due to a foreign traveller. The state recorded one death, but all the others have since recovered, Singh said. Meghalaya is also COVID-19 free now, while Assam has also handled the pandemic very well, he added.
A total of 48 persons have been discharged after recovery while four have succumbed to the viral infection in Assam and the number of active cases stands at 115, according to state minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Meanwhile, Manipur reported 11 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of positive cases to 20.
Later in the evening, the health ministry said that its premises will remain closed till 6 am on Thursday as an official working with the Medical Education Section of Health Services has tested positive for COVID-19.
An official working with the Medical Education Section of Health Services tested positive for #COVID19. It has been decided to sanitize the concerned room in the premises. The premises to remain closed from 5:30 pm today till 6 am tomorrow: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare pic.twitter.com/Lbr0ZQAdIM
— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2020
While experts have said that a vaccine is still many months or even a year away, all eyes are on US-based company Moderna's encouraging early results on a small group of healthy volunteers.
Eight candidate vaccines for COVID-19 are in the clinical evaluation, while 110 are in the preclinical stage, according to the WHO's latest draft landscape.
With inputs from PTI
from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2LNbzJi
No comments:
Post a Comment