Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thursday said about 60,000 foreign nationals from 72 countries have been evacuated from India and the issue of evacuation of Indians stranded abroad was also under discussion. Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava also assured that the Indian missions were extending all possible assistance to the diaspora community.
Earlier in the day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a video-interaction with former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan on the economic impact of the nationwide lockdown. The economist told the former Congress chief that India needs to be cleverer in lifting the lockdown and open up its economy in a "measured way" as it does not have the capacity to support people across the spectrum for too long. Rajan also said that India needs Rs 65,000 crore to help the poor in the times of pandemic and considering its total GDP, it can afford to do that.
Earlier, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Wednesday said that of the total active cases in the country, only 0.33 per cent patients are on ventilators, 1.5 per cent are on oxygen support and 2.34 per cent are in ICU. Active COVID-19 patients are those who have been diagnosed with the disease and are currently undergoing treatment in hospitals or are lodged in quarantine facilities.
Meanwhile, Punjab has extended the curfew in the state by two more weeks but with a relaxation of four hours everyday, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said Wednesday. Addressing the people of the state, Amarinder Singh said residents would be allowed to step out of their homes from 7 am to 11 am every day. In Madhya Pradesh’s worst-hit Indore, the number of COVID-19 cases saw a sharp increase on Wednesday as they mounted to 1,466, with 94 new cases being reported in the last 24-hours. This comes despite the curfew being in place in urban areas of the district for more than a month now.
In Delhi, the total number of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,314 on Tuesday, even as 201 coronavirus patients recovered from the disease, the highest so far in a day with no fatalities, authorities said. No death was reported for the third consecutive day in the national capital.
Among the 3,314 cases includes a Delhi Police constable attached to the crime branch. The constable had visited the Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation in Nizamuddin, which had last month become the epicentre of the COVID-19 spread.
Gujarat on Thursday reported 313 COVID-19 cases, taking state tally to 4,437, while the testing capacity of the state has been increased — 4,519 tests were done in last 24 hours.
As many as 18 COVID-19 patients succumbed to the infection, with five of them having no other serious ailments, taking the death toll in the state to 218. Read more here
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Looking at the road ahead for the post-lockdown period, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held a detailed meeting on the defence industry in the country and initiatives that can help the economy recover.
The government said in a statement that the “detailed meeting” was to “deliberate the potential reforms to ensure a robust and self-reliant defence industry in India that caters to short and long term needs of the armed forces and initiatives to give a boost to the economy in the backdrop of COVID-19”. Read more here
AFTER the state government announced guidelines for stranded persons to go back home in various districts of Maharashtra, Pune District Collector Naval Kishore Ram on Thursday said the administration was in the process of creating a system using which stranded persons – migrant workers, pilgrims, students, professionals and others – can apply to go back to their homes within or outside the state. Ram said it will take the administration two or three days to put the system in place and the stranded persons should not panic. Read more here
Stressing that industry was critical to reviving the state’s economy, CM Amarinder Singh Thursday asked all Deputy Commissioners to explore ways of facilitating their operations. The CM was interacting with the DCs during a video-conference.
He said of the 2.5 lakh odd industries in the state, only around 3,600 were eligible to open, and of these a mere 1,100 had chosen to open up. Read more here
Tension prevailed in Godhra town Thursday night after residents pelted stones at a police team that had come to seal a containment zone. One police-sub inspector was reportedly injured. Eight people, including three women, have been detained from the spot.
According to the police, the team went to Guhya mohalla to barricade and seal the entry and exit points after it was declared a containment zone. On Thursday, three wards – three, six and nine – were declared containment zones. Guhya mohalla is adjacent to Polan Bazaar, which has five active cases of Covid-19 as of Thursday night. Read more here
The four-member inter ministerial central team headed by Bhuphinder Bhalla, Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of Commerce, visited four places in Ahmedabad city on Thursday to asses the lockdown and its impact.
“The team, which came about five days ago, has already visited the quarantined zones in old city. They have also visited various industries and hospitals and assessed the situation on ground,” Ahmedabad District Collector KK Nirala told The Indian Express. Read more here
With less than half of its working hands, Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala – one of the biggest rail coach manufacturing unit in the country — is up and running amid the coronavirus lockdown. But less staff is not the only challenge the RCF faces. There is shortage of raw material, and the strict lockdown conditions it must comply with to keep the unit running. But RCF is doing it in a way that it sets an example for other industrial units in the country.
The factory has made its own hand sanitisers, 8,000 special fabric reusable masks, 350 PPE kits. It has already equipped its hospital situated inside RCF township with COVID-19 facilities by creating 20-bedded quarantine facility, 12-bedded isolation facility. Read more here
Even after returning two lots of faulty rapid testing kits (RTKs) to the Indian Council of Medical Research, Punjab is now preparing to utilise 2,500 RTKs procured from a private dealer to ramp up its testing in view of the influx of pilgrims, students and labourers from other states.
Sources in the government said that the state has taken approval from the ICMR to use the RTKs after validating them on COVID-19 positive patients. Read more here
A DAY after the Centre issued fresh guidelines regarding movement of stranded persons, the Rajasthan government on Thursday initiated the process of sending hundreds of labourers back to their native places in Haryana.
Congress MLA from Haryana’s Dabwali constituency Amit Sihag, who is coordinating with Rajasthan officials, told The Indian Express that arrangements have been made to send over 1,000 stranded labourers from Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan to Haryana. “These labourers had gone to work in agricultural fields, harvest gram and mustard, in Jaisalmer district. But they got stranded there,” said Sihag. Read more here
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin says he has tested positive for the new coronavirus and has told President Vladimir Putin he will selfisolate
First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov will temporarily perform Mishustins duties but the prime minister said Thursday that he would stay in touch on key issues
Mishustin 54 was named prime minister in January
During a video call Putin voiced hope that Mishustin would continue taking part in drafting policies to shore up the Russian economy which has been hurt by the virus pandemic
In Russia the prime minister oversees the economy and answers to the president. AFP
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said India will fight Covid-19 courageously and will remain eternally proud of its frontline workers. Retweeting a video where a healthworker is seen to be welcomed by her family and society members on her return after “20 days’ non-stop service”, PM Modi wrote, “Moments like this fill the heart with happiness. This is the spirit of India. We will courageously fight COVID-19. We will remain eternally proud of those working on the frontline.”
The four member inter-ministerial central team headed by Bhuphinder Bhalla, additional secretary, Union Ministry of Commerce on Thursday visited four places in Ahmedabad to assess the lockdown and its impact. "The team which came about five days ago have already visited the quarantined zones in the old city. They have also visited various industries and hospitals and assessed the situation on ground," said K K Nirala, the district collector of Ahmedabad, while talking to The Indian Express.
On Thursday, the team visited Sola Civil hospital and HCG hospital. They also visited Gujarat Medical Services Corporation warehouse in Naroda and in the evening visited the APMC market at Jetalpur. "They are inspecting how systems are working in lockdown. They are looking at the problems faced by farmers and briefing the Centre in this regard," Nirala added. The team also has members from Union Ministry of Heath Research and Food Corporation of India. - Avinash Nair reports from Gujarat
The Karnataka Cabinet Thursday decided to allow one-time movement of people stranded in different districts and states to their native places. It also decided that those from other states stranded in the state will be allowed to exit Karnataka beginning Friday.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said, “The government will allow students, tourists, labourers and others stranded in Karnataka with valid reasons to travel back to their home states. The government will arrange buses at a nominal fare for large groups wanting to travel to their natives.” Read Karnataka wrap here
Tripura got its first vehicle sanitising tunnel at Bodhjungnagar Industrial Complex in West district on Thursday. It would be used to sanitise vehicles entering the industrial growth centre during lockdown period to ensure safety of industrial workers against COVID-19, a statement said. According to Industries and Commerce Secretary Kiran Dinkarrao Gitte, the decision was taken in compliance with an order from the Ministry of Home Affairs on April 15.
“Tripura Industrial Development Corporation Ltd has installed Vehicle Sanitizing Tunnel at Gate No-2 with the assistance of Agartala Municipal Corporation. Presently, entrance & exit of all vehicles/trucks are being allowed through Gate No-2 only so as to sanitize all vehicles entering to the Bodhjungnagar Industrial Complex properly. The objective of providing such tunnel is to sanitize all incoming vehicles to the Industrial complex by spreading disinfectant,” his statement reads.
The sanitisation tunnel has cost Rs 4 lakhs. The Agartala Municipal Corporation executed the project maintaining all prescribed guidelines, Secretary Kiran Gitte said in the statement. - Debraj Deb reports from Tripura
US' Director of National Intelligence has said the coronavirus "was not man made or genetically modified". In a statement, the office said: “The entire Intelligence Community has been consistently providing critical support to US policy makers and those responding to the Covid-19 virus, which originated in China. The Intelligence Community also concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the Covid-19 virus was not man made or genetically modified.”
About 60,000 foreign nationals from 72 countries were evacuated from India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. Anurag Srivastava, the ministry spokesperson, said the issue of evacuation of Indians stranded abroad is also under discussion and that all the Indian missions are extending all possible assistance to the diaspora community. It is learnt that the government is working on a plan to deploy a raft of naval ships as well as military and commercial aircraft to evacuate thousands of Indians stranded in the Gulf and other regions after the nationwide lockdown ends. (PTI)
Bihar govt wants central government to run special trains to bring migrants home.
After testing journalists and police personnel, Karnataka government has now started testing frontline government employees.
Police personnel of South West Delhi welcome their colleague of Safdarjung Police Station, after he was discharged from hospital. He was posted with AIIMS police post and had tested positive for COVID-19.
Punjab recorded 105 new cases, which is biggest single-day rise so far for the state. Total number of positve cases stands at 480 now
Gujarat High Court cancels summer vacation
In a third clarification on the issue of lockdown relaxation, Home Ministry on Thursday told states no goods carriears will require any special pass to cross borders. It said despite repeated clarifications, local authorities are not allowing inter-state movement of trucks.
It’s been 37 days since the Centre put in place a stringent national lockdown as part of efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. As of Thursday, over 33,000 people have been hospitalised with the infection, accounting for just over 1000 deaths. The pandemic has affected all ways of life, forcing the biggest lockdown in history with billions of people advised to stay indoors. But an unintended consequence of the lockdown has been a fall in the number of deaths reported across India as a result of fewer crimes and a huge reduction in road fatalities. While country-wide data is not available, accounts of police officers and hospital emergency workers in certain states indicate the trend. An Express report
Biggest spike in the number of cases in Tamil Nadu. A total of 161 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu today taking the tally to 1,596. Of the total cases, 138 are from Chennai. 1,035 cases are active. On Thursday, 48 patients were discharged and 9,787 samples were tested.
With first case recorded four days ago, Jhajjar in Haryana now has 25 Covid -19 cases. A total of 17 people have tested positive for Coronavirus in the city in last 24 hours, including 16 people working at the vegetable market in Bahadurgarh.
Four persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Assam's Bongaigaon district, taking the total number of cases in the state to 41. “All four cases have no contact history,” Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters, adding that, “They did not come into contact with any positive case. We tested them because they had fever symptoms.”
According to Sarma, this is the first instance where four cases have been found from a district without known contact history. "Four more coronavirus positive cases reported from Bongaingaon district. The number of COVID-19 patients in Assam now stands at 41. Twenty-nine discharged, one death. So active hospital cases 11," Sarma tweeted. The four patients (two men, two women) have been taken to the Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital in Guwahati.
Following the detection Bongaigaon district has been turned into a 'red zone’. The other 'red zone’ districts in Assam are Golaghat, Nalbari, Dhubri, Goalpara and Morigaon. -Tora Agarwala reports from Assam
Meanwhile, let us have a look at the top develoments across the world
Lav Agarwal said a total of 58,686 tests were done on Wednesday, adding that on an average, 49,000 tests are being done per day.
Dr Nadeem Rahman, a bio-chemist at Nu Life consultants and distributors, and his wife Afifa Rahman, a pharmacist at the same company, have spent the past few weeks working through the nights to fulfill their goal of producing 1 lakh rapid anti-body kits per day, meeting the pressing demand for such kits in India. “It feels good to have a purpose and be able to contribute to the country during these times. We are lucky we have found our purpose even through this hopeless period,” says Afifa, who adds that the couple have lost track of the time they spend in their office and laboratory since the company decided to begin manufacturing these kits. Read full stroy by Chahat Rana here
No health facility should prescribe additional COVID-2019 testing. All tests should be as per testing protocol, said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Doubling time above 40 days
Doubling time between 20 days and 40 days
Some of important pointers from the government presser are:
Health Ministry presser on coronavirus underway.
Oil & Gas and Metals company Vedanta Limited has enabled mass production of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) in Gurugram. The Company has imported 23 PPE machines recently in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles, and has teamed up with authorised apparel manufacturers to roll out over 5000 PPEs per day. The company has so far produced around 15,000 PPEs and also provided more than 3.5 lakh masks through its business units to the local communities. It has also handed over another 2 lakh N95 masks to the Ministry of Health.
Additional curbs on 'cross movement' at the borders of Gurgaon will be imposed from 10 am Friday. Those travelling to Gurgaon from Delhi, and vice versa, have been asked to make lodging arrangements to avoid travel. Those with central/state government movement pass will be exempted
The administration of VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital has written to the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, flagging issues being faced by the staff at the Delhi borders.
"Around 35% of medical/ paramedical/ other staff members are coming for duties at Safdarjung Hospital and VMMC from NCR regions, ie Gurugram, Faridabad, Bahadurgarh, Sonipat, Noida and Ghaziabad. It has been reported to the hospital administration that due to invoking of Disaster Management Act, these health workers coming from the said locations have not been allowed to cross the border from both ends, which has affected patient healthcare services of the hospital," read the letter dated April 29.
Noida and Faridabad have sealed borders, asking those crossing to apply for special passes. After many healthcare workers were stuck at the borders, Noida administration relaxed the travel restrictions and allowed those working at government hospitals to go to Delhi and return to Noida. Staff members, however, said that many of them were still being stopped.
Police personnel of Delhi's South District performed 'Parikrama' of the AIIMS hospital to express their gratitude to medical professionals through 51 Covid patrol bikes, which included female personnel leading from the front. Watch video here:
The number of coronavirus cases amongst those linked to the Azadpur vegetable and fruit market in New Delhi rose to 15, after four more traders tested positive on Thursday. According to the district administration officials, the contact tracing of those who have tested positive on Wednesday evening is underway. The administration is still awaiting the reports of close to 30 employees of the traders who had had tested post till Tuesday. Adeel Ahmad Khan, chairperson of the Azadpur market, said, “We are following the protocol and have sealed the shops of the traders and those around it.” Azadpur Mandi is the largest wholesale fruit and vegetable market in Asia.
As many as 14 people have been arrested for offering prayer at a mosque amid the ongoing nationwide lockdown in Kalaburagi district in Karnataka, police said on Thursday. Police said they were looking for two more people who participated in the prayer on Tuesday. 'We arrested 14 people on Tuesday evening from T Bommanahalli mosque,' a police officer told news agency PTI. A total of 16 people gathered in the mosque for the prayer and two of them managed to flee when police rushed there following information, the official added.
A senior Indian teacher in the UAE has died after she contracted the novel coronavirus, according to a media report. Princy Roy Mathew, who taught at the Abu Dhabi Indian School, passed away on Wednesday evening after contracting the coronavirus, her husband Roy Mathew Samuel was quoted as saying by the Gulf News. Princy, who hailed from Kerala, is also survived by three children. ?We are highly traumatised by the untimely demise of my wife," her husband said. He said, "She developed fever a week earlier and her condition deteriorated, resulting in acute breathing problems. She tested positive for Covid-19." We are waiting for her body from the mortuary to perform the final rites, he said. Samuel said the other family members are in good health, the report added.
Mulund MLA Mihir Kotecha recently released a video, in which he is seen saying that local police had registered a case against unidentified persons who shot a video of a man being taken away in an ambulance and shared it widely. The man is a doctor who was treating Covid-19 patients and had subsequently tested positive. Someone recorded the video of him being shifted in an ambulance and posted it on social media, where it went viral. At the time, two patients had tested positive for COVID-19 in Mulund, one being the doctor. “I want to ask people if they are thinking about the crime they are committing before sharing such videos. An FIR has been registered at Mulund police station against the person who shot it and those who shared it,” Kotecha said in the video.
A 54-year-old resident of Gurgaon, whose wife had tested positive for Coronavirus last evening, committed suicide on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at their home, the police said. According to police, they received information about the matter at 8 am this morning. No suicide note was found at the scene. “The deceased’s wife had been unwell for some time and was admitted at a private hospital in the city. She tested positive for Coronavirus last evening,” said Subhash Boken, PRO of Gurgaon Police.
A reduced period of quarantine, in violation of guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is being seen as a possible reason for the spread of Covid-19 in CRPF’s Mayur Vihar camp in New Delhi, where a sub-inspector died on Tuesday. While MoHFW has mandated 14 days of quarantine, the CRPF reduced it to five days for its paramedical staff. This is believed to have led to an infected paramedic, who had returned from Kashmir, being released from quarantine and joining active duty, leading to the spread of the virus in the camp where 46 personnel have now tested positive. The Ministry of Home Affairs, sources said, has taken cognizance of the matter and sought a report by May 1.
The Delhi government is making arrangements to bring its students back home from Kota, Rajasthan, amid the coronavirus lockdown, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced.
Maharashtra chief secretary Ajoy Mehta today directed all hospitals in the state not to turn away patients, as complaints were piling up against several private hospitals and clinics for reportedly refusing to examine people. While warning of strict action against those who defied the Maharashtra government's directives, Mehta said official orders would come into effect from May 2. "Considering the fact that the number of Covid-19 cases continue to soar in the state, the chief secretary directed all state-run and private hospitals not to turn away patients without examining them under any circumstances. The government will also enforce directives to ensure that results of Covid-19 tests come out within 12 hours of sample collection and deceased Covid-19 patients are shifted from hospital wards within 30 minutes," the senior official said.
Three days after the Government of India said it is making plans to evacuate Indians stranded overseas, the Indian Embassy in the United States Wednesday began contacting the Indian nationals who wish to return home once the international travel lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic is lifted. The Indian Embassy has started sending emails to the community organisations and those who reached out to it recently. It also provided a website link where interested persons can register their names, but it has not announced any travel date yet. “Those interested in travelling back home can register at indianembassyusa.gov.in/Information_sheet1,” the Embassy said.
The Uttar Pradesh Police has ordered over 10,000 PPE kits after 28 of its men tested postive for the virus. It has also directed cops above the age of 55 years with health history to stay off the frontline duty. Director General of Police Hitesh Chandra Awasthi also asked district police chiefs to purchase necessary safety kits at local level wherever needed. "Till Thursday, 28 policemen have been found coronavirus positive in different districts of the state," Awasthi told PTI. "We have already ordered 10,000 PPE kits. But due to shortage, only 3,000-4,000 kits have been received so far. Over 6,000 PPE kits are being purchased at the district level," he said. "We have to take extra precautions to save our personnel from coronavirus," the state police chief said.
SpiceJet said on Thursday that it has brought 14 tonnes of medical supplies from China. The airline said it operated its maiden freighter flight carrying medical supplies from Guangzhou in China to Delhi on Wednesday. The cargo plane had left Kolkata at 10:30 am on Wednesday for Guangzhou. After loading all the items, the plane came back to Kolkata at 8:20 pm, the airline said in a release. The B737 plane then left Kolkata at 9 pm and came to Delhi at 11:15 pm on Wednesday, it said. The airline said the plane brought 14 tonnes of medical supplies including medicines and protective gear.
The Supreme Court today refused to pass any direction on changing treatment guidelines for seriously ill coronavirus patients who are receiving a combination of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and antibiotic azithromycin (AZM) saying that it is not an expert on the matter. A bench of Justices N V Ramana, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and B R Gavai asked the plea filed by an NGO, 'People for Better Treatment' (PBT), to be considered as representation to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
If you are unsure of how common kitchen spices can help boost your immunity, take a look at these two immunity booster recipes that will help you to boost your immunity.
Vistara announced on Thursday temporary changes in its in-flight products and services to minimise the touchpoints of human contact on board by up to 80 per cent during the post-lockdown period. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the service alterations in domestic flights' premium economy class and economy class include reduction in meal choices and withdrawal of services like onboard sales, welcome drink, hot meals and hot beverages, Vistara stated. Starbucks coffee and Turkish towels will not be served in business class and premium economy class, the airline said in a statement. "Water-pouring will be replaced with a distribution of 200ml sealed water bottles on all flights, and cold refreshments will be served to customers in premium economy and economy cabins, including to customers opting for economy lite fares," the full-service carrier stated.
A total of 976 persons were detained in Manipur on Wednesday for violating lockdown and not wearing masks in public places and 866 vehicles seized in this connection, police said. All the detained persons were produced before courts and a total fine of Rs 1.25 lakh was imposed on them, a statement issued by Additional Director General of Police L Kailun said. Thoubal district topped the chart with 263 detentions, it said.
The government today dismissed claims that the consumption of ice cream or frozen foods could facilitate the spread of coronavirus.
The phase three clinical trial of the antiviral drug remdesivir, led by a team of investigators, including an Indian-American physician, for the treatment of the coronavirus patients has shown positive results, a US pharma company has said. The California-based pharma company Gilead Sciences on Wednesday said that the preliminary results showed that 50 per cent of the Covid-19 patients treated with a 5-day dosage of remdesivir improved and more than half were discharged from the hospital within two weeks. A phase three clinical trial is said to be the final step in the process of the drug approval.
Following fresh guidelines from the Centre, the Uttarakhand government today opened registration for its people, including migrants and others stranded in other states who want to return home.
On Wednesday, at least 104 Covid-19 positive cases were reported in Tamil Nadu, taking the total tally to 2,162 and death toll at 27. Of the 104 cases reported in the state on Wednesday, 94 are from Chennai. The capital city, with 767 cases, accounts for 35 per cent of the total number in the state. In comparison with Chennai, the other districts have reported 1,395 cases. A total of 1,210 patients were discharged following treatment across districts in Tamil Nadu. The state’s recovery rate is 56 per cent and the mortality rate stands at 1.25 per cent. As of today, there are 922 active cases in Tamil Nadu and a total of 1,09,961 samples, 1,01,075 persons have been tested. At least 30,580 people are under active home quarantine and 48 are in Government Quarantine facilities. There are 44 Covid-19 testing facilities in the state (33 government and 11 private).
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said the lockdown in the state would continue in some form or the other till a vaccine against Covid-19 is invented. Deb made the remarks after holding a four and a half hour-long all-party meeting on Wednesday night. The meeting with eighteen political parties including ruling BJP, Congress, CPIM, ruling ally IPFT, INPT, among others started at 4 PM and continued till 8:30 PM. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, CM Deb said, “As of now, lockdown is there till May 3 and lockdown is the only way (against Covid-19). It is still a long way to exit lockdown in phased manner. It is impossible to resume inter-state bus, train or air services now. So, lockdown will remain. It is not that easy to exit lockdown. People have to accept lockdown as part of our lives”.
It might not be evident just by looking at the numbers but West Bengal is right now the state with the fastest-growing cases of the novel Coronavirus. West Bengal has reported only 696 cases as of Wednesday evening, but both its doubling rate, as well as the reproduction number, are among the highest for any state with a significant number of cases. The growth rate of infections in West Bengal during the period April 23 to April 27 has been such that it would amount to a doubling of caseload every 7.13 days. This is significantly faster than most other major states, which, with the exception of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, have doubling rates of more than ten days. Kerala is growing at a rate that would double its cases in 37 days, while Telangana, which has shown a surprising slowdown in the last one week, has a current doubling time of 58 days.