Coronavirus COVID-19 Tracker India LIVE Updates: Reaching out to students during lockdown, Doordarshan and All India Radio are broadcasting virtual classes and other educational content through their regional channels across the country on TV, radio and YouTube.
As all schools across the country are closed, these virtual classes are helping lakhs of students, especially those in Class 10 and 12, in preparation for their board and competitive examinations, according to an official statement. The virtual learning through DD and AIR include curriculum-based classes for primary, middle and high-school level students.
Man from Pune who slipped in despite check-posts is first Covid-19 patient in ‘Green Zone’ Parbhani
A 21-year-old man from Pune, who surreptitiously travelled 370 km on his two-wheeler, sneaking in through three ‘sealed’ district borders to reach Parbhani earlier this week, became the first Covid-19 positive patient in the district which so far had managed to remain in ‘Green Zone’ with no reported case so far.
The man, who hails from Jawala Bazaar in Hingoli District and works at a furniture store in Bhosari near Pune, left his residence in Bhosari on April 12 night and reached his brother-in-law’s home in Parbhani next morning. As he was complaining of throat irritation, he was taken to a public health centre by the relative where a throat swab was taken and sent to a lab. The result came positive on Thursday.
Doubling rate of coronavirus cases less than national average in these states, UTs
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said three strains of the virus have been detected in India so far. While this will have no bearing on the efficacy of a drug, as and when it is developed, it may affect the efficacy of a vaccine, said Dr R R Gangakhedkar, head of epidemiology and infectious diseases, ICMR.
“Before the lockdown, the doubling rate was three days. Going by the number of cases in the last seven days, the doubling rate has been 6.2 days. In 19 states and Union Territories, the doubling rate is less than the national average,” Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, said at the daily briefing.
These states and UTs are: Kerala, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Puducherry, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Assam, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.
Agarwal said the average growth factor of cases between March 15 and 31 was 2.1, while it was 1.2 between April 1 and 15. “There has been a 40% decline in growth and it has come with an increase in testing of samples. We are doing better than most countries,” he said.
Here’s how Maharashtra is dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak
With over 3,000 coronavirus cases and 194 deaths, Maharashtra continues to be the worst-affected state in the country. This, as it faces the crisis of thousands of anxious migrant labourers wanting to go home, and slum clusters where social distancing remains an idea far-fetched from reality.
The state, with a population of over 11 crore (according to the 2011 census), currently has over 3,205 positive cases of novel coronavirus, including 300 recoveries and 194 deaths. The metropolitan city of Mumbai is a hotspot, having recorded 117 deaths so far, and a newly sworn-in Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP government is on its toes with all economic activity brought to a halt for at least 40 days.
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Gujarat total COVID-19 cases rise to 1,421, a jump of nearly 1,000 cases in the last seven days.
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A 46-year-old man from Sahkar Society on Kothariya Road becomes sixth person from Rajkot to test positive for the novel coronavirus on Saturday. Sahkar Society is on the western side of Kothariya Road while Jungleshwar, an active cluster of the coronavirus infection, is on the east.
Delhi has reported 186 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 1,893. 43 people have died so far
The Centre clarifies that there is no decision as yet on the resumption of domestic or passenger flights.
Gujarat has reported 280 coronavirus cases in a day, recording the hughest single-day spike so far, the state health department said. With this latest update, the infected poeple in the state has shot up to 1,376 while death toll rose by 12 to 53. "Most of these cases have been reported from hotspot areas in Ahmedabad, mainly due to concentrated testing," said Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi.
The Red Fort in Old Delhi has been lit with lamps and candles to observe the World Heritage Day on Saturday. The lights read: 'Hum jeetengay' (We shall overcome this), in the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic that the country is grappling to tackle.
The British monarch Queen Elizabeth, who turns 94 on Tuesday, has decided not to publicly mark the occasion in any special way including the artillery salute she traditionally gets on her birthday.
* Canada: US and Cananda decide to keep border closed for another 30 days.
* Stockholm: Sweden has reported 111 new COVID19 deaths with total deaths at 1,511. Swedish health officials say 13,822 people have confirmed infections Most of the infections and deaths have been recorded in Stockholm which has 897 fatalities.
* Africa: Africas coronavirus cases have surpassed 20000 according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The number of deaths across the continent surpassed 1000 on Saturday. Fiftytwo of Africas 54 countries have confirmed cases of the virus and the World Health Organization has expressed concern that local spread is increasing.
* UK: British authorities reported 888 more coronavirusrelated hospital deaths on Saturday bringing the total to 15,464. The latest daily figure from the health department is 41 higher than the previous days 847 deaths. Britain posted a record high daily death toll of 980 a week ago.
* France: The French military is dismantling a field hospital set up to relieve the pressure on overwhelmed medical centers The dismantling of the makeshift hospital in the eastern city of Mulhouse began Friday as the virus has receded in the region a military official. The field hospital held 30 beds and treated dozens of patients that couldnt fit in Mulhouse hospitals Hospitals in nearby Germany Switzerland and Luxembourg also took in French patients from the area
Ludhiana city police’s assistant commissioner of Police (ACP, North) Anil Kohli, who was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus on April 13, died at SPS Hospital Saturday. With his death, the toll in Punjab has gone up to 16. Kohli was a frontline officer, working 9-10 hours at the city’s busiest wholesale vegetable market, since curfew was imposed in Punjab to contain the spread of the virus. He was admitted in hospital on April 8. It is suspected that he got infected at the sabzi mandi.
In a major outbreak of the virus in the armed forces, about 26 Indian Navy personnel have tested positive for coronavirus at the strategically-located Western Naval Command in Mumbai. The infected sailors were staying at a bachelors' residential block at the INS Angre, a shore-based logistics and support establishment, just a few hundred metres away from the main Naval dockyard housing a range of frontline warships and submarines of the force.
'The 26 sailors who were placed in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 at Mumbai, belong to INS Angre, a shore establishment. There has so far not been a single case of COVID-19 onboard any ship, submarine or air station of the Indian Navy,' the Indian Navy said in a statement.
More than 50 helplines have been started across India to provide succour to women facing domestic violence during the ongoing lockdown. The domestic abuse national helpline number is 181 while women police helpline numbers are 1091 and 1291. There are two numbers to provide help to the women through psychologists -- 9000070839 and 0402760531.
Indian sportpersons have joined hands to fight the coronavirus pandemic, changing their popular hashtag #TeamIndia to #TeamMaskForce. PM Narendra Modi lauded the move and said, "Among the most important tasks today- be a part of #TeamMaskForce. Small but essential precautions can keep us all safe. Important to spread awareness about it."
A 21-month-old boy has tested positive for COVID-19 in Kolkata. None of his family members exhibited any coronavirus-like symptom, a health official said. All 14 other members of his family, including four children and two elderly persons, will be sent to a quarantine centre in Rajarhat as they had shared a three-bedroom flat with the infant, the official added.
The infant, a resident of Uttar Panchanna Gram in south Kolkata, was shifted to the Beliaghata ID and BG Hospital from the Institute of Child Health (ICH) after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday night.
"The child was admitted to the ICH on April 16 with a severe cough. He is stable now but we have kept him under observation at the special isolation ward of the Beliaghata ID and BG Hospital," the official said. (PTI)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said there had been a slight decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi in the last three days and hoped that it would reduce further in the coming days. He said out of 2,274 samples tested, only 67 people tested positive for the novel virus on Friday, whie addressing an online media briefing on the virus.
"Some people have been seen on streets in containment areas. Yesterday, 26 members of one family tested positive for coronavirus in an area in Jahangir Puri which has been declared as containment area," Kejriwal said. He also said that 71 containment areas have so far been identified in the national capital.
After a pizza delivery employee tested positive for COVID-19 in Delhi, food delivery apps Zomato and Swiggy delivery employees stand outside food mart in Uttar Prdes's Lucknow awaiting orders. According to them, after the Delhi incident, they are not getting orders. The man had cough and fatigue but no fever since March 20, but since he had no history of international travel or known contact with a patient, he continued to deliver food, officials had said. Following the incident, 72 houses in South Delhi were quarantined. Seventeen coworkers have also been put under quarantine.
Twentyfive new cases have surfaced in Karntaka in last 24 hours taking the total count in the state to 384 including 14 deaths and 104 discharges.
The Maharashtra government said door-to-door delivery of newspapers and magazines was prohibited as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state. Although the print media has been exempted from the lockdown from April 20 onwards, door-to-door delivery of newspapers and magazines will be prohibited, given the extent of the spread, the government stated. (PTI)
Air India has announced it opened bookings on select domestic and international routes from May 4 and June 1, respectively."In the light of the ongoing global health concerns, we have currently stopped accepting bookings on all domestic flights for travel till May 3, 2020, and on all international flights for travel till May 31, 2020," a notification on Air India's website said on Saturday.
"Bookings for select domestic flights for travel from May 4, 2020, and for international flights for travel from June 1, 2020 onwards are open," it stated.
When asked about the Remdesivir, an experimaental antiviral drug, the ICMR said studies published on the drug so far do not suggest it be used for trial but Gilead Science is conducting a 5,500-patient trial to compare giving it for 5 days vs 10 days. "Even the interim analysis data for that is not out," R R Gangakhedkar said. He also said, in case the remdesivir is found to be effective, the ICMR could either conduct patent pooling as it is a pandemic or if a local company produces it. "However, India is part of the Solidarity Trial that will look at the medicine," he said.
Lauding Kerala's Kasaragod 'effective' coronavirus containment plan, the Health Ministry said the city used drones for surveillance, used GPS for tracking people on home quarantine, did aggressive testing. 'There was 100% house to house survey in Kasargod, a very effective campaign called 'Break The Chain',' Aggarwal said.
Meanwhile, the ICMR clarified they are not conducting a trial with the hydroxychroloquine drug. 'It is an observational study with 480 patients. Some people had hypoglycaemia after taking the hydroxychroloquine; 22% of the people had diabetes, blood pressure, respiratory illnesses. that's why they took the medicine. 14% did not even do ECG before having,' R R Gangakhedkar said.
The Health Minsitry said in last 28 days, Karnataka's Kodagu saw no postitive cases and 22 districts in 12 states have not had a single coronavirus case in 14 days, which includes, Lakhisarai, Gopalganj, Bhagalpur in Bihar, Dholpur & Udaipur in Rajasthan and Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.
Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, Lav Aggarwal said 14.4 per cent deaths have occured in the age group from 0-45, 10.3 per cent in 45-60 and 60-75 per cent deaths have occured with people above 75 years. Around 83 per cent of the deceased had co-morbid issues.
In the last 24 hours, India has recorded 43 Covid-linked deaths with 991 positive cases. The Ministry informed that Union Helath Minister Harsh Vardhan has asked hospitals to treat non-COVID patients with equal compassion, Joint Secretary Lav Aggarwal said.
As governments around the world are grappling when and how to ease lockdowns, here is how other coutnries are tackling the coronavirus pandemic:
* US: President Donald Trump has lent his support to protestors rallying against lockdown orders. And he has left decisions on easing lockdowns to state officials. The country has recorded around 37,000 deaths and about 2.2 million people have contracted the virus.
* Africa: President Muhammadu Buhari's top aide has succumbed to the virus.
* China: The country, where the virus originated, has revised its death toll to 4,636, adding another 1,290 fatalities.
* Germany: Infection rate had 'sunk significantly' after 3,400 deaths in his country, which is now beginning the delicate task of lifting some restrictions without triggering a secondary outbreak, the health ministry said. Small shops will open from Monday, while some chldren will be attending school.
* Italy: While the northern region of the country has reported 22,745 deaths, the southern region declared a long-sought victory over the coronavirus in poorer southern regions that were less prepared for the pandemic than the richer north.
*Spain & France: Spain has recorded 19,478 deaths, followed by France with 18,681.
The environment department of Bihar has introduced an online quiz competition on nature and wildlife to ensure people stay at home during the lockdown. The department has also decided to give prizes and certificates, as a token of appreciation, to the winners of the competition to encourage people to participate in the programme, an official said. The quiz aims at engaging people during the lockdown and giving them an opportunity to know about nature and wildlife of Bihar, the environment, forest and climate change department's principal secretary Dipak Kumar Singh said. "Initially, we have launched the programme to entertain people and build awareness about environment. Now, we have converted it to a competition," Singh said.
The total number of coronavirus positive cases in Gujarat rose to 1,272 on Saturday after 176 more people were found to be infected, a state Health department official said. Most of the cases were detected in the hotspot areas where surveillance has been stepped up. Gujarat also reported seven more deaths due to COVID-19 disease, taking their tally to 48. Meanwhile, the number of recoveries stood at 88 with two patients being discharged from Rajkot and Gandhinagar hospitals, the official added. Five of the seven deceased were from Ahmedabad, while one death each was reported from Vadodara and Surat, said Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday said the state's economy will be given momentum in phases during the COVID-19 lockdown, which will remain effective till May 3. Pawar's remark comes a day after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that some industrial and commercial activities will resume from April 20, in keeping with the norms put in place to fight the pandemic. In an official statement, Pawar said the railway and metro services will remain non-operational, while public events and outdoor celebration of festivals will also not be allowed during the lockdown. --PTI
The Congress on Saturday constituted a consultative group with former prime minister Manmohan Singh as its chairman to deliberate on "current concerns" and formulate views and policy of the party on important issues. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be a part of the group along with other leaders, while party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala will be its convener.
"The Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) has constituted a consultative group with Manmohan Singh as its chairman. The consultative group will meet virtually, normally every day, to deliberate on matters of current concern and formulate views of the party on various issues," a communique from AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said.
Besides Venugopal, other members of the panel are ex-finance minister P Chidambaram and former ministers Manish Tewari and Jairam Ramesh. Congress's other leaders Praveen Chakravarty, Gaurav Vallabh and Supriya Shrinate, and the party's social media head Rohan Gupta are also part of the panel. --PTI
Union Health Ministry has directed the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct survey and monitoring with regard to the critical drugs pertaining to COVID-19. -- ANI
Congress seeks level-playing field for retailers; Ajay Maken asks Home Ministry to issue guidelines for online sales. The party alleges the government did 'injustice' to retailers by allowing only e-commerce companies to sell non-essential items.
Aarogya Setu is an app developed by National Informatics Centre, which comes under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The app keeps a track of its users whereabouts and if they come in contact with a COVID-19 infected person. The app uses location tracking and Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons that send over data like the MAC address of the device, distance between devices, a device ID, GPS coordinates, signal strength, time at which the contact took place, and Bluetooth model name and number.
Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog in an interview televised on Aaj Tak and shared on the official Twitter handle of Niti Aayog states that the app’s data will not be used by the Indian government for any purposes other than tracking COVID-19 or medical purposes. This hints that the app might stay live even after coronavirus is curbed, with a different focus.
As coronavirus cases continue to surge across the world and millions are confined to their homes, governments are still thinking about how and when lockdowns can be lifted so that normalcy can resume. With a vaccine at least 12-18 months away, scientists and researchers are now looking into what the post pandemic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 can look like and the possible measures that might be needed to control future outbreaks. A new study published in Science looks at what will happen after the initial, most severe pandemic wave passes.
The number of children infected with the coronavirus is far more extensive than what is currently reported, according to a study that could help better estimate the demand on pediatric intensive care units. The research, published in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, estimates that for each child who requires intensive care for COVID-19, there are 2,381 children infected with the virus. According to the researchers, including those from the University of South Florida (USF) in the US, this calculation follows a report from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention regarding its clinical study of over 2,100 children with COVID-19.
A day after asking the Tamil Nadu government to expedite rapid testing for coronavirus in the state, DMK president M K Stalin on Saturday demanded that it disclose the pricing of kits purchased from China. Stalin, the leader of opposition in the Assembly cited Chattisgarh Minister T S Singh Deo's twitter post on the price of kits his State has bought and sought a similar disclosure from the AIADMK-led government. The Chattisgarh Minister has transparently announced the number of kits purchased, and its low price, the DMK chief said in a Facebook post. "Similarly, the Tamil Nadu government should transparently announce the number of kits bought and its price. I am urging disclosure as there should be tranparency in government administration," he said. -- PTI
A 22-year-old suspected Coronavirus patient was caught by the Delhi police in Haryana after he allegedly fled from LNJP Hospital, said the police on Saturday. The police said that the man hails from Rai village in Haryana and had come to Delhi on April 14 to get tested for the virus.
He was not satisfied with the facilities at the hospital and decided to go back home. “ The doctors had collected his sample and were testing it but he left. We received information from the hospital about the man. We traced his phone and found that he was at his home in Rai. We sent a team and brought him back to Delhi,” said a senior police officer.
In a crucial step towards curbing the spread of COVID-19 , the Delhi government has kicked off community testing in high-risk areas to ensure there is no community spread. Health officials in each district are taking samples of people from the 66 containment zones, those in quarantine, contacts of patients and those admitted in hospitals. So far, 2,983 samples have been collected from the containment zones.
Switzerland’s iconic Matterhorn Mountains were illuminated with the Indian tricolour late Friday in a show of solidarity for the country in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The illumination was part of a series by renowned Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter in an attempt to spread hope and solidarity during the pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also shared pictures of the 14,692-foot mountain lit up with the Indian flag. “The world is fighting COVID-19 together. Humanity will surely overcome this pandemic,” PM Modi tweeted.
Police have been using innovative methods to deal with lockdown violaters. Recently, a police constable in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore dressed up as Yamraj and made lockdown violators do sit-ups as punishment.
According to the Ministry, there are four districts with large outbreaks in West Bengal -- Kolkata, Howrah, Purba Medinipur and North 24 Parganas. After that Barasat Municipality of North 24 Parganas decided to start sanitising, Municipal workers today spray disinfectant at locally affected areas. (Express photos by Shashi Ghosh)
Meanwhile, even as the number of the coronavirus cases in the US crossed 700,000, Donald Trump has posted controversial tweets stoking protests against physical distancing and other coronavirus stay-at-home measures in three states led by Democratic governors. “LIBERATE MINNESOTA!” the US president wrote in capital letters on Friday. “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” He followed up with a third tweet: “LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!” – a reference to Virginia’s governor, Ralph Northam, last week signing into law new measures on gun control.
The Shiv Sena Saturday heaped praises on Rahul Gandhi over his positive stand on the coronavirus pandemic, saying the Congress leader has “shown how a responsible opposition party should behave” during a crisis. The Sena, who is in alliance with the Congress and NCP in Maharashtra, also lauded Gandhi for his call for a united fight againt the virus, and for his remarks that he might disagree with Prime Minister on several issues but this is not the time to “fight” or indulge in “tu tu mein mein”.
Meghalaya reported two new COVID-19 cases on Friday, taking the state’s total count up to 11, including one death — a reputed 69-year-old doctor in Shillong. The new cases are all within the doctor’s family too, including domestic workers. Earlier in the week the delay in the doctor’s burial had caused a controversy in the state after locals had opposed it. He was finally laid to rest at the Riatsamthiah Presbyterian Church in Shillong.
Hyundai Motor India has partnered with Air Liquide - a French company to augment the production and supply of ventilators in India. 'HMI is fully committed in its fight against COVID-19 and will continue to take all measures towards ensuring happy life for society and communities,' Hyundai Motors said in a statement.
Police in the Kalaburagi region of Karnataka have arrested five persons and accused another 150-200 people of violating the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 by allegedly carrying out a temple chariot procession in the Revoor village on the evening of April 16, despite prohibitory orders issued by district officials. Besides arresting the organisers of the event, the authorities have suspended a sub-inspector and a district official in connection with the violation.
Till date, 371 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in Karnataka This includes 13 deaths & 92 discharges. 12 new positive cases have been reported since April 17.
The death of an 85-year-old man in Kerala’s Malappuram district cannot be ascribed to the novel coronavirus infection, state health minister KK Shailaja said Saturday. The resident of Manjeri, who had long-time heart and respiratory complications, had tested positive for Covid-19 on April 2 at the Manjeri Medical College. He was subsequently isolated and his family quarantined at home. Due to his comorbidities, an expert medical team was constituted to work on his treatment.
Wearable social-distancing buzzers. Masked blackjack dealers. Drive-thru electronics purchases. From cubicles to factory floors, cafes to clothing boutiques, businesses around the world are dreaming up creative ways to reopen, attempting to start revenue flowing again while minimizing the risk to customers and employees. READ more here
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on Friday, announced a 60% increase in the Ways and Means Advances (WMA) limit of state governments over and above the level as on March 31, with a view to enabling them “to undertake COVID-19 containment and mitigation efforts” and “to better plan their market borrowings”. Harish Damodaran and Nushaiba Iqbal explain what exactly is Ways and Means Advances(WMA).
Thanks to coronavirus warriors around the world, there’s some hope and light amid these dark, trying times. Although majority of the world is under lockdown, it’s the essential services workers and volunteers who have made sure everything is up and running and people are safe, while putting their own lives on the line. And expressing profound gratitude, Google has been honouring Covid-19 helpers by featuring them on its homepage.
The clanging of utensils grew louder outside an MCD school in Greater Kailash where food was being distributed. But this time, it was out of anger, not gratitude. As volunteers shut the gate at 1 pm, many women crowded outside, some of them crying. The women, almost all of them domestic helps staying at Zamrudpur village, had stood in line for over three hours, but food ran out before it was their turn. A handful of them argued with civil defence volunteers, while others retreated back to their village. READ MORE
While the government’s focus is now on harvesting and marketing of the rabi crop, there is a no-less-immediate challenge ahead amidst the lockdown: Ensuring adequate seed availability in the ensuing kharif planting season, even as the India Meteorological Department has forecast a 100% normal monsoon. Nursery sowing of paddy in Punjab, Haryana and west Uttar Pradesh starts after mid-May, while from June in the rest of India. Farmers either use new seeds or plant the grain saved from previous years’ production. Given the 15-20% yield loss from the latter, the preference is for planting new seeds even in the case of open-pollinated varieties (OPVs), as against hybrids.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres salutes countries helping others in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, his spokesman has said, days after India sent supplies of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to several nations, including the US.
“The Secretary General calls for global solidarity in this struggle against the virus, and that means that every country who is in a position to help another country should. And we salute those countries that are doing so,” UN chief Antonio Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at the daily press briefing on Friday.
He was responding to a question on Guterres’ reaction to India’s efforts to send medicine and other supplies to other countries amidst the coronavirus outbreak.
“I will not spread corona, I will stay at home,” reads a freshly painted message on the road, with an image of the virus in bright red. At the main chowk in Bhamragad in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, shops are shuttered, and so are the homes around them. With a population of 12 lakh, Gadchiroli has had no COVID cases so far, but for the district that has always lived in the shadow of Maoist violence, the lockdown to check the spread of the virus hangs heavy.
Switzerland expresses solidarity with India in its fight against COVID-19. Swiss mountain of Matterhorn has been lit in tricolour.
There is something deeply morally odd in using the language of compassion in relation to the state. What we need from the state is not compassion, it is a minimum sense of justice. In fact, the appeals to compassion destructively depoliticise social policy by appealing to sentiment. By contrast, genuine solidarity, that speaks the language of justice, will ask hard questions about rights, institutional obligations, processes and accountability, writes Pratap Bhanu Mehta.
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Saturday took to Twitter to say that India should take coronavirus as an opportunity to mobilise it's scientists, engineers and data experts to work on innovative solutions. "The #Covid19 pandemic is a huge challenge but it is also an opportunity. We need to mobilise our huge pool of scientists, engineers & data experts to work on innovative solutions needed during the crisis," he tweeted.
A sharp upward revision in China’s coronavirus death toll on Friday was “an attempt to leave no case undocumented” after medical services in Wuhan were overwhelmed at the start of the outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Nearly 1,300 people who died of the coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan, or half the total, were not counted in death tolls because of lapses, state media said on Friday, but Beijing dismissed claims that there had been any kind of cover-up. READ MORE
With 31,083 tests being done in the last 24 hours, 3,35,123 samples have been tested so far.
The Union Health Ministry said on Friday that the doubling time for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in India had risen to 6.2 days over the past week, as compared to three days before the nationwide lockdown began on March 25. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Friday said three strains of the virus have been detected in the country so far. While this will have no bearing on the efficacy of a drug, as and when it is developed, it may affect the efficacy of a vaccine, said Dr R R Gangakhedkar, head of epidemiology and infectious diseases, ICMR.
Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Law and Justice, Communications, Electronics and IT, speaks to The Indian Express on the need to de-communalise the COVID-19 outbreak and how the outbreak will change the world. "Lots of migrants come from my state. The government of Bihar is running nearly 13 feeding centres...I appreciate all state governments for taking care of them... Anand Vihar was where it started and could have been avoided by the local administration," he said.
On Thursday morning, 35-year-old Chhabu Mandal, a migrant from Bihar who worked as a painter in Gurgaon, sold his phone for Rs 2,500 and used the money to purchase a portable fan and some ration to feed his family — his wife, her parents, and his four children, the youngest five months old. His wife Poonam was delighted when he returned home — the family had not had anything to eat all through Wednesday, and even before that, had been relying on meals being distributed for free in their area, or the generosity of neighbours. READ full story here
At least 2.2 million have been infected worldwide and at least 153,177 people have died since the outbreak began, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The United States has recorded the highest death toll (32,917) in the world, followed by Italy (22,170), although its population is just a fifth of that of the US. Spain has recorded 19,130 deaths, followed by France with 18,681. Follow LIVE UPDATES on coronavirus news from across the world here
One more COVID-19 case reported from Jungleshwar as a 47-year-old man from Ankur Society of that area tested positive for the disease. He was among the 73 whose samples were taken Friday as part of disease surveillance, says Rajkot municipal commissioner. Rest are negative.