Coronavirus (Covid-19) is growing rapidly worldwide. Countries across the world are trying their best to stop the spread of coronavirus. Even in India, the number of Covid-19 cases are rising. Government has lockdown till 14th April to control the spread of coronavirus.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will procure one lakh rapid test kits for COVID-19 from South Korea, officials of the civic body said.
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20:26 IST: Fight against COVID-19 will be long: Lok Sabha Speaker
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday cautioned that the fight against COVID-19 will be long and urged the people to remain resolute in their dedication to eradicating the disease.
The Speaker, who shared his thoughts at a meeting of the Rotary Club of India via video conferencing, lauded the organisation for having completed 100 years of charitable activities in India. Noting that the world is facing one of its greatest challenges, Birla said the people were making collective efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
19:22 IST:24 more test positive for COVID-19 in Punjab; tally increases to 130
Twenty-four persons were tested positive for COVID-19 in Punjab on Thursday, according to the state government. With this, the total positive cases in the state increased to 130.
Earlier, the state government decided to launch a rapid testing drive to screen one million people. “Punjab intends to launch a rapid testing drive aiming to screen one million people,” said Balbir Singh Sidhu, State Health Minister.
Gearing up for this, acquisition of 10 lakh Rapid Testing Kits (RTK) has been approved by the Punjab cabinet and order for requisition of one lakh kits from Indian Council of Medical Research has been placed.
19:16 IST: COVID-19: Death toll rises to 21 in Pune
Three more COVID-19 positive patients died here on Thursday, taking the death toll to 21 in the city, said health officials.
Maharashtra is one of the most affected states in the country. Meanwhile, India’s tally of coronavirus cases has risen to 5,865, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday. 5,218 are active COVID-19 cases and 477 cases have been recovered/discharged and one case migrated.
18:29 IST: Nearly 40,000 persons booked for violating coronavirus lockdown in UP
Over 12,000 FIRs have been registered against nearly 40,000 persons in Uttar Pradesh for violating coronavirus lockdown, the state government said on Thursday.
“12,236 FIRs have been registered against 39,857 people under Section 188 of IPC for violating coronavirus lockdown. 78 cases have been registered in connection with the circulation of fake news related to COVID-19,” Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Avnish Awasthi said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a nationwide 21-day lockdown beginning March 25 to combat the spread of coronavirus.
18:01 IST: With 591 fresh cases, India’s COVID-19 count mounts to 5,865
With 591 fresh COVID-19 cases and 20 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, India’s total count of coronavirus positive cases on Thursday climbed to 5,865, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.
Among the total cases include 5,218 active cases, 478 cured, discharged, and migrated cases and 169 deaths. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), one lakh thirty thousand samples have been tested for the coronavirus so far.
Maharashtra has reported highest COVID-19 positive cases — 1,135 including 177 cured/discharged and 72 deaths, as per the details of the Union Health Ministry.
17:17 IST: Maharashtra Cabinet approves 30 percent salary cut of all legislators for a year: Ajit Pawar
The Maharashtra Cabinet approved the proposal for a 30 percent salary cut of all state legislators for a year in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic loss due to the lockdown, according to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday.
The salary cut of the state’s MLAs will begin from the ongoing month and will last a year, Pawar said after chairing the Cabinet meeting held today. In the meeting, a decision to nominate Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to the Legislative Council was also taken.
The Maharashtra Cabinet also approved the constitution of two committees for assessing and formulating a revival plan for the state’s economy post the lockdown period.
15:43 ISTCOVID-19 cases cross 4,000 in Pakistan, death toll at 64
The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Pakistan reached 4,332 on Thursday with Punjab province having more than 2,100 people affected, according to the National Command and Control Centre’s latest statistics. There was an increase of 248 new cases between Wednesday and Thursday. So far, 572 patients have recovered from the deadly disease, ARY News reported Punjab province has reported as many as 2,171 confirmed cases of COVID-19 followed by Sindh with 1,128 cases. 560 confirmed cases have been reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 213 in Gilgit Baltistan, 212 in Balochistan, 102 in Islamabad and 28 in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
15:28 IST: Doctor who tested positive for coronavirus dies in Indore
A doctor who had earlier tested positive for coronavirus, died in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on Thursday. The death toll in Indore has now climbed to 22.
“A doctor who tested positive for COVID-19 passed away, taking the death toll in Indore to 22. The total number of positive cases in Indore is 213,” informed Dr Rahul Rokade, PRO of MGM Medical College, Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
14:57 IST: BMC to procure 1 lakh rapid test kits from South Korea
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will procure one lakh rapid test kits for COVID-19 from South Korea, officials of the civic body said.
BMC had earlier made wearing masks mandatory for people in public places. “All persons moving in public places for whatever reason must wear 3-ply mask or cloth mask compulsorily,” read an order issued by the civic body.
It has also declared 381 areas as containment zones to prevent COVID-19 transmission.
It has ordered a ban on all vegetable, fruit markets, hawkers and sellers in containment area/buffer zone in Dharavi, during the lockdown period, as a precaution against COVID-19.
However, pharmacies in the area are allowed to remain open. The civic body has confirmed that door-to-door supply of essentials in the area will be done by later today or tomorrow.
13:32 IST: 162 more COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, state tally reaches 1297
162 more COVID-19 cases have been reported in Maharashtra on Thursday, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 1,297, state Health Department said on Thursday.
12:15 IST: 19 more coronavirus cases in Agra, district tally reaches 84
With 19 more COVID-19 cases in Agra, the district tally for the infection climbed to 84. “19 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Agra, Now, the total number of positive cases in the district is 84,” said Agra District Magistrate Prabhu N Singh. In Uttar Pradesh, 361 people have detected positive for COVID-19, including 27 recovered and 4 deaths.
Moreover, Agra is among 15 worst-affected COVID-19 districts of Uttar Pradesh, which has been sealed till April 15 in a bid to contain the spread of the highly contagious virus.
The other districts include Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Kanpur Nagar, Varanasi, Shamli, Meerut, Bareilly, Bulandshahr, Basti, Saharanpur, Maharajganj and Sitapur, Additional Chief Secretary, (Home), Awanish K Awasthi had said.
10:30 IST: Two more people test positive for COVID-19 in Ludhiana
Two more people have been tested positive for COVID-19 in Ludhiana, Punjab.
The total number of cases in the district has climbed to eight after the 24-year-old, and 15-year-old tested positive for the disease. “Two people (a 15-year-old and a 24-year old) test positive for COVID-19 in Ludhiana. Total confirmed cases in the district are now eight,” said Pardeep Aggarwal, Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner.
The total number of cases in Punjab is 101 including four either cured or discharged cases, and eight deaths were reported in the state, as per the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
10:22 IST: First COVID-19 positive case reported from Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar
One person has tested positive for COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar city. This is the first case that has been reported from the area.
The COVID-19 patient, who is a resident of Bhaktiyar Marg, has been admitted to the district hospital for the past three days. “First coronavirus case has been reported in Dhar; an area of 3-km near the Bhaktiyar Marg has been sealed,” said Shrikant Banoth, Dhar Collector.
According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of cases in Madhya Pradesh is 229. So far, 13 deaths have been reported in the state.
10:09 IST: Four more COVID-19 cases in Jharkhand, state tally rises to 13
With four new COVID-19 cases, the tally of coronavirus cases has climbed to 13 in Jharkhand, said the State Health Secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni on Thursday.
The four new cases were all family members of existing COVID-19 patients, 1 case is from Ranchi’s infected family, the remaining three are from Bokaro. Out of 13 cases, seven are from Ranchi, including a Malaysian woman. Another woman from Bokaro and her four family members. One case is from Hazaribagh, Kulkarni said.
With an increase of 540 COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India’s tally of coronavirus cases has risen to 5,734, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday.
10:00 IST: 4 more COVID-19 cases in Bihar, state tally reaches 43
Four more COVID-19 cases have been reported in Bihar, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 43, said Sanjay Kumar, Principal Secretary, state Health Department on Thursday.
Kumar added that the new cases were four women who had come in contact with a person who had earlier tested positive for the infection and had a travel history to Oman. With an increase of 540 positive COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India’s tally of coronavirus cases has risen to 5,734, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday.