The Covid-19 cases in India are rising rapidly. Government has announced lockdown till 14th April to stop the spread of infection. Also, the government is taking all preventive measures to suppress the coronavirus in India.
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19:30 IST: 30 COVID-19 hospitals declared in Maharashtra
The Maharashtra government on Thursday declared 30 government hospitals in the state as COVID-19 hospitals to deal with the rising number of patients, an official in the state health ministry said.
According to officials, 2,305 beds are available for coronavirus patients in these hospitals. Meanwhile, officials said that 81 fresh coronavirus positive cases were reported in Maharashtra today, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 416, including 19 deaths.
Out of the 81 cases, 57 have been reported in Mumbai, six from Pune, three from Pimpri Chinchwad, nine from Ahmednagar, five from Thane and one from Buldhana.
So far, 42 people have been discharged after being treated for COVID-19 in the state.
The country is under a 21-day lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country climbed to 1,965 on Thursday, after as many as 328 new cases were reported, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. So far, at least 50 people have lost their lives due to the virus.
19:16 IST: Govt mulls turning religious centres into quarantine facilities
With a surge in number of COVID-19 positive cases in the country, the goverment is exploring possibilities to turn some religious places into quarantine facilities. A team of ITBP on Thursday visited the premises of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) situated in Delhi.
“Our chief of Radha Soami Satsang Beas has already offered the government to use its premises for quarantine purposes if needed,” Gurminder, Sewadar of RSSB, told ANI.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) officials led by an IG rank officer visited the Delhi premises of the religious body.
RSSB is also distributing foods across the country for the needy people, administration and the government, said Gurminder.
18:41 IST: Around 50 medical professionals infected by coronavirus, says Health Ministry official
Around 50 members of medical staff, including doctors, nurses and paramedics, have tested positive for coronavirus across the country, a Health Ministry official said on Thursday.
There were reports of a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), following which Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday said that PPE kits and N95 masks are available in adequate quantities in the market. Notably, two doctors of Safdarjung Hospital have tested positive for coronavirus.
Meanwhile, several incidents of health workers and medical professionals being attacked have also surfaced in the past few days amid the ongoing 21-day countrywide lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
18:36 IST: 400 COVID-19 cases with linkage to Tablighi Jamaat found: Health Ministry
As many as 400 coronavirus patients have been found whose epidemiological linkage can be traced to the Tablighi Jamaat cluster at Nizamuddin, the Centre said on Thursday.
“Through contact tracing in different states, we have found 400 coronavirus cases, whose epidemiological linkage can be traced to the Tablighi Jamaat cluster,” Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, told media here. “Till now, maximum cases of 173 were found in Tamil Nadu. 11 cases in Rajasthan, 9 cases from Andaman and Nicobar, 47 cases in Delhi, 2 cases in Puducherry, 22 cases in Jammu and Kashmir, 33 cases in Telangana, 67 cases in Andhra and 16 cases in Assam. We are doing additional testing and more cases are likely to emerge,” he added.
The Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases across India were linked to the gathering, including deaths in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.
18:32 IST: 13 more test positive for COVID-19 in Rajasthan; total tally 131
Thirteen more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Rajasthan on Thursday, taking the total number of those infected by the novel coronavirus in the state to 133.
According to an update put out by the state Health Department at 5 pm today, two more positive cases were reported in the last couple of hours. These include a 26-year-old woman from Jodhpur with a travel history to Ahmedabad and a 16-year-old boy from Udaipur with a travel history to Indore. Seven of the 13 fresh cases are from Jaipur and one each from Bharatpur, Dholpur, Udaipur and Jhunjhunu districts. Two of them were reported from Jodhpur.
Earlier Rohit Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Rajasthan Health Department informed that a 85-year-old man who had tested positive for COVID-19 died. The man died following a comorbid condition of brain stroke paralysis.
18:01 IST: Northern Railway converts 40 coaches into isolation wards, manufactures 600 face masks
The Northern Railway has said it has converted 40 coaches into isolation wards for COVID-19 patients and has manufactured 325 litres of hand sanitisers and 600 face masks.
“Till April 1, 2020, 325 litres of hand sanitisers, 600 face masks and 60 coveralls have been manufactured and 40 coaches have also been converted into isolation rakes wards,” a statement read. In its continuous efforts to fight against COVID-19, the Northern Railway has started manufacturing sanitisers, face masks, coveralls and conversion of rail coaches into isolation wards.
17:27 IST: With 328 new COVID-19 cases, total climbs to 1,965 in India
As many as 328 new coronavirus cases and 12 deaths have been reported since Wednesday, the Centre said on Thursday. A total of 1,965 cases have been reported in the country so far. “328 new cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths have been reported since Wednesday, thus taking the total number of confirmed cases to 1,965 and the number of deaths to 50 in the country,” Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, told media here. Aggarwal said that 151 persons have recovered from COVID-19 so far.
“The good news amidst the increase in the number of coronavirus cases is that 151 persons have recovered from COVID-19 in the country. There are limited cases of doctors on duty testing COVID-19 positive. It is important to follow preventive measures at hospitals,” he said.
16:49 IST: 391 people who visited Markaz Nizamuddin are quarantined: Karnataka CM
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday said that 391 people who had visited the Markaz Nizamuddin have been traced and quarantined.
“391 persons, who visited Markaz Nizamuddin have been traced and quarantined. 11 out of 91 persons who were tested in Bidar are COVID-19 positive,” Yediyurappa told media persons. A religious gathering was held at the Markaz building in Nizamuddin between March 13 and 15. The event came into light after multiple coronavirus cases were confirmed among those who were part of the gathering.
An FIR has been registered against Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad and others under the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 in Delhi.
16:25 IST: BMC sanitation worker tests positive for coronavirus
A 52-year-old Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sanitation worker posted in Worli area of Mumbai tested positive for coronavirus, an official said on Thursday.
The sanitation worker in the Solid Waste Management Department of the BMC is a resident of Worli area. This is the second coronavirus case from the Worli area. “The man was admitted to a hospital on Monday after he developed symptoms of COVID-19. His condition is now stable. His family members and 23 colleagues have been advised to go into quarantine,” an official said.
The highest number of COVID-19 positive cases have been reported from Maharashtra at 335.
The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1,965 on Thursday after 131 people tested positive in the last 12 hours, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. So far, at least 50 people have lost their lives owing to the virus.
16:01 IST: AP govt ensuring supply of essentials to migrant workers in shelter homes
Andhra Pradesh government is ensuring the supply of essential commodities to the migrant workers housed in various shelter homes in the backdrop of COVID-19 outbreak.
The state officials apart from providing food and water are now supplying other commodities to the needy such as clothes, toothpaste, soaps, shampoos, blankets, oil etc. Boiled eggs, egg curry, chickpeas, tomato dal, asparagus, vegetable rice, Aloo Kurma, Khichdi is being served.
15:21 IST: 85-year-old COVID-19 positive man dies in Alwar
A 85-year-old man who was tested positive for COVID-19 lost his life here on Thursday, state health department informed.
The man died following a comorbid condition of brain stroke paralysis. “One person, 85-year-old from Alwar who had tested positive for coronavirus has unfortunately died. He had a comorbid condition of brain stroke paralysis,” said Rohit Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Rajasthan Health Department while speaking to ANI.
The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1965 on Thursday after 131 people confirmed positive in the past 12 hours, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
15:14 IST: Odisha Govt sets up two COVID-19 dedicated hospitals
The Odisha government has set up two COVID-19 dedicated hospitals in the state with a total capacity of 650 beds.
These hospitals, both named as Odisha COVID Hospital, are set up in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack with 500 and 150 bed capacity respectively. Odisha Mining Corporation and Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) have sponsored both the hospitals. The state government had earlier announced free treatment for all COVID-19 patients in these hospitals.
By April 5, the total capacity is expected to increase to 1150 beds and in next 15 days to 5000 beds.
The Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik appreciated the medical personnel and congratulated partner organizations KIIMS, Bhubaneswar and Ashwini Hospitals, Cuttack for putting up the facilities in a record time of one week.
15:06 IST: Chennai police officer uses ‘Corona gear’ to spread awareness
In order to ensure that people abide by the social distancing norm, Inspector Rajesh Kumar visited different markets in Villivakkam area of Chennai to spread awareness about the COVID-19 while wearing a coronavirus themed mask, shield, and mace, here on Thursday.
“We are insisting people not to come out and stay inside their homes,” Babu told ANI. He added: “This particular market–a busy market–here, we are advising people to maintain social distance and that is why we thought to do something in order to make people understand the importance of social distancing.”
14:40 IST: 3 punished with fine of Rs 500 each or 3-day imprisonment for lockdown violation in Pune
Three people who had been arrested by the Pune (Rural) Police for violating the countrywide lockdown were produced before a local court on Thursday.
The three have been identified as Afzal Attar, ChandraKumar Shah and Chandrakant Shah from Pune’s Baramati. They have been punished with a fine of Rs 500 each or imprisonment for three days. The country is under a 21-day lockdown which has been imposed to contain the spread of highly contagious coronavirus.
14:24 IST: Health workers, police attacked by mob in Munger
Health workers and the police officials who went to collect the blood samples of the suspected COVID-19 patients were allegedly attacked by a mob here.
The stones were pelted at the medical staff and the cops at the Hazrat Ganj Chowk of Qasim Bazar police station area in Munger. The ambulances were also damaged. Locals alleged that the quarantine facility provided by the administration is like a prison.
A medical officer Zafar Ahmed, told ANI that some of the patients also ran away from the quarantine facility but were later caught by the police.
13:41 IST: WHO praises India’s response to ward off COVID-19, say $22.6 bn stimulus plan will benefit those who live on daily subsistence
Praising India’s efforts in combating Covid-19, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday, said that the country’s USD 22.6 billion economic stimulus plan will benefit millions of poor who have been affected by 21-day countrywide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.
“What India is doing now, as I said in my statement, is very very important. During an economic shutdown, there will economic consequences on the country at large,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the organisation’s headquarters in Geneva. Noting that the lockdown has triggered supply constraints for essential items and panic buying, leaving the poor and daily labourers most vulnerable, Ghebreyesus also told reporters that India’s USD 22.6 billion economic stimulus plan – announced two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the lockdown – will provide free food rations to at least 800 million disadvantaged people, cash transfers to 204 million poor women and free cooking gas for 80 million households for the next three months.
13:17 IST: Two from Pune tests positive for COVID-19
Two more persons, who attended the Nizamuddin congregation recently in the national capital, have been found positive for the coronavirus in Pimpri-Chinchwad of Pune city.
According to Shravan Hardikar, Municipal Commissioner of Pimpri-Chinchwad, a total of 23 people from the city were identified, who attended Nizamuddin Markaz in New Delhi. They were traced and were put under quarantine facility. There has been an increase of 131 COVID-19 cases in the last 12 hours.
12:25 IST: PM Modi holds COVID-19 review meeting with Chief Ministers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held a meeting with Chief Ministers, through video conferencing, to review the COVID-19 situation in the country.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah were also present at the meeting. Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held a telephonic conversation on the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the state.
There has been an increase of 131 COVID-19 cases in the last 12 hours. The total number of COVID-19 positive cases on Thursday rose to 1965 in India, including 1764 active cases, 151 cured, discharged or migrated patients and 50 deaths, said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
12:21 IST: 2 test positive for COVID-19 in Rameswaram, were present at Tablighi Jamaat gathering
Of the seventeen people that attended the Tablighi Jamaat religious gathering in Delhi, two have tested positive for COVID-19, here on Thursday, according to K. Veera Raghava Rao, District Collector, Ramanathapuram.
The two COVID-19 positive patients have been admitted to the District Government Hospital, and the remaining fifteen are being monitored under isolation. The Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases across India were linked to the gathering, including deaths in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.
12:10 IST: COVID-19: Institute in Kerala develops low cost emergency ventilator system
Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) here has developed an emergency ventilator system based on Artificial Manual Breathing Unit (AMBU).
This comes in the backdrop of the coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent lockdown. The prototype is ready and the institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India has tied up with Wipro 3D, Bengaluru for the manufacture of the emergency ventilator system.
Dr. Asha Kishore, Director, SCTIMST, said, “The technology was developed in a week. Millions of people worldwide are affected by COVID-19 and the numbers are increasing at a very faster rate. In this alarming situation, a handy artificial manual breathing unit (AMBU) will be highly helpful. SCTIMST has a long tradition of developing and commercializing needy medical devices.”
AMBU bag or a bag-valve-mask (BVM) is a hand-held device used to provide positive pressure ventilation to a patient who is either not breathing or who is breathing inadequately.
11:34 IST: 131 test positive for COVID-19 in 12-hour, total cases climb to 1975 in India
The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1965 on Thursday after 131 people confirmed positive in the past 12 hours, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
At present, there are 1764 COVID-19 active cases in the country and 50 people have died due to the lethal infection. “Increase of 131 COVID-19 cases in the last 12 hours. A total number of coronavirus positive cases rise to 1965 in India (including 1764 active cases, 151 cured/discharged/migrated people and 50 deaths,” said the Health Department.
The highest number of COVID-19 positive cases were reported from Maharashtra at 335, including 13 deaths, followed by Kerala (265 and 2 deaths), Tamil Nadu (234 and 1 death).
There are 152 coronavirus positive cases in the national capital, including 6 cured and discharged and 2 deaths.
The states which have crossed 100-mark for COVID-19 positive cases also include, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka with
108, 113 and 110 cases, respectively.
While 9 people were detected positive for coronavirus in Chandigarh, 62 cases were confirmed from Jammu and Kashmir and 13 from Ladakh.
In Northeast, one COVID-19 case each has been confirmed from Mizoram, Manipur, and Assam.
Earlier in the day, the Union Ministry for Home Affairs has written to all states and union territories (UTs), directing them to take effective measures to combat fake news about coronavirus.
10:38 IST: Pune start-up developing low-cost ventilators to save COVID-19 patients
Engineers at NOCCA Robotics Private Limited, a start-up in Pune are working on developing low-cost ventilators in a bid to help the country in its fight against coronavirus and eventually save hundreds of lives.
The invasive ventilators being developed by the engineers at NOCCA will cost less than Rs 50,000. A ventilator is a device that helps a patient breathe, giving them time to fight off infections and recover. NOCCA, a two-year-old start-up which was co-founded in 2017 by IIT Kanpur graduates, makes water-less robots that clean solar plants.
Nikhil Kurele, one of the founders of NOCCA Robotics said, “Our objective is to build a portable ventilator. The ventilators that we are developing will cost less than Rs 50,000. It is not a full-fledged ventilator. It has features for COVID-19 patients specifically.”
“We got in touch with doctors to develop the ventilators who briefed us as to what exactly happens to a COVID-19 patient. A COVID-19 patient develops acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) which causes the lungs to collapse. The lungs are weak and one can’t rely on a person’s muscles to help him breathe so to avoid that fatigue, the patient needs invasive ventilation,” he added.
“We are going ahead with making 30-40 pieces right now in our factory, and several tests will be done and before launching we will make sure that all clinical trials have been performed and all regulations have been passed. We wish to avoid the gap which is in the market that has been created because the ventilators import and export is not allowed in several countries,” he further said.
As per the estimates by a team of researchers affiliated with Johns Hopkins University, Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, and Princeton University, India’s current capacity is estimated at 30,000-50,000 ventilators. And the country could need as many as one million ventilators to address the peak by July 2020.
10:30 IST: 67 year old Haryana man, who tested positive for COVID-29, dies
A 67-year-old COVID-19 patient from Haryana passed away at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh, informed Dr Kuldeep Singh, Ambala Chief Medical Officer on Thursday.
The state has reported forty-three coronavirus positive cases so far, out of these, 23 have been cured/discharged. Meanwhile, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday said, “All SPs in Haryana have been told that all those places where they (those who attended Markaz event) could be checked. Police did checking in Ambala yesterday and four possibly infected people were found. They have been admitted to hospital and their samples sent for test.”
10:24 IST: Vadodara man with travel history to Sri Lanka passes away, 4 family members under treatment
A 52-year-old COVID-19 patient with a travel history to Sri Lanka passed away on Thursday after battling with the lethal infection.
He was admitted to SSG Hospital, Vadodara on March 19. “A 52-year-old COVID-19 patient lost his life today morning. He had a history of travel to Sri Lanka and he was admitted to SSG Hospital, Vadodara on 19 March,” said S Agarwal, Vadodara Collector.
Four members of his family, who have also tested positive for the virus, are undergoing treatment, he said.
On Wednesday, Jayanti Ravi, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department of Government of Gujarat, said that eight more people have tested COVID-19 positive.
10:07 IST: 3 held for pelting stones at officials amid lockdown in Rampur
Three people have been detained after a group of miscreants pelted stones at officials in Rampur’s Tanda area on Wednesday. The incident occurred while the security personnel were patrolling the area to ensure that people stay in their houses during the COVID-19 lockdown.
None of the officials were injured in the incident. “A group pelted stones at the police team from their terrace. A case has been registered and action is being taken to arrest them,” said Arun Kumar Singh, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Rampur.
Three people were detained during the incident and cases have been registered against six people, including a woman, under relevant Sections.
Deputy District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar (IAS), Tehsildar Mahendra Bahadur Singh, police station in-charge Durga Singh, along with other officials, were patrolling in the area on foot.
09:40 IST: 3 new COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, count reaches 338
Three more positive cases of coronavirus have been detected in Maharashtra, taking the tally to 338, according to the State Health Department on Thursday.
Out of the three fresh cases, two have been reported from Pune while the third has been reported in Buldhana. Maharashtra so far, has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
