Coronavirus India Updates: Total Covid-19 At 17,656, More Than 1,500 New Cases In 24 Hours

India reported a fresh spike in confirmed Covid-19 cases over the last 24 hours as the total infections in the country rose to 17,656 by Monday evening. Yet, it also reported over 500 new recoveries.

The country added 1,540 new cases over the last 24 hours—it’s biggest single day addition, according to data from the health ministry as of 5:00 p.m.

The country has also reported 2,842 cases who've recovered and 559 deaths. In the last 24 hours, there have been 541 recoveries and 40 deaths.

A total of 4,01,586 samples from about 3,83,985 individuals have been tested as of 9 p.m. on April 19, India’s apex body for biomedical research and policy said in a statement. About 27,824 samples were tested for Covid 19 on Sunday, and 1,135 were positive.

Global Update:

Signs emerged that the global pandemic is easing as hot spots in Europe reported the smallest increases in fatalities in weeks, while New York appeared to be “on the other side” of the outbreak.

Globally, total confirmed cases topped 2.4 million with deaths at 165,000, according to John Hopkins data.

The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Mumbai reached 3,032 on Monday night—contributing almost two-thirds of the total cases in the state.

There have been seven deaths in Mumbai over the last 24 hours. Total deaths related to Covid-19 in the city stands at 139.

Maharashtra has 4,666 confirmed cases and 232 recorded deaths.

India added 1,540 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours taking the total tally to 17,656 in the country.

• Active cases: 14,255
• Cured/discharged/migrated: 2,842
• Deaths: 559

Source: Health Ministry (As of April 20, 5 p.m.)

Responding to allegations made by the West Bengal Health Department that their supplied test kits were faulty, the ICMR said the following:

“We received a grievance that in West Bengal, RT-PCR kits are not working properly. The BGI Kit is U.S. FDA Approved and have good quality standard, but there is only issue that it should be stored under 20 degrees temperature. The complaint was the technician had to carry out multiple repeat tests. It could be a case the kits were kept at room temperature.”

In every 100 cases of the Covid-19 infection, 80 are likely to be asymptomatic (without symptoms), according to the Indian Council of Medical Research in today’s press briefing. The statement was made based on global data assessments, Joint health Secretary Lav Agarwal later added.

15 percent of the cases convert into severe cases and may need oxygen support while 5 percent of the cases can convert into critical cases, Agarwal said.

Addressing quality concerns of the rapid antibody test, ICMR Chief epidemiologist RR Gangakhedkar said that they are not used for Individual testing and is neither a confirmatory test. They can however be used for surveillance. We have just a started the testing and only batch has come in. All these kits are CE-IVD approved.

India’s doubling rate - the number of days it takes for cases to double in a given region - has improved to 7.5 days from 3.4 days, Joint Secretary of Health Ministry Lav Agarwal said today.

States with less 20 days Doubling rate

• Delhi-8.5 days,
• Karnataka-9.2 days,
• Telangana-9.4 days,
• Andhra Pradesh-10.6 days,
• J&K (UT)- 11.5 days,
• Punjab- 13.1 days,
• Chattisgarh - 13.3 days,
• Tamil Nadu-14 days.
• Bihar-16.4 days.

Between 20 days to 30 days:

• A&N - 20.1 days,
• Haryana - 21 days.
• Himachal Pradesh - 24.5 days,
• Chandigarh - 25.4 days,
• Assam - 25.8 days.
• Uttarakhand - 26.6 days.
• Ladakh (UT) - 26.6 days.

More than 30 days:

• Odisha - 39.8 days.
• Kerala - 72.2 days.

Other key Highlights:

• About 2546 people have recovered taking our recovery rate to 14.75 percent.
• Since yesterday, 1553 additional cases have been reported.
• Total confirmed cases are now at 17,265. 35 new deaths have also been reported in the country in the last 24 hours.
• India has expressed willingness to collaborate with other nations for vaccine and drug development with G-20 nations.
• There are three districts - Mahe (Puducherry), Kodaggu (Karnataka) & Pauri Garhwal (Uttrakhand) have not reported any fresh cases during the last 28 days.

The number of coronavirus cases in Gujarat rose to 1,851 after 108 more people tested positive for the disease on Monday, a health official said.

The state also reported four more deaths, taking the Covid-19 toll to 67.

Among the new patients, 91 were reported from Ahmedabad, six from Aravalli district, two each from Kutch, Mahisagar, Panchmahal, Rajkot and Surat, and one each from Vadodara and Mehsana, principal secretary (health) Jayanti Ravi said.

Out of the four latest deaths, two each were reported from Ahmedabad and Surat.

District-wise, Ahmedabad has so far reported 1,192 cases, Vadodara- 181, Surat-244, Rajkot-38, Bhavnagar-32, Anand-28, Bharuch-23, Gandhinagar-17, Patan-15, Panchmahal-11, Narmada-12, Banaskantha-10, Chhota Udepur and Aravalli- seven each, Kutch and Mehsana- six each, Botad- five, Porbandar, Mahisagar and Dahod- three each, Gir Somnath, Kheda and Sabarkantha- two each, and Jamnagar and Morbi one each.

Ahmedabad also accounts for 34 of the total 67 deaths.

Out of the four latest deaths reported from Ahmedabad and Surat, three patients suffered from co-morbid conditions like hypertension, diabetes, heart ailment and kidney disease, the official said.

So far, 106 people from the state have been discharged after recovery, she told reporters.

Out of 1,676 active cases, 14 are on ventilator support while the condition of 1,662 is stable.

Sharing health profiles of 67 patients who died of coronavirus in the state, Ravi said 90 per cent of them either had risk factors or suffered from co-morbidity, or both.

"The risk factors imply patients in age group of above 60 years, under five years of age, and pregnant women. Only 10.44 per cent deaths, or seven cases, have been of patients without any risk factors or co-morbidity," she said.

Also, six of the deceased were in the age group of 15 to 44, 22 victims were in 45 to 59 years age bracket, and 37 were over 60 years of age, she said.

Two of the deceased were under 15 years of age, including an 18-month-old boy.

Nearly 50 per cent of those who died had multiple co- morbidity, the official said.

Out of the 67 who died, 35 had both risk factors and multiple co-morbidity, 21 had co-morbidity, four had risk factors and no co-morbidity, and seven did not have any risk factor or co-morbidity, she said.

In the last 24 hours, 3,992 samples were tested for cornavirus, out of which 247 were positive and 3,745 negative.

So far, 32,204 samples have been tested in the state, the official added.

Source: PTI

Resumption of some economic activity is in no way to be seen as lifting of lockdown, said Maharasthra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, in a clarification today. Crowds gathered in some places today as if lockdown has lifted. If such incidents continue, will be forced to tighten restrictions, he added.

Displaced women and girls are facing a heightened risk of gender-based violence during the coronavirus crisis, the UN Refugee Agency said Monday.

The UNHCR said they may be forced into "survival sex" or child marriages.

Lockdowns imposed to control the spread of Covid-19 have restricted movement and led to the closure of services.

"We need to pay urgent attention to the protection of refugee, displaced and stateless women and girls at the time of this pandemic," said Gillian Triggs, the UNHCR assistant high commissioner for protection.

"They are among those most at-risk. Doors should not be left open for abusers and no help spared for women surviving abuse and violence." She said displaced women could end up confined with their abusers, while others, having lost their precarious livelihoods, "may be forced into survival sex, or child marriages by their families", said Triggs.

The restrictions imposed in many countries in response to the coronavirus pandemic mean limited access to support services, said the UNHCR.

It said some safe shelters had been temporarily suspended.

To counter the risk, the UNHCR is distributing emergency cash to survivors and women deemed to be at risk of gender-based violence.

Triggs said governments should ensure that the "rising risks of violence" for displaced women are taken into account in their Covid-19 action plans.

One measure could be ensuring that services for survivors of gender-based violence are designated as essential and remain accessible.

Source: AFP Via PTI

Gautam Buddh Nagar is a sensitive area and the public here needs to be more cautious about the Covid-19 pandemic, Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Jay Pratap Singh said and urged people to practice social distancing during the lockdown.

Singh, who is also the state government's minister in-charge of the district, made the remarks during a video conference with Jewar-Greater Noida MLA Dhirendra Singh and a few journalists on Sunday.

Gautam Buddh Nagar, adjoining Delhi in western UP, is among the districts worst-hit by the pandemic and has so far recorded 97 positive cases of coronavirus even as 38 of these patients have been cured and discharged, according to officials.

"From Monday onwards, there could be some relaxations for industrialists and essential services but the need of the hour is to strictly follow the guidelines of the lockdown which has now been extended till May 3. People must practice preventive measures like social distancing to combat coronavirus," the health minister said.

Expressing concern over the pandemic that has swept the entire world, MLA Dhirendra Singh said, "Gautam Buddh Nagar is a sensitive district". He stressed that more focus should be given to this region in the fight against the virus.

With 97 Covid-19 positive cases, the district is behind only Agra (240) and Lucknow (165), even as the total number of patients in entire UP stood at 1,100 by Sunday evening, according to the state health department.

Source: PTI

Five new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Karnataka, taking the total number of infections in the state to 395, the Health department said on Monday.

"Five new positive cases have been reported from last evening to this noon... Till date 395 Covid-19 positive cases have been confirmed. This includes 16 deaths and 111 discharges," the department said in its mid-day situation update.

All the five fresh cases are from Kalaburagi and contacts of patients who have already tested positive.

Four of them are men of age 17, 13, 50 and 19, and one woman aged 30.

Source: PTI

The Delhi High Court has expressed satisfaction over measures taken by the Centre and Delhi government to provide treatment to non-Civod-19 patients including those needing chemotherapy, dialysis and pregnant women, despite the enormous pressure due to coronavirus situation.

The court said if a citizen has any grievance related to medical facilities, it can approach competent authorities in the government for appropriate redressal through helplines and dedicated Whatsapp numbers and also asked Centre and Delhi government to give wide publicity to helpline numbers and continue to render medical aid and assistance to citizens.

A bench of Justices JR Midha and Jyoti Singh applauded and commended the work being done by doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and all others associated with them in various hospitals and dispensaries and clinics.

The bench also appreciated the work being done by the other government agencies on the administrative side including police, armed forces, paramilitary forces, to name a few, who amongst other tasks are helping the health workers.

“Every sector today, be it the Government or the private sector, working in the field of health or administration or law and order, is contributing in its own way, battling the pandemic, which surely includes the citizens, who in their own way are contributing to the fight against Covid-19. Every single day is posing new challenges. At this stage, therefore, for anyone to undermine the efforts put by the medical staff or the government agencies in providing medical aid and assistance, would, in our view, not only be wholly unfair and inappropriate but also demotivating for those working dedicatedly and tirelessly, 24x7 on ground,” the court said in its judgement.

The court's verdict came while disposing of a petition seeking direction to authorities to provide medical aid and treatment to patients suffering from varied illnesses and diseases, other than Covid-19.

It claimed that most of the hospitals are providing treatment to patients suffering from the effects of the deadly virus while there are other persons who are suffering from serious illnesses such as cancer and kidney problems and need chemotherapy or dialysis on an urgent basis.

Source: PTI

The Union Home Ministry has taken strong objection to the Kerala government's decision to allow opening of restaurants, bus travel in cities and opening of medium and small enterprise industries in municipal areas, saying it amounts to dilution of its lockdown guidelines.

In a letter to the Kerala government, the home ministry said the state government on April 17 has circulated revised guidelines for lockdown measures which allowed opening of activities which are prohibited in the Centre's consolidated revised guidelines issued on April 15.

Such additional activities allowed by the government of Kerala, include opening of local workshops, barber shops, restaurants, book stores, MSMEs in municipal limits, bus travel in cities and towns for shorter distance, two passengers in the back seat of four wheeler and pillion riding on scooters.

This amounts to dilution of guidelines issued by the home ministry and violation of its April 15 order issued under the Disaster Management Act 2005, the home ministry said.

The Kerala government has announced relaxation of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions in two zones, allowing among others private vehicles movement in an odd-even basis and dine-in services at hotels from Monday.

Kerala on Sunday reported two positive cases of Covid-19 in the state, taking the total number of affected to 401 while the health department announced that 13 people were cured.

Source: PTI

According to the latest health ministry data, seven states - Mahrashtra, Uttar pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh - have more than 1,000 confirmed cases. These seven states account for 66 percent of the country’s total cases.

At the same time, four states account for more than 73 percent of deaths in India. To be sure, Maharashtra itself accounts for 41 percent of India’s total.

• Delhi - 45
• Gujarat - 63
• Madhya Pradesh - 70
• Maharashtra - 223

*We have taken states which have reported more than 20 deaths.

Total Covid-19 cases rose to 17,265 cases on Monday morning, according to data made available by the Health Ministry of India. The data is lower than that revealed by the ICMR on Sunday evening - currently at 17,615.

Health ministry’s total tally includes 2,546 people who have been cured and discharged, and 543 dead.

This suggests 1,558 new cases, 36 deaths and 316 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

Additional activities proposed with effect from 20.04.2020 are not allowed in Delhi until further orders, said Additional Commissioner of Police, Special Branch.

The health department of West Bengal, in a series of tweets on April 19 alleged that defective testing kits supplied by the Indian Council of Medical Research is the reason behind delayed testing in the state.

So far, seven states have more than 1,000 cases of Covid-19, with Maharashtra leading the tally.

Here are the states with the highest case load:

1. Maharashtra: 3,651
2. Delhi: 1,893
3. Gujarat: 1,604
4. MP: 1,407
5. Tamil Nadu: 1,372
6. Rajasthan: 1,351
7. UP: 1,084

Next In Line

• Telangana: 844