KEY HIGHLIGHTS
The total number of confirmed Covid-19 infections in India inched closer to the 12,000-mark, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the nationwide lockdown will be extended to May 3.
India has added 1,118 new Covid-19 cases taking the total number to 11,933 as on Wednesday evening, according to the health ministry’s website. This includes 1,344 who have been discharged and 392 deaths.
The number of active cases in India has crossed 10,000 for the first time today.
While it took the country 70 days to report its first 5,000 cases, the next 5,000 have come in just six days, indicating a rise rate of the infection. Recoveries, however, improved over Monday and Tuesday with India reporting more 200 patients who’ve been discharged. However, recoveries fell to 154 today.
Four states and union territories—Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan—account for more than half of the cases in India.
Global Update:
Leaders from Europe to California began to sketch out strategies for restarting their economies. U.S. health officials started drafting plans to end social-distancing measures and reopen businesses, the Washington Post said. Spain, Germany and Italy all reported fewer infections.
Total confirmed cases all over the world surpassed 2 million with more than 125,000 dead, according to data by John Hopkins.
Track latest news updates and developments on how the coronavirus situation is evolving in India here
Gujarat Death Toll Rises To 33
Five more coronavirus patients died in Gujarat on Wednesday, taking the death toll due to the pandemic in the state to 33, a senior health department official said.
Three deaths were reported in Ahmedabad and one each in Vadodara and Surat, Principal Health Secretary Jayanti Ravi said. One of the deceased, a 14-year-old girl, suffered from a brain ailment, while a 45-year-old woman who died in Surat suffered from hypertension.
Of three Covid-19 patients who died in Ahmedabad, a 55-year-old woman suffered from heart disease. Two others were a 40-year-old woman and a 65-year-old woman, Ravi said.
Source: PTI
Two More Deaths In Tamil Nadu
Two men died of Covid-19 in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday and 38 more people tested positive, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 1,242, Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said.
Total number of deaths in the State now stands at 14. The mortality rate in Tamil Nadu yesterday was 0.9 percent and today it is 1.1 percent, the minister said. “It is under control.”
Source: PTI
Himachal Pradesh Cases Climb To 36
Two more persons tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in Himachal Pradesh to 36, a senior official said.
One person each from Kangra and Chamba district tested positive at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College in Kangra district, officials said. Their history could not be immediately known. However, one of the two positive persons is said to be a journalist who travelled to Himachal Pradesh from Punjab's Jalandhar recently, sources said.
A total of 115 samples were tested on Wednesday at IGMC Shimla, Dr. RPGMC Tanda and CRI Kasauli. Two of them tested positive, 23 are tested negative. Report of the rest 90 samples is still awaited, a health official said.
The number of active cases in the state has risen to 18. They are being treated in various hospitals of the state.
Source: PTI
183 More Test Positive In Mumbai
As many as 183 new coronavirus cases were reported in Mumbai on Wednesday, taking the tally to 1,936, while two more patients succumbed to the infection in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.
The death toll due to the pandemic rose to 113 in the city with two more patients, one of them a senior citizen, succumbing during the day, it added. Seventeen more patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the deadly disease, taking the number of cured cases to 181, the BMC said.
As many as 261 persons were admitted to hospitals in the city during the day for suspected viral infection, the BMC said in a release.
India Identifies 170 Hotspots
India’s health ministry has identified 170 districts as Covid-19 hotspots in the country, and 207 districts as potential hotspots.
Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have the most hotspots.
India Adds 1,118 New Cases
India added 1,118 new cases of Covid-19 over the last 24 hours taking the total number to 11,933.
- Active cases: 10,197
- Cured/discharged/migrated: 1,344
- Deaths: 392
Source: Health Ministry (As of April 15, 5 p.m.)
Health Ministry Working On India's Hotspot Map, Says Lav Agarwal
- We have divided every district into hotspot districts, non hotspot districts, green zones district where there are no fresh cases.
- Hotpots are those where the cases are more and the rate of growth is higher.
- Early identification and proper clinical management is major key in effective patient management.
- Special teams comprising health staff, local revenue staff, local corporation staff to trace contacts in containment zones.
- Districts instructed to develop dedicated Covid-19 hospitals.
Curfew Comes Into Force In Two Ahmedabad Areas
The seven-day-long curfew to check the spread of coronavirus infection in the walled city and Danilimda areas of Ahmedabad in Gujarat kicked in at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, officials said.
The curfew will continue till 6 am on April 21.
Source: PTI
25 Migrant Workers Held For Travelling During Lockdown In Mumbai
A total of 25 migrant workers were arrested early Wednesday from Santacruz in Mumbai while they were trying to move out of the city to Uttar Pradesh by hiding in a mini truck, a day after the national coronavirus lockdown was extended till May 3, police said.
On Tuesday, hundreds of migrant workers, who have been stuck in Mumbai since the first phase of the lockdown kicked in on March 24, gathered outside Bandra railway station hoping for special trains to take them to their native states.
A police official said a patrolling team intercepted the vehicle in Meera Baugh area of Santacruz on suspicion in early morning.
"Police found 25 men, all migrant workers, crammed inside the mini truck and brought them to police station," he said.
These people are daily wage workers who earn their living in Mumbai by doing odd jobs, the official said, adding that they are desperate to go to their homes in other states.
Source: PTI
Seven Covid Patients Discharged From Seven Hills Hospital In Mumbai
99-Year-Old WWII Veteran Beats Coronavirus In Brazil
A 99-year-old World War II veteran in Brazil was released from hospital with military honours Tuesday after recovering from the coronavirus.
Second Lieutenant Ermando Piveta, who served in the Brazilian artillery in Africa during the Second World War, was brought out of Brasilia's Armed Forces Hospital to trumpet music and applause.
Wearing an army-green side cap, he raised his arms in the air as he left after eight days as a patient.
"It was a tremendous fight for me, greater than in the war. In war, you kill or live. Here, you have to fight in order to live, and you leave this fight a winner," said Piveta.
Piveta's nation is the hardest-hit country in Latin America by the coronavirus pandemic with 1,532 deaths so far, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.
AFP Via PTI
Christian Priest Held For Holding Mass At Church In Kerala
A Christian priest was arrested on Wednesday for conducting Holy Mass at a Church in Willingdon Island, in alleged defiance of government orders banning religious gatherings during the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown.
Father Augustine along with six others were arrested for celebrating Mass at Stella Maris Church this morning, police said. They have been charged under IPC section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and relevant sections of the Kerala Epidemic Disease Ordinance, they said.
Later, the priest and others were released on station bail, they added.
Source: PTI
Cipla Health Partners Swiggy, Zomato, Dunzo For Home Delivery Of OTC Wellness Products
Startup Cipla Health, a subsidiary of Cipla, on Wednesday said it has partnered with Swiggy, Zomato and Dunzo for home deliveries of over-the-counter wellness products in the wake of the nationwide lockdown.
Leveraging on the extensive service delivery mechanism of the partners, Cipla Health will cater to 4 lakh people and cover 250 stores in 45 cities across the country.
A home-delivery system makes it very convenient and safe for customers to get access to the wellness products, which otherwise might be difficult due to these lockdown conditions, the company said in a statement.
Cipla Health CEO Shivam Puri said, We have collaborated with these premier delivery partners as their expertise coupled with our suppliers will allow us to reach out to a larger segment of the population."
Further, he said, "Our set of offerings are specially curated to meet the varying needs of our consumers especially in these times and hence, this association helps us in ensuring our products reach their consumers who are finding it difficult to purchase them due to the lockdown..."
Zomato COO - Food Delivery - Mohit Sardana said, "Through our partnership with Cipla Health, we will employ our logistics capabilities to ensure our users have easy access to OTC wellness products from the safety of their homes.
"Currently available in the metro cities, we will expand this partnership to tier-II cities by the coming week."
Similarly, Swiggy COO Vivek Sunder said, "Our partnership with Cipla will ensure that health, hygiene and wellness products, which are just as essential, will reach customers in need as required. This is another step forward in helping citizens stay at home during the nationwide lockdown.
Dunzo CEO and Co-Founder Kabeer Biswas said whether it is medicines for the sick or groceries for the elderly, the company is committed to helping cities and users fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
Source: PTI
New Disinfection Robot To Aid Cleaners In Covid-19 Fight
Scientists have developed a semi-autonomous robot that can disinfect large surfaces quickly, and reduce the risk of cleaners picking up the novel coronavirus from potentially contaminated areas.
The researchers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore are planning to have public trials to support the fight against Covid-19.
Named eXtreme Disinfection roBOT (XDBOT), it can be wirelessly controlled via a laptop or tablet, removing the need for cleaners to be in contact with surfaces, the researchers said.
The new robot differs from other disinfection robots currently on the market that are primarily intended to clean and vacuum floor surfaces and are unable to disinfect odd-shaped surfaces or anything above ground level, they said.
Source: PTI
West Bengal Government Adopts Containment Strategies For Covid-19 ‘High-Risk’ Spots
The West Bengal health department has adopted a slew of containment strategies for Covid-19 "high-risk spots" in the state, without naming them.
The multipronged strategies will help break the chain of virus transmission, according to the order issued by the department.
"An analysis of the available data reveals that some geographical areas in the state show a higher number of Covid-19 infected persons. As a significant number of these cases can be traced to a few pockets, settlements and families, it calls for heightened vigilance and preventive steps," the department stated.
The order also emphasised on the need for early detection of cases by tracing and tracking primary and secondary contacts of those that have contracted the disease.
"Aggressive listing, tracing and tracking of all primary and secondary contacts will be undertaken with utmost promptness. Asymptomatic, low-risk and secondary contacts will be placed under home quarantine and thereafter closely monitored for symptoms," it said.
Source: PTI
Vashi Market Partially Operative
The vegetable, onion-potato and masala markets in Vashi have resumed operations after being closed on April 11.
A decision on the operation of the grain and fruit markets will be taken soon, an official told BloombergQuint.
Dharavi Update: Total Cases Rise To 60
Dharavi recorded five new confirmed cases of Covid-19, as the highly contagious pathogen spreads rapidly in Mumbai’s biggest slum.
All the five new cases have been recorded from the Mukund Nagar slum in Dharavi, said Kiran Dighavkar, assistant commissioner in charge of the G/North Ward in Central Mumbai. “Investigation for high risk contacts under progress.”
Among the latest to test positive for the virus include a 47 year old woman and four men between the ages of 24-39 years.
Dharavi—a sprawl of shanties spread over 240 hectares with a population of 8.5 lakh and over 13,000 small businesses—has so far recorded 60 confirmed Covid-19 cases, including seven deaths.
Total Cases In Dharavi So Far: 60
Government Issues Revised Lockdown Guidelines
Revised guidelines issued by Ministry of Home Affairs eases lockdown restrictions in rural areas from April 20.
- MGNREGA works allowed with strict social distancing guidelines
- Industries operating in rural areas, outside municipality limits permitted.
- Manufacturing in SEZs/EoUs with strict access control.
- Food processing in rural areas, jute industry, brick kilns in rural areas permitted
- Mining activity, oil and gas exploration/refining activity.
All Five Who Died Of Covid-19 In Bhopal Were Gas Tragedy Victims
All five persons who died due to coronavirus in Bhopal were victims of the 1984 gas tragedy in the Madhya Pradesh capital, an official said on Wednesday.
On March 21, some organisations working for the survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy had written to the authorities concerned, saying such people were five times more vulnerable to the coronavirus infection.
"All the five persons who died after contracting Covid-19 here were victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy," the official said.
A hospital in the city dedicated for the treatment of gas mishap survivors has been turned into a facility for coronavirus patients, causing hardship to these people, Rachna Dhingra, member of the NGO Bhopal Group for Information and Action, told PTI.
On March 21, some organisations working for the welfare of gas tragedy survivors wrote to the state and central authorities concerned, saying an overwhelming number of gas victims suffer from respiratory, cardiovascular, kidney problems and cancer as a result of exposure to the toxic gas that leaked at the Union Carbide factory here in 1984.
Instead of paying special attention to the needs of Bhopal gas victims, the state government took over the only super-speciality Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Center for gas victims, and turned it into a medical facility for Covid-19 patients, Dhingra said.
For the last 22 days, no gas victim is even allowed to avail emergency services there, she said.
In a letter to gas relief hospital's monitoring committee chairman, retd Justice VK Agrawal, the NGOs pointed out all these aspects and urged him to re-start the medical facility for gas victims considering their vulnerability.
The NGOs have also filed a writ petition in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, demanding that gas victims be provided a dedicated medical facility for their treatment, as was the practice earlier.
Source: PTI
India Covid-19 Cases Rise To Nearly 11,500
Total coronavirus cases in India rose to 11,439 on Wednesday morning, according to data made available by the health ministry. This includes 1,305 people who have recovered or been discharged and 377 patients who succumbed to the respiratory illness.
We are now in the first day of the extended lockdown period announced by the Prime Minister in a video broadcast yesterday.
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