Coronavirus India Updates: Covid-19 Cases In India Nears 25,000; Death Toll At 779

Total coronavirus cases in India neared the 25,000 mark on Saturday evening with 1,490 additional cases in the last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry.

The tally includes more than 5,210 cured and discharged, and 779 people who lost their lives to the respiratory illness, as of 5 p.m.

Over the last 24 hours, India reported 396 recoveries and 56 deaths.

After the first case of coronavirus infection was reported in India, it took 76 days for the cases to expand to 10,000. The tally went to 20,000 in the next eight days, and to 24,942 in just three days, suggesting a rising rate of infection.

Track latest news updates and developments on how the coronavirus situation is evolving in India here

Global Update:

The death toll from the new coronavirus topped 51,000 in the U.S., with the epicenter of the global outbreak now accounting for more than a quarter of all fatalities. Cases spiked among crew members on a passenger-less cruise ship docked in Japan. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned patients about taking malaria medications touted by President Donald Trump. China reported 12 new cases Friday, with 11 of them imported. Spain and Italy had their fewest deaths in five weeks. Germany had its worst day in almost a week, while Belgium plans to ease its lockdown starting in May.

Globally, total number of cases have topped 2.7 million with deaths approaching 1,96,000.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a safety communication regarding the known side effects of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine touted by President Donald Trump for treating coronavirus.

The side effects include serious and potentially life-threatening heart rhythm problems.

The FDA in a Drug Safety Communication said that hydroxychloroquine has been given Emergency Use Authorisation for the treatment of patients who have tested positive with coronavirus.

These risks, FDA said are already in the drug labels for their approved uses and may be mitigated when health care professionals closely screen and supervise these patients such as in a hospital setting or a clinical trial.

“We understand that health care professionals are looking for every possible treatment option for their patients and we want to ensure we're providing them with the appropriate information needed for them to make the best medical decisions,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn.

“While clinical trials are ongoing to determine the safety and effectiveness of these drugs for Covid-19, there are known side effects of these medications that should be considered,” he said.

“We encourage health care professionals making individual patient decisions closely screen and monitor those patients to help mitigate these risks. The FDA will continue to monitor and investigate these potential risks and will communicate publicly when more information is available,” Hann said.

FDA said as of now it has issued an emergency use authorisation to allow hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine products donated to the Strategic National Stockpile to be distributed and used in limited circumstances, such as for certain hospitalised patients with Covid-19.

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are FDA-approved to treat or prevent malaria. Hydroxychloroquine sulfate is also FDA-approved to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

FDA said these medicines have not been proven safe or effective for treating Covid-19. However, clinical trials are underway and additional trials are being planned to determine if these drugs can benefit patients with Covid-19.

These trials are also examining whether the drugs can prevent Covid-19 among health care workers, first responders or people who have been in close contact with someone with Covid-19.

Source: PTI

The total number of coronavirus cases in India rose by 1,429 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total tally to 24,502, according to the latest data made available by the Health Ministry.

• Active cases: 18668
• Cured/discharged/migrated: 5063
• Deaths: 775

Over the last 24 hours, the country has seen 1,429 new cases, 314 recovered and 57 deaths.

India now has four states with more than 2,000 cases, including Maharashtra where infections have crossed the 6,000-mark. Madhya Pradesh at 1,852 is likely to be the next to join the club.

The number of deaths reported in a day as of 8 a.m. this morning spiked to 57 - the highest seen over a 24 hours timeframe.

The death toll due to coronavirus in Indore city of Madhya Pradesh, one of the Covid-19 hotspots in the country, has reached 57 with two more persons succumbing to the infection, an official said on Saturday.

Two men, aged 75 and 55, died due to Covid-19 in the last three days, Chief Medical and Health Officer Praveen Jadia said.

One of them suffered from bronchitis, he said.

According to him, the number of coronavirus positive patients in the city has gone up to 1,085 after 56 more people tested positive in the last 24 hours.

Of them, 107 have recovered and returned home so far, Jadia added.

As per the data, the city's Covid-19 mortality rate stood at 5.25 percent till Saturday morning, which is higher than the national average.

The city has a population of over 30 lakh.

Curfew has been imposed in the city since March 25, after the first case of coronavirus infection came to light.

Strict lockdown has been in place at other places in the district.

Source: PTI

Two Chinese pharma companies, which supplied 5.5 lakh rapid testing kits for Covid-19 to India, said they are ready to cooperate with Indian agencies looking into allegations of poor accuracy of their products.

In separate statements, Guongzhou Wondfo Biotech and Livzon Diagnostics said they follow strict quality control of their products, asserting that specified guidelines must be followed in storage of the kits as as well in their usages to get accurate results.

India's apex medical research body ICMR on Tuesday advised states to stop using the rapid antibody test kits for next two days till it examines their quality following complaints that they are not fully effective in detecting coronavirus infection.

Last week, India procured 5.5 lakh rapid antibody test kits from these two Chinese firms and they were distributed to several states reporting rising cases of coronavirus infection.

While Guongzhou Wondfo Biotech supplied 3 lakh test kits, Livzon Diagnostics delivered 2.5 lakh.

Livzon Diagnostics, in its statement said: "We are shocked to receive negative reports from India related to poor accuracy of Covid 19 rapid testing kits made in China including our brand. We have shown great concern on this issue, and we are willing to coordinate with the related government departments for investigation." The company said it fulfilled all required quality control standards prescribed by Chinese government and that the company has been exporting the product to at least 10 countries including Brazil, Peru, Columbia and several European nations.

"The test kits should be stored at a temperature between 2 and 30 degree celsius and should not be frozen... If the storage temperature is too high, the accuracy of the test may be influenced," it said.

In its statement, Guongzhou Wondfo Biotech said the company has been exporting the kits to more than 70 countries and that the product was validated and approved by the ICMR through National Institute of Virology in Pune.

"In the process of exporting the products to overseas countries, Wondfo fully cooperates with relevant health authorities in each country to carry out various verifications on the sensitivity and specificity of our products," it said.

The statements by the two companies were released to the media by an official of the Chinese embassy here.

At present, the government hospitals have been using the polymerase chain reaction tests to detect coronavirus from throat or nasal swab samples of people. These take around five to six hours to show the results.

In the rapid antibody tests, the blood samples of suspected patients are taken, and it normally takes around 15-30 minutes to give the result.

India has been facing severe shortage of testing kits in view of rising cases of the coronavirus.

Source: PTI

Seven more people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, taking the total number of cases in the Union Territory to 29, an official said on Saturday.

All of them are residents of the Bambooflat area in the south Andaman district, he said.

"Of the new cases, six are from one family, and all of them came in contact with a Covid-19 patient detected earlier," the official said.

All the patients are undergoing treatment at the GB Pant Hospital here, a health department official said.

Five cases were reported from the Bambooflat area on Thursday.

Last week, a 39-year-old police radio operator had tested positive for Covid-19 in the locality, which has now been declared a hotspot, and all the cases were either his family members or related to him.

Of the total cases reported in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, home to several vulnerable tribes, 18 are active now.

Eleven persons -- 10 with links to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi and a student who travelled on a flight with some of them -- have recovered from the disease.

A total of 2,679 samples have so far been sent to the Regional Medical Research Centre here for tests, and of these, results of 2,433 have come while 246 are awaited, the health department official said.

The department has so far received 3,800 rapid test kits from the Centre, he said.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration has set up an isolation centre at the GB Pant Hospital with 50 beds, and a total of 961 people are now in quarantine centres, the official said.

The Union Territory administration has adopted the "pool testing" method using less kits for more tests in the fight against novel coronavirus.

The local administration has urged people to stay at home and follow the lockdown order imposed to contain the outbreak of the dreaded virus.

Source: PTI

The academic session in universities and higher educational institutions can be started from September instead of July in view of the Covid-19 situation in the country, a panel appointed by the University Grants Commission has recommended.

Two committees were constituted by the UGC to look into the issues of academic loss and online education in the wake of the lockdown in the country due to the coronavirus pandemic.

One of the committees led by Haryana University Vice-Chancellor RC Kuhad was formed to look into the ways of conducting exams in universities amid the lockdown and work on an alternate academic calendar. The second committee, to suggest measures to improve online education, was led by Indira Gandhi National Open University V-C Nageshwar Rao. Both the panels submitted their reports on Friday.

"One panel has recommended that the academic session be started from September than July. The second panel has suggested that universities should conduct online exams if they have the infrastructure and means or wait for the lockdown to get over and then decide a date for pen-and-paper examinations," a source said.

According to HRD Ministry officials, the two reports will now be studied and official guidelines in this regard are expected to be notified by next week.

"It is not binding that all the recommendations will be accepted. After deliberating on the feasibility issues and keeping the situation in mind, guidelines will be issued," an official said.

Another hurdle in starting the academic session is the delay in conducting entrance examinations as well as the pending board exams, the panel has pointed out.

"As of now the plan is to conduct entrance examinations like NEET and JEE in June. But it is extremely important to keep reviewing the Covid-19 situation," the official said.

Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 when the Union government announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as one of the measures to contain the outbreak. Later, a nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24 which has now been extended till May 3.

The Central Board of Secondary Education has already announced that it will conduct pending board exams for only 29 subjects which are crucial for promotion and undergraduate admissions.

Source: PTI

The Tripura government has ordered a probe into an alleged misappropriation of funds for purchasing Covid-19 test kits and other materials under the National Health Mission and removed two officials for an "impartial enquiry", a minister said on Saturday.

State finance secretary Tanushree Debbarma and urban development department's secretary Kiran Gitte have been asked to enquire into the misuse of the resources, and submit a report at the earliest, state law minister Ratan Lal Nath said.

"Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has ordered an enquiry into the matter after former health minister and BJP MLA Sudip Roy Barman wrote to him, alleging that the government's fund was misused in procuring Covid-19 kits," Nath said.

State health secretary Dr Debashish Basu and NHM director Aditi Majumder were removed from their present posts for an "unbiased and impartial enquiry", he said.

Roy Barman alleged that bottles of hand sanitiser were procured at a price, higher than the maximum rate fixed by the Centre. According to the government guidelines, the price of a 500 ml hand sanitiser should not be higher than Rs 250. "NHM Mission director placed an order for 500 ml hand sanitiser at Rs 359 including GST, nearly 20 days after the central guidelines arrived," the letter said.

Barman claimed that "Rs 5.45 lakh was paid in excess for supply of 5,000 such hand sanitiser bottles during the crisis of Covid- 19 outbreak and the lockdown".

Barman furtehr added that "The orders for coronavirus test kits were placed at Rs 2,912 per piece against the price of Rs 1,150 from the previous order."

Source: PTI

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday said there are 92 coronavirus hotspots in the national capital but the entire city is not a hotspot.

Jain was replying to a query on whether the Delhi government was considering easing the curbs enforced to contain the spread of novel coronavirus. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier this week said the lockdown will continue as usual in the national capital and no relaxation of prohibitions will be allowed before a review meeting of experts on April 27.

"There are 92 coronavirus hotspots in Delhi. The entire district or the entire city is not," he said. The health minister also said the rate at which coronavirus cases are doubling in Delhi has now slowed down to 13 days, from lesser number of days earlier.

Delhi has so far witnessed 2,514 coronavirus cases. These include 138 people diagnosed with Covid-19 on Friday, he said. Of all the cases, 857 people have recovered completely, while 53 have died. Twenty-nine patients are in the ICU, the minister added.

Source: PTI

Continuing efforts to ramp-up healthcare workforce in the fight against Covid-19, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswamion Saturday said over 1,000 nurses have been recruited and announced retention of government doctors, set to retire this month.

Appointment orders on contract basis will be given to retain the services of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel who are set to retire on April 30 for two more months, Palaniswami said in a statement here.

1,323 nurses have now been recruited through the Medical Services Recruitment Board and appointment orders were being issued to them, he said adding the recruits have been advised to join immediately on receipt of orders. Recently, the government appointed 530 doctors, 1,000 nurses and 1,508 lab technicians in government hospitals.

Services of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel who had retired on March 31 were extended on contract for two more months and they continued to work, the Chief Minister recalled.

Source: PTI

The Maharashtra government is yet to decide whether shops be allowed to remain open in view of the amended guidelines issued by the Central government.

An official said on Saturday that the order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday night was under an "active consideration" of the state government. "This is issued by the Government of India. Not yet accepted by us," he told PTI.

The MHA order stated that "all shops, including neighbourhood shops and standalone shops, shops in residential complexes, within the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities, registered under the the Shops and Establishment Act of the respective State and UT will be allowed to open during the lockdown".

The ministry also said shops located in registered markets located outside the municipal corporations and municipalities can open after following the drill of social distancing and wearing of masks but with 50 percent of strength. However, single and multi-brands shall continue to remain closed in these areas also.

India reported 1,490 new cases of coronavirus infection over the last 24 hours to take the total tally to 24,942, as of Saturday evening.

• Active Cases: 18,953
• Cured/Discharged/Migrated: 5,210
• Deaths: 779

Source: Health Ministry (April 25, 5 p.m.)

There are four states in the country with more than 2,000 Covid-19 cases, with Maharashtra reporting a tally of over 6,800.

1. Maharashtra: 6,817 cases
2. Gujarat: 2,815 cases
3. Delhi: 2,514 cases
4. Rajasthan: 2,034 cases

Source: Health Ministry (April 25, 5 p.m.)

Restaurants, saloons and barber shops will continue to remain closed, Ministry of Home Affairs clarifies after it allows certain shops providing non-essential goods and services to open from Saturday.

• Government allows shops selling non-essential items to open up with 50 percent workers from April 25
• Sale of liquor and other items specified in the National Directives for Covid-19 management continue to be prohibited
• Shops in hotspots/containment zones will continue to remain closed
• E-commerce companies can only sell essential goods

Source: Ministry of Home Affairs

Twenty one new cases of coronavirus infection were detected in Dharavi today, taking the total number of Covid-19 infected in Mumbai’s largest slum to 241 including 14 deaths.

Source: BMC