09:48 (IST)
Coronavirus in West Bengal Latest Update
West Bengal reports its third COVID-19 death
A man infected with the coronavirus died at a hospital in West Bengals Howrah district, taking the total number of COVID-19 deaths to three in the state, a health department official said on Tuesday. The man had recently travelled to the northern part of the state, he said.
"The person died on Monday night before test results came. His test results confirmed that he was infected with the coronavirus," the official said. There were four new cases of coronavirus reported in West Bengal, taking the total number to 26 in the state, he added.
09:46 (IST)
Coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh Latest Update
49-year-old woman dies in Indore
A 49-year-old COVID-19 patient died in Madhya Pradesh, taking the number of coronavirus deaths in the state to five, an official said on Tuesday. The woman, a resident of Chandan Nagar, breathed her last at the Manorama Raje TB Hospital, an official from Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College said.
She had no travel history and was already suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes, the official said. So far, 47 persons have tested positive for coronavirus in the state, including 27 from Indore.
Besides, Jabalpur has reported eight cases, Ujjain- five, Bhopal- three and Shivpuri and Gwalior- two each. They are being treated in different hospitals of the state.
09:39 (IST)
Coronavirus in Maharashtra Latest Update
Five test positive in Maharashtra; state tally at 225
Five more COVID-19 cases have been reported from Maharashtra as the total state tally climbs to 225, said health officials on Tuesday. One case has been reported from Mumbai, two from Pune and another two Buldhana.
09:29 (IST)
Coronavirus in Karnataka Latest Update
Over 12,000 fake N95 masks seized from Bengaluru warehouse
Over 12,000 fake N95 face masks were seized from a warehouse here by the Central Crime Branch, police said on Tuesday. The filtering masks have been in demand since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which has claimed 32 lives and affected 1,251 people in the country.
"So far, the accused has sold 70,000 masks at a cost of Rs 1.05 crore," police said in a statement. The warehouse in Kalyan Nagar was raided on Monday night and 12,300 fake N95 masks worth Rs 20 lakh were seized, it said.
09:26 (IST)
Coronavirus in India Latest Update
Markets open on positive note; Sensex up 800 points, Nifty above 8,500 level
Indian indices opened higher on 31 March with Nifty around 8450 level. The Sensex is up 550.55 points or 1.94 percent at 28990.87, and the Nifty up 174.50 points or 2.11 percent at 8455.60. About 513 shares have advanced, 82 shares declined, and 27 shares are unchanged.
Hindalco Industries, HDFC, JSW Steel, Vedanta and Tech Mahindra are among major gainers on the Nifty.
09:22 (IST)
Coronavirus in Odisha Latest Update
Migrant workers from Odisha self-quarantine outside village after returning from Kerala
A dozen migrant workers in the Kalahandi district have set up camp to self-quarantine outside their village even after testing negative for coronavirus, as a precautionary measure after returning from Kerala.
In a commendable move, which shows that people around the country and even in the rural areas are aware of the severity and the threat posed by the COVID-19 infection, the workers decided to self-quarantine themselves to protect their family.
Earlier, the testing of these migrant workers for coronavirus had been carried out after their return to the state and the result had come out as negative.
Odisha: 12 migrant workers from Pipalguda in Kalahandi who had returned from Kerala have self-quarantined themselves outside the village. After returning they went to hospital for #COVID19 test & they tested negative. But they decided to stay outside as a precautionary measure. pic.twitter.com/1tNoCECKv1
— ANI (@ANI) March 31, 2020
09:07 (IST)
Coronavirus in Delhi Latest Update
Nizamuddin emerges as COVID-19 hotspot after area reports 87 cases
After Delhi witnessed 87 coronavirus cases, Nizamuddin emerged as a hotspot after a religious meeting was held at Markaz by the Tableeghi Jamaat earlier this month, violated the lockdown conditions and several COVID-19 positive cases have been found among those who attended the gathering.
There are 79 active cases of COVID-19 in Delhi as on Monday night, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.
People who attended a religious prayer meeting from 13-15 March here were sent to Lok Nayak Hospital for coronavirus test on Monday night.
Delhi:People who had boarded buses from the Nizammudin area reach Lok Nayak Hospital for a checkup. A religious gathering was held at Markaz in Nizamuddin,that violated lockdown conditions and several #COVID19 positive cases have been found among those who attended the gathering. pic.twitter.com/44ExqeUbzv
— ANI (@ANI) March 30, 2020
08:54 (IST)
Coronavirus in Italy Latest Update
Italy to extend lockdown until Easter as new cases fall
Italy’s government on Monday said it would extend its nationwide lockdown measures against a coronavirus outbreak, due to end on Friday, at least until the Easter season in April, as the number of new infections declines.
The Health Ministry did not give a date for the new end of the lockdown but said it would be in law the government would propose. Easter Sunday is 12 April this year. Italy is predominantly Roman Catholic and contains the Vatican, the heart of the church.
Italians have been under lockdown for three weeks, with most shops, bars, and restaurants shut and people forbidden from leaving their homes for all but non-essential needs.
08:47 (IST)
Coronavirus in Kerala Latest Update
Kerala reports its second death
A 68-year-old man from Thiruvananthapuram who had tested positive for COVID-19 died at Thiruvananthapuram medical college early Tuesday morning, reports News18.
"He had suffered kidney failure," Medical Superintendent, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram told ANI.
08:36 (IST)
Coronavirus in Maharashtra Latest Update
47 new cases of infection in MMR brings the case count to 170
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region's COVID-19 count reached 170 on Monday with 47 people testing positive for the novel coronavirus, officials said.
While 29 of the new infections are in Mumbai, the rest 18 are from other parts of MMR, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials said.
Also, an 80-year-old man, who suffered from acute respiratory distress, succumbed to COVID-19 at a private hospital here, taking the death toll in MMR to eight, including six in Mumbai, said the civic body's release.
08:34 (IST)
Coronavirus in Himachal Pradesh Latest Update
Himachal Pradesh govt develops mobile app to monitor quarantined people
Himachal Pradesh government has developed a mobile application to track and monitor the people who are quarantined for COVID-19. The Department of Information Technology has started a 'Corona Mukt Himachal' mobile app. The health workers of the Health Department will monitor the people, especially on home quarantine through this app.
"This would be an OTP based application which would be given by health worker and violation of quarantine will be monitored through this tracking application," Rohan Chand Thakur, Director, Department of Information Technology said.
To date Himachal Pradesh has 1,779 people under home quarantine. One patient is under treatment for COVID-19. A total of 211 samples have been taken so far out of which 208 were negative.
08:30 (IST)
Coronavirus in US Latest Update
UN for the first time ever adopts 4 resolutions, voting by email
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted four resolutions on Monday, with its 15 members voting by email for the first time because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Members voted to keep troops in Sudan’s restive Darfur region until the end of May and maintain the UN political mission in Somalia until 30 June. They extended the mandate of the UN panel of experts monitoring sanctions against North Korea until 30 April 2021, and they stressed the importance of supporting the UN’s far-flung peacekeeping operations.
08:21 (IST)
Coronavirus in US Latest Update
6 US Congress members test positive for COVID-19
At least six members of the US Congress have announced that they have contracted the novel coronavirus, and more than 30 others are or were self-quarantining in hopes of limiting the spread of the pandemic.
Now that Congress has passed a $2.2 trillion economic relief bill and President Donald Trump has signed it into law, neither the House of Representatives nor Senate is due back in Washington until 20 April at the earliest.
An estimated 230 House members returned to Washington to pass the relief package on Friday, despite the health risks of traveling and gathering at the Capitol, after Republican Representative Thomas Massie said he would block any effort to pass the bill without at least half of the House’s 430 current members present.
08:13 (IST)
Coronavirus in India Latest Update
Govt identifies 10 'hotspots' in India, says report
Indian Express reports that the government in India is set to ramp up testing in 10 identified “hotspots” where “unusual” transmission has been detected. Of these, two — Dilshad Garden and Nizamuddin — are in Delhi, the others being Noida, Meerut, Bhilwara, Ahmedabad, Kasaragod, Pathanamthitta, Mumbai and Pune.
08:10 (IST)
Coronavirus in Russia Latest Update
Moscow goes into lockdown as rest of Russia braces for same
The Russian capital, Moscow, on Monday woke up to a lockdown obliging most of its 13 million residents to stay home, and many other regions of the vast country quickly followed suit to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.
A stern-looking President Vladimir Putin warned his envoys in Russia's far-flung regions that they will be personally responsible for the availability of beds, ventilators and other key equipment.
“We have managed to win time and slow down an explosive spread of the disease in the previous weeks, and we need to use that time reserve to the full,” Putin said.
08:03 (IST)
Coronavirus in Delhi Latest Update
Delhi govt ask police to register FIR against Maulana in Nizamuddin for organising religious gathering
The Delhi government will ask the police to register an FIR against the Maulana of Markaz in Nizamuddin area as some people have shown symptoms of coronavirus after taking part in a religious gathering in Delhi.
"It has come to our knowledge that administrators of Nizammuddin Markaz violated coronavirus lockdown conditions and now several positive cases have been found. Strong action would be taken against those in charge of this establishment. Delhi Government to ask police to register FIR against Maulana of Markaz, Nizamuddin," the Delhi government stated.
Around 300-400 people had attended a religious gathering at Markaz and 163 people from Nizamuddin, have been admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital Delhi for tests.
07:55 (IST)
Coronavirus in Asia Latest Update
Asia shares make cautious gains after European, US equities stabilise
Asian share markets managed a tentative rally on Tuesday after European and U.S. equities stabilised, though buying for month and quarter-end book balancing likely flattered the gains.
There were also hopes a survey of Chinese manufacturing due later would show a sizable improvement for March as factories began to re-open. Forecasts are that the China’s official purchasing manufacturers’ index (PMI) will bounce to 45.0, from a record-low 35.7 in February.
Analysts cautioned the result could even be higher given that the index measures the net balance of firms reporting an expansion or contraction in activity.
07:53 (IST)
Coronavirus in Delhi Latest Update
People in Nizammudin go for checkups after 6 die in area
People continue to board buses in the Nizammudin area on Tuesday, to be taken to different hospitals for a checkup after six people died after attending who a religious congregation. A religious gathering was held in Markaz, that violated lockdown conditions and several COVID-19 positive cases have been found among those who attended the gathering
Delhi: People continue to board buses in the Nizammudin area, to be taken to different hospitals for a checkup. A religious gathering was held in Markaz, that violated lockdown conditions and several #COVID19 positive cases have been found among those who attended the gathering. pic.twitter.com/qQAw8LD7eF
— ANI (@ANI) March 31, 2020
07:48 (IST)
Coronavirus in Delhi Latest Update
6 who attended Nizamuddin congregation die of COVID-19
Six people from Telangana who attended a religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin died due to the novel coronavirus, the state government said on Monday.
"Coronavirus has spread among some of those who attended a religious prayer meeting from 13 to 15 March at Markaz in Nizamuddin area in Delhi," according to an official release. "Among those who attended were some persons from Telangana."
Two of the six died at the Gandhi Hospital, one each in two private hospitals, and one each in Nizamabad and Gadwal towns, the statement said, without mentioning the time of their deaths.
The special teams under the collectors have identified the persons who came in contact with the deceased and they are shifted to the hospitals, it said.
Police and paramilitary personnel cordoned off a major area in Nizamuddin West in south Delhi on Monday and over 200 people have been kept in isolation in hospitals after several people who took part in a religious congregation there showed symptoms of coronavirus.
07:40 (IST)
Coronavirus in US Latest Update
H1B workers seek 180 instead of 60-day stay in US post-unemployment period
Fearing massive layoffs in America due to the coronavirus crisis that is hitting businesses around the globe, foreign technology professionals on H-1B visas, most sought after among Indians, demand the Trump administration extend their permissible post-job loss limit to stay in the US from the existing 60 to 180 days.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
The current federal rules require an H-1B visa holder to leave the US along with their family members within 60 days of losing their job.
Economic experts fear massive layoffs in various sectors of the American economy due to the current economic distress that is only going to deteriorate in the coming weeks and months.
07:35 (IST)
Coronavirus Latest Update
Medtronic shares portable ventilator design specifics and code for free for all
Healthcare and biomedical engineering company Medtronic is making available to anyone the full design specifications, product manuals, design documents and, in the future, software code for its Puritan Bennett (PB) 560 portable ventilator hardware, say reports.
The PB 560 ventilator has a number of advantages, one being that it’s a relatively compact and lightweight piece of equipment that can be easily moved around and installed for use in a range of different healthcare environments and settings. And it’s a design that was originally introduced in 2010, so it has a decade of qualified, safe medical use in treating patients.
07:32 (IST)
Coronavirus in Maharashtra Latest Update
Uddhav Thackeray assures Tamil CM; says he will take care of 300 Tamilians stuck in Maharashtra
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray reassures Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami that the 300 Tamil migrants stuck in Maharashtra will be taken care of. The move comes after the Tamil Nadu chief minister raised the issue on Twitter, urging Maharashtra to look after 300 Tamilians, who were stranded in the two locations without food for the past 4 days
Edappadi K Palaniswami ji we have forwarded your request to the concerned DC. The State will ensure their safety & provide them with essentials. https://t.co/oAyQfUUfmY
— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) March 30, 2020
07:25 (IST)
Coronavirus in US Latest Update
Wall Street pushes higher, led by surging health care stocks
Stocks pushed higher on Wall Street Monday, led by big gains for health care companies announcing developments that could aid in the coronavirus outbreak.
The rally tacked more gains onto a recent upswing for the market, which is coming off the best week for the S&P 500 since hitting bottom after the financial crisis 11 years ago.
Nascent optimism is budding on Wall Street that the worst of the selling may be over, but markets around the world remain tentative amid uncertainty about whether global authorities can nurse the economy through the pandemic.
The S&P 500 remains about 23 percent below its record set last month, and oil tumbled to an 18-year low. In early afternoon trading on Monday, the S&P 500 was up 2.3 percent.
07:22 (IST)
Coronavirus in Maharashtra Latest Update
Maharashtra govt demands Rs 25 Crore special package from centre
The Maharashtra state has sought the expedition of the release of Rs 25 Crore that the Centre has not yet paid to the state. These dues are to be paid by 31 March, demands the Uddhav Thackeray-led state government and will be used to fight the outbreak of the novel virus in state.
07:19 (IST)
Coronavirus in India Latest Update
US coordinating with India to bring back its stranded citizens
The Trump administration is coordinating with the Indian government to evacuate stranded American citizens from India who have expressed interest to return to the US, a top official here has said, amid the rapid spread of coronavirus pandemic that has upended life, disrupted travel and killed over 37,500 people.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Ian Brownlee told reporters during a teleconference on Monday that the US had brought back some 25,000 of its citizens from 50 countries and another 9,000, including those from India, have expressed their interest to return to America in the wake of the deadly coronavirus pandemic that has engulfed the world.
"Now we are seeing growing interest from US citizens wanting to return from Asia, India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. We had our first repatriation flight out of Bangladesh today and are coordinating with the Indian Government to begin flights there," Brownlee said.
07:17 (IST)
Coronavirus in India Latest Update
Important to stay safe and maintain social distancing, says Vijay Mallya
Important to stay safe and maintain social distancing which can effectively be achieved by staying home and enjoying home time with family and pets. I am doing the same. We all have a sense of bravado but it’s not worth challenging an unknown enemy which isn’t Pulwama or Kargil.
— Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 31, 2020
07:15 (IST)
Coronavirus in Manipur Latest Update
Manipur receives second consignment of medical equipment
The Manipur government on Monday received the second consignment of essential medical equipment including screening kits, sanitiser, masks, gloves and other personal protective gear, which will help the state health workers to combat the coronavirus outbreak, an official said.
The consignment of medical equipment weighing more than 5 tonnes was brought by an cargo aircraft of the Indian Air Force, he said.
A total of 1,008 units of personal protective equipment, 10,000 masks, 5,000 screening kits, 6,000 confirmatory kits for test and 7,000 units of hand sanitiser among others were supplied to fight the coronavirus crisis, the health department official said.
The first consignment of such materials had arrived here last week, he said.
07:13 (IST)
Coronavirus in India Latest Update
Ford, GE to produce 50,000 ventilators in 100 days
Ford Motor Co said on Monday it will produce 50,000 ventilators over the next 100 days at a plant in Michigan in cooperation with General Electric’s healthcare unit, and can then build 30,000 per month as needed to treat patients afflicted with the coronavirus.
Ford said the simplified ventilator design, which is licensed by GE Healthcare from Florida-based Airon Corp and has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, can meet the needs of most COVID-19 patients and relies on air pressure without the need for electricity.
Officials in states hard hit by the pandemic have pleaded with the Trump administration and manufacturers to speed up the production of ventilators to cope with a surge in patients struggling to breathe. Hospitals in New York already are using one ventilator to sustain two patients. New Orleans has a fraction of the ventilators it needs for a surge of COVID-19 patients, Louisiana officials said.
07:11 (IST)
Coronavirus in India Latest Update
Confirmed cases rise to 1,251 with 32 deaths
The number of coronavirus cases in the country rose to 1,251 on Monday while the number of fatalities reached 32, said the Union health ministry.
The government said there was no immediate plan to extend the 21-day lockdown period, which entered its sixth day on Monday, while the Indian Army dismissed as "fake" social media posts about a possible emergency declaration next month.
At 227, this is the largest one-day increase in the number of cases for India. The highest number of cases was reported from Kerala (202) while Maharashtra has 198 cases, said the health ministry.
Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST updates: A 49-year-old woman who had tested positive for COVID-19 died in Madhya Pradesh, taking the number of coronavirus deaths in the state to five, an official said on Tuesday. She had no travel history and was already suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes, officials said.
A 68-year-old man from Thiruvananthapuram who had tested positive for COVID-19 died at Thiruvananthapuram medical college early Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, Delhi witnessed 87 coronavirus cases in Nizamuddin as area emerged as a hotspot after a religious meeting was held at Markaz by the Tableeghi Jamaat earlier this month.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region's COVID-19 count reached 170 on Monday with 47 people testing positive for the novel coronavirus, officials said. While 29 of the new infections are in Mumbai, the rest 18 are from other parts of MMR, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials said.
Delhi Police cordon off Delhi's Nizamuddin area after six people from Telangana who attended a religious congregation in there died due to the novel coronavirus. The Delhi government has also asked the police to register an FIR against the Maulana of Markaz in Nizamuddin area as some people have shown symptoms of coronavirus after taking part in a religious gathering in Delhi.
The number of coronavirus cases in the country rose to 1,251 on Monday while the number of fatalities reached 32, said the Union health ministry.
The government said there was no immediate plan to extend the 21-day lockdown period, which entered its sixth day on Monday, while the Indian Army dismissed as "fake" social media posts about a possible emergency declaration next month.
At 227, this is the largest one-day increase in the number of cases for India. The highest number of cases was reported from Kerala (202) while Maharashtra has 198 cases, said the health ministry.
However, according to the latest figures given by the Maharashtra government, the case count rose to 220, with 17 persons testing positive. Out of these 17, eight are from Mumbai, five from Pune, two from Nagpur, while one each from Nashik and Kolhapur, PTI quotes a state health official as saying. The state also reported the death of two more persons due to the deadly infection, taking the total number of deaths in Maharashtra to 10. Of these, an 80-year-old man died in a private hospital of Mumbai on March 28, but his sample tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, the official said. The city of Pune reported its first death after a COVID-19 patient who was on ventilator support died of multiple organ failure. The patient also suffered from diabetes and high BP, said the official.
Kerala reported 32 new positive cases of Covid-19, taking the total number of patients under treatment to 213 in the state with the worst affected Kasaragod district accounting for 17 fresh cases.The state also scripted history on Monday when an elderly couple was cured of the deadly virus.Thomas (93) and Mariyamma (88), from Ranni in Pathanamthitta district, admitted in Kottayam medical college were cured even as they battled with various age related complications.
With 25 new cases, the count of positive cases rose to 79 in Delhi.Karnataka reported five new cases taking the tally to 88 while Jammu and Kashmir reported 11 new cases taking the total to 49.24 people tested positive in Uttar Pradesh taking the total to 96. "Of the 24 new corona patients, 14 are from Meerut, seven from Noida (Gautam Buddh Nagar), and one each from Agra, Lucknow and Bulandshahar," Joint Director-cum-State Surveillance Officer under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, Dr Vikasendu Agrawal, said in a statement. "In Meerut, 13 cases have been reported, all of which are relatives and acquaintances of one infected person," said another state health official.
In Punjab, a 42-year-old coronavirus-positive woman died at a Patiala hospital taking the COVID-19 death toll in the state to three, an official said. It is the second coronavirus-related death within 24 hours in the state where 41 people are confirmed so far to have been infected by the virus.The Ludhiana resident was admitted at the hospital on Sunday night, Patiala Civil Surgeon Harish Malhotra told PTI over the phone. “She was complaining of breathlessness and had acute respiratory distress syndrome,” he said, adding that she died around 1.30 pm on Monday, before the report of her samples confirming her as coronavirus positive arrived.
The state of Telangana also reported 1 death and 13 new cases taking the number of active COVID-19 cases in the state to 61. Details of the deceased person were not immediately known.
India in local transmission stage, says Union health ministry
Even as states reported a spike in numbers, the Union health ministry took a cautious approach and maintained that the country was in the local transmission stage. "It took 12 days for cases to rise from 100 to 1,000 in our country, whereas seven other developed nations having lesser population than us have seen multiple increase," Health ministry Joint Secretary Lav Aggarwal said while insisting that COVID-19 is still in the local transmission stage in India.
The ministry, however, in its Standard Operating Procedure issued on Sunday for transporting a COVID-19 case, had mentioned the current phase of the pandemic as "local transmission and limited community transmission".
"This SOP is applicable to current phase of COVID-19 pandemic in India (local transmission and limited community transmission), wherein as per plan of action, all suspect cases are admitted to isolation facilities. These procedures are meant to guide and be used for training ambulance drivers and technicians in transporting COVID19 patients," it read.
However, Agarwal attributed the slow pace of rise in cases in India to people's participation in strictly following the social-distancing guidelines and the collective preemptive actions taken by the Centre in tandem with state governments.
Speaking at the same press conference, Raman R Gangakhedkar, head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research, said 38,442 tests have been conducted till now, out of which 3,501 were done on Sunday. He said 47 private laboratories have been given approval for conducting COVID-19 tests and in the last three days, 1,334 tests have been done in private labs, he said.
"It is still below 30 per cent of or testing capacity," he said.
On reports about death of doctors due to heart attack apparently after consumption of Hydroxychloroquine recommended by ICMR for healthcare workers taking care of COVID-19 patients, Gangakhedkar said they do not have details of the cases but added that two doses leading to death seemed difficult unless the doctor had underlying health issues. "It is difficult for me to say anything as I do not know the profile of the patient," he said.
Over several people being allegedly quarantined in a particular area in Delhi's Nizamuddin after they showed symptoms of coronavirus infection, Agarwal said they initiate action as per the protocol.
Be it in Nizamuddin or any part of the country healthcare teams go and take action as part of the containment strategy, he said, adding the government was focusing on hotpsots from where large number of cases are being reported and working in tandem with states to implement rigorous contact-tracing, community surveillance and other containment strategies to break the chain of transmission.
Responding to a question over a video on social media showing a group of migrant workers allegedly being sprayed with a chlorine solution by the Bareilly municipal corporation personnel, Agarwal said the district magistrate has clarified it was some "overzealous" employees who did something which was not required.
"This is an overzealous action done by field officers either out of fear or out of ignorance. There are no guidelines in terms of spraying disinfectants on people," he said.
The video which had gone viral on social media had evinced strong criticism from many, including Opposition leaders.
Government seeks to ramp up manufacture of ventilator, protective gear
The health ministry also said the government has asked automobile manufacturers to use their facilities to make ventilators and added that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will start manufacturing 20,000 N-95 masks daily from next week.
According to the health ministry, over 14,000 existing ventilators are earmarked for COVID-19 patients in various hospitals of the country, while there are 11.95 lakh N-95 masks in stock. and additional masks have been distributed over the past three days.
The ministry also said 3.34 lakh personal protection equipment (PPE) coveralls are available with hospitals in the country and another 3 lakh, which have been donated, will be received from abroad by 4 April.
Besides, the ministry has asked the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence, to manufacture 30,000 ventilators in the next two months in collaboration with local manufacturers while private Agva Healthcare in Noida has been given an order to manufacture 10,000 ventilators within a month.
In the meantime, orders have been placed with international companies such as Hamilton, Mindray and Draeger to supply ventilators, it said. The Ministry of External Affairs is also approaching suppliers in China for sourcing 10,000 ventilators from them, it said in a statement.
Two domestic manufacturers are producing 50,000 N-95 masks per day. This is expected to go up to 1 lakh daily within the next week as they are ramping up their production capacities, the health ministry said.
SC seeks status report on migrant exodus
Seeking to contain mass spread of the deadly virus, several states effectively sealed their borders to stop movement of migrant workers rendered jobless due to a nationwide lockdown. Haryana police said they have completely sealed all inter-state borders to prevent the movement of migrant workers, while the Uttarakhand government withdrew its earlier decision of allowing inter-district movement of people within the state.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal warned district magistrates and deputy commissioners that strict action could taken against them for any laxity during lockdown. The lieutenant governor also told them to send anyone found roaming without an e-pass or a valid reason to district shelters set up by the administration.
Sources told PTI that Baijal wrote to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, expressing displeasure over the handling of the migrant workers crisis, after thousands of people gathered at Anand Vihar ISBT violating the lockdown. Intense patrolling was initiated in borders areas of Delhi on Monday.
Meanwhile a 35-year-old migrant worker placed in home quarantine after he returned to his native Dhamtari district in Chhattisgarh from
Tamil Nadu allegedly committed suicide on Monday, police said. "Local health officials had asked him to be in home quarantine as a precautionary measure. He was checked by doctors till 29 March and showed no symptoms like cold, cough etc. On Monday, however, he hanged himself,"a police official said.
The Supreme Court also observed that fear and panic becoming was becoming "a bigger problem than the coronavirus", but stopped short of passing any order and sought a report from the government by Tuesday. Hearing two separate PILs which sought relief, including food, water, medicines and proper medical facilities, for thousands of migrant workers who are rendered homeless and jobless due to the lockdown, a bench of Chief Justice Bobde and Justice L Nageswara Rao said said before passing any direction, it would like to wait for the status report from the centre.
The government also clarified that there was no immediate plan to extend the 21-day lockdown amid fears that shutdown of businesses across the country to counter the spread of the virus may trigger severe economic and social distress.
The worldwide tally of deaths crossed 35,900, with more than 26,000 people dying in Europe. Globally, more than 7,40,000 people have been detected positive so far, out of which nearly 1,42,300 have recovered, as per various reports. In UK, Prince Charles appeared recovering and moved out of self-isolation, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered quarantine after an aide tested positive for the deadly virus.
With inputs from PTI
from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2JpGPg2
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