07:55 (IST)
Coronavirus in China Latest Update
China observes national day of mourning for COVID-19 victims today
China declared Saturday a day of mourning for the thousands of "martyrs" who have died in the new coronavirus outbreak, flying the national flag at half mast throughout the country and suspending all forms of entertainment.
The day of mourning coincided with the start of the annual Qingming tomb-sweeping festival, when millions of Chinese families pay respects to their ancestors.
At 10 am (0200 GMT) Beijing time, the country will observe three minutes of silence to mourn those who died, including frontline medical workers and doctors. Cars, trains and ships will sound their horns and air raid sirens will wail.
07:40 (IST)
Coronavirus in India Latest Update
NHA teams up with Uber to provide transportation to frontline healthcare workers
The National Health Authority (NHA), the apex body implementing the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, on Friday announced its partnership with Uber India to provide safe, reliable and efficient transportation for India's frontline healthcare workers engaged in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Uber will initially facilitate the provision of 150 cars for free to support medical facilities in New Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj and Patna through its recently-launched UberMedic service, the NHA said in a statement.
All UberMedic cars supplied to NHA will be equipped with roof-to-floor plastic sheeting enclosing the driver's seat, thereby acting as a protective barrier between the rider and the driver.
"The pilot scheme meets the Prime Minister's goal of practising social distancing even within the confines of an UberMedic car," the NHA statement said.
07:37 (IST)
Coronavirus in Odisha Latest Update
15 persons test positive for COVID-19 in Odisha, total cases rise to 20
Fifteen persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha on Friday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 20, officials said. While 10 new cases were reported from Bhubaneswar, two persons tested positive in Bhadrak district, and one each in Cuttack, Puri and Jajpur, they said.
Among the new patients are seven persons who came in contact with the 60-year-old man from Suryanagar in the state capital infected with the deadly virus and undergoing treatment at the AIIMS, the officials said.
His wife, daughter and five tenants have tested positive, the Health and Family Welfare Department said. Three persons from Bomikhal in Bhubaneswar also tested positive, prompting the police to seal the area.
07:34 (IST)
Coronavirus in US Latest Update
US sets new global record with 1,480 virus deaths in 24 hours
The United States recorded nearly 1,500 deaths from COVID-19 between Thursday and Friday, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, the worst 24-hour death toll globally since the pandemic began.
With 1,480 deaths counted between 8:30 pm (0030 GMT) Thursday and the same time Friday, according to the university's continuously updated figures, the total number of people who have died since the start of the pandemic in the United States is now 7,406.
07:28 (IST)
Coronavirus in Karnataka Latest Update
75-year-old man in Karnataka dies; state death toll reaches 4
A 75-year-old man has succumbed to coronavirus in Karnataka's Bagalkote, taking the death toll in the state to four, officials said. The victim, who was a trader and did not have any travel history, died on Friday.
"Yes, a death has taken place," K Rajendra, the Deputy Commissioner of Bagalkote, told PTI. He said the victim was not related to Tabligh-e-Jamaat.
Police said the victim's children were also screened for the virus but have tested negative.
07:25 (IST)
Coronavirus in Assam Latest Update
Assam's tally rises to 24
Four more coronavirus positive cases have been confirmed in Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup & Marigaon taking the total number of cases to 24 in Assam on Friday. Three out of these four cases are of patients who are related to Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz event.
Earlier on Friday, Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "Three more #Covid_19 positive cases have been confirmed, one each from Kamrup (metro), Kamrup & Marigaon taking the total number in Assam to 23. Two out of these three cases are of patients who are related to Nizamuddin Markaz event."
07:20 (IST)
Coronavirus in India Latest Update
FIFA postpones U-17 Women's World Cup in India
The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup to be held in India in November was on Saturday postponed by the football's world governing body due to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic.
The women's age group showpiece was to be held at five venues in the country from 2 to 21 November.
The decision was taken by the FIFA-Confederations working group which was recently established by the Bureau of the FIFA Council to address the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
07:11 (IST)
Coronavirus in Bihar Latest Update
Bihar to expedite Rs 1,000 financial aid to ration card- holding families, says Nitish Kumar
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said the process of providing financial assistance of Rs 1,000 to every ration card-holding family should be expedited by completing the Aadhaar seeding exercise.
Kumar had on Thursday launched a drive to extend the financial aid through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.
A sum of Rs 184.08 crore was transferred on the inaugural day of the scheme into the bank accounts of about 18.40 lakh people, officials said.
"Payment for providing the amount (Rs 1,000 to each ration card-holding family) must be expedited in order to provide the benefit to all the remaining beneficiaries at the earliest," the chief minister said.
07:09 (IST)
Coronavirus in India Latest Update
India registers 478 new coronavirus cases, 12 deaths in 24 hours
India registered the highest spike in new coronavirus cases in 24 hours on Friday with 478 new patients testing positive and 12 succumbing to the virus. The Tablighi Jamaat cluster remained in focus on Friday even as confirmed cases jumped to 2,547 according to data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Of the total cases reported by the MOHFW, 2,322 are active cases while 163 have been either discharged, cured or migrated while 62 have died due to the virus.
However, according to PTI, the nationwide tally crossed 3,000 on Friday with at least 90 dead as states confirmed over 500 new cases.
At least 211 people have recovered across the country so far, as per updates from various states. The states also reported a total number of confirmed infection to be 3,041, after the country saw the highest jump in new cases.
Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST updates: India registered the highest spike in new coronavirus cases in 24 hours on Friday with 478 new patients testing positive and 12 succumbing to the virus. The Tablighi Jamaat cluster remained in focus on Friday even as confirmed cases jumped to 2,547 according to data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Of the total cases reported by the MOHFW, 2,322 are active cases while 163 have been either discharged, cured or migrated while 62 have died due to the virus.
However, according to PTI, the nationwide tally crossed 3,000 on Friday with at least 90 dead as states confirmed over 500 new cases.
Typically, there has been a lag between the numbers reported by the Centre and by states, which officials have been attributing to procedural delays.
At least 211 people have recovered across the country so far, as per updates from various states. The states also reported a total number of confirmed infection to be 3,041, after the country saw the highest jump in new cases.
At least 14 fresh deaths were reported by various states in the day, including six in Maharashtra alone, to take the overall nationwide toll to 90.
As per state-reported data, Maharashtra continued to lead on Friday with 490 confirmed cases, followed by Tamil Nadu with 411 cases. While 26 people have died in Maharashtra, 11 have lost lives in Telangana.
At least 11 CISF personnel in the state have contracted coronavirus at Panvel near Mumbai, a local civic official said on Friday.
Delhi's tally of confirmed cases has risen to 386, after 93 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, while six have died in the city.
These three states were also among those reporting new cases, while fresh deaths were also reported from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh among others.
Recent spike due to Tablighi Jamaat cluster, says Centre
The spike in numbers, according to the Centre, was largely due to more samples from the Tablighi Jamaat cluster testing positive.
As many as 647 positive coronavirus cases have been reported so far from across 14 states whose linkage can be traced to the Tablighi Jamaat cluster at Nizamuddin, the Centre said on Friday.
The government had on Thursday said that it has traced epidemiological linkage to the Tablighi Jamaat cluster in about 400 cases.
"The cases can be traced in Andaman and Nicobar, Assam, Delhi, Himachal, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh," Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday.
The Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases from across India were linked to the gathering including deaths in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.
An FIR was earlier registered against Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad and others under the Epidemic Disease Act 1897, in the national capital.
UP, MP invoke NSA against those misbehaving with health workers
Amid reports of attacks and misbehaviour with doctors and medical staff from some parts of the country, officials said the Home Ministry has asked states to take strict action against people allegedly abusing health workers.
In Madhya Pradesh, the Indore district administration invoked the National Security Act (NSA) against four men involved in the alleged attack on health workers in the city.
In Uttar Pradesh also, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said this stringent act will be invoked against quarantined Tablighi Jamaat members accused of misbehaving with the nursing staff at a Ghaziabad hospital.
Uttar Pradesh Power Minister Shrikant Sharma on Friday alleged that Tablighi Jamaat members tried to "hide themselves" in parts of the country in an "attempt" to spread the coronavirus disease while termign the Ghaziabad hospital incident as "disgraceful and condemnable".
In the national capital also, doctors from some hospitals, where the Tablighi Jamaat members are admitted, have complained to the Delhi government about their non-cooperation with the medical staff.
Five people have been arrested in Bengaluru also for allegedly manhandling health workers conducting a coronavirus survey, PTI said.
Modi asks citizens to light lamps on Sunday; Congress slams PM
After nine days of the 21-day nationwide lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also released a video message, in which he asked people to continue following social distancing and stay indoors, as he urged everyone to switch off the lights at their homes and light up lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on 5 April to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat coronavirus.
There have been indications that the lockdown would be eased in a phased manner after the 21-day period ends on 14 April.
The main opposition party Congress, however, said Modi failed to address critical questions on India's fight against COVID-19 in his message, dubbing it as "just a feel-good moment curated by India's photo-op prime minister".
Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Friday slammed the prime minister for not addressing a press conference on coronavirus, unlike other world leaders.
"Today's speech had nothing on coronavirus figures, medical infrastructure, migrant workers. etc. However, the prime minister asks people to light lamps. He is the only leader who has not addressed a single press conference on the coronavirus outbreak," Chavan said.
The BJP, however, asked its workers to spread Modi's appeal among the masses.
The opposition leaders also referred to hardships being faced by the people during the lockdown and the economic cost of it.
India GDP to grow at 2%: FITCH Ratings
Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings said India may post a GDP growth of 2 percent in the current fiscal, the slowest since the economy was liberalised 30 years back, while the stock market suffered another day of meltdown and the rupee slumped 53 paise to slip below the 76-mark against the US dollar.
The rating agency also projected that the global economy will fall into a deep recession in 2020 due to the massive disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with growth print contracting by 1.9 percent, pulled down by a larger contraction in the US and the Eurozone.
Leading industry chamber the Confederation of Indian Industry said the pandemic would have a debilitating impact on India's tourism sector with an estimated overall loss of Rs 5 lakh crore and job cuts for 4-5 crore people.
The World Bank, in the meantime, announced an emergency funding of $1 billion for India to help it tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
Support appeared pouring in from several other quarters as well, with more than 31,000 doctors, including retired government and Armed Forces Medical Services, and private physicians volunteering to help the government fight against COVID-19 pandemic, a senior government official said.
Supply of testing kits remain an issue; IMCR suggests rapid testing in hotspots
An ICMR official separately said 182 labs across the country are functional now for COVID-19 diagnosis, out of which 130 are government labs. Around 8,000 samples were tested for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, he added.
However, a BloombergQuint report on Friday claimed that several of the accredited private testing labs are facing a shortage of foreign-made testing kits while "red tape is slowing the deployment of locally made test kits"
Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in an advisory, has also recommended the use of a rapid antibody test in the country's coronavirus hotspots.
In Maharashtra, the state government said more than nine lakh people have been surveyed for coronavirus symptoms under the state government's 'cluster containment action plan', which started areas where three or more patients were found.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan announced that the trauma centre at Dr RML Hospital will function as a dedicated COVID-19 isolation ward while the Safdarjung Hospital's super-specialty block has been converted into a state-of-the-art isolation management centre in Delhi.
The government also asserted there is no shortage of medical supplies in the country. It has also placed orders to procure over 10 crore hydroxychloroquine tablets, which the ICMR has recommended to be used as a preventive medication for those involved in the care of suspected or confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
President Ram Nath Kovind also expressed concern over the gathering of migrant workers in Anand Vihar and the congregation of Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin, saying these two incidents caused a setback to the efforts to combat coronavirus, according to a statement issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan.
In a video-conference with the Governors, Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of states/union territories, the president emphasized the need to ensure that no one remains hungry during the nationwide lockdown, enforced to check the spread of the virus.
Prime Minister Modi also spoke to a number of sportspersons through a video-call and sought their support in the COVID-19 fight with many of them vowing to raise awareness and spirits amid a national lockdown.
Officials also referred to the cases remaining largely under control in India as compared to various other countries.
Since its outbreak in China last December, more than 10 lakh people have been infected globally with this deadly virus and more than 51,000 have died including more than 6,000 deaths in the US alone.
The UN General Assembly unanimously adopted its first resolution on the coronavirus pandemic, co-sponsored by India and 187 other nations, calling for intensified global cooperation to defeat the deadly disease that is causing "severe disruption" to societies and economies.
With inputs from agencies
from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2x4z391
No comments:
Post a Comment