COVID-19 cases in India reaches 33,610 with 1,823 new cases reported in last 24 hours

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday said that 1,823 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the last 24 hours taking the total count of coronavirus cases in the country to 33,610.

As many as 67 persons died due to the pandemic on Thursday. The total cases are inclusive of 8,372 cured and discharged patients, one migrated, and 1,075 deaths.

At present, there are 24,162 active COVID-19 cases in the country.

Addressing a press conference here, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, said that the doubling rate of COVID-19 cases in India has increased to 11 days while comorbidity was found in 78 per cent of the coronavirus deaths.

Six hundred and thirty COVID-19 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours, taking the recovery rate to 25.19 per cent in the country, said Lav Agarwal.

"The recovery rate of COVID-19 cases stands at 25.19 per cent, which was 13.06 per cent 14 days ago. The fatality rate is 3.2 per cent. The comorbidity was found 78 per cent of COVID-19 patients, who died," he said.

The Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) during their visit to Hyderabad and Chennai found that necessary steps are being taken to combat COVID-19, said Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, here on Thursday.

"The IMCT, which visited Hyderabad, has found that the State has an adequate number of testing kits, PPE kits, etc. The State is using an end-to-end IT dashboard to track patients right from testing to discharge," said Srivastava during a media briefing.

Srivastava informed that the team also visited hospitals, shelter homes and construction sites to see the works being done by the local authorities.

As of now, the directives are to use buses to facilitate the r-state movement of stranded people, as per guidelines laid down by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and as per protocols developed by states, said Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, here on Thursday.

Responding to a question whether if Centre is considering an proposal by many State governments for running special trains to transport stranded people like students and migrant labourers, Srivastava said: "As of now, the directives are to use buses."

Srivastava informed that the Government has issued orders to states/UTs to facilitate the inter-state movement of stranded people, as per guidelines laid down by MHA and as per protocols developed by states.

A multicentric study on the use Mycobacterium w (Mw), heat-killed Mycobacterium indicus pranii, as an adjunct to the treatment of coronavirus is being conducted at AIIMS Bhopal with the approval of Drug Controller General of India.

"AIIMS Bhopal is conducting a study on Mycobacterium w (Mw) efficacy and safety in COVID-19 situation after due approval from AIIMS Bhopal ethical committee," the hospital administration said in a press note on Thursday.

According to the note, the site initiation meeting was conducted today, in which all the investigators were screened and trained on the standard operating procedures.

The training involves procedures for the safety of patients and proper administration of medication, it said.

Experts said that the study has the potential to answer many unanswered questions regarding the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held a meeting to discuss strategies on ways to attract foreign investments to India as well as to promote local investments in order to give a boost to the economy against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Modi directed that the action should be taken for a more proactive approach to handhold the investors, to look into their problems, and to help them in getting all the necessary Central and State clearances in a time-bound manner, said the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

The meeting also discussed that a scheme should be developed to promote more plug and play infrastructure in existing industrial lands, plots and estates in the country and provide necessary financing support.

A total of 23 people, who had returned from Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchal Nagar Sahib in Maharashtra's Nanded, have tested positive for COVID-19, said Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Shivdular Singh Dhillon on Thursday.

"The reports of pilgrims who had returned from Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchal Nagar Sahib in Maharashtra's Nanded came today, in which a total of 23 persons have tested positive. They all have been shifted to the isolation ward of Guru Nanak Dev hospital and they are being treated there," Dhillon told ANI.

Dhillon further said that people who tested negative for COVID-19 have been sent to home quarantine.

Here are COVID related updates

1. The University of Delhi (DU) has partially modified the academic calendar for 2019-20 session by extending the date of dispersal of classes for the even semester from 28 April to May 15.

"In view of the unprecedented situation prevailing in the world leading to the lockdown in the country till May 3, the University has partially modified the academic calendar for 2019-2020 session," reads the statement issued by the DU.

The date of the dispersal of classes for even semester of the session has been extended to May 15, 2020, from April 28, 2020, further mentions the statement.

2. Kerala High Court on Thursday disposed of a plea seeking to bring back COVID-19 affected Malayali nurses from other states noting that the Central government has issued guidelines for the appointment of nodal officers who may be approached by nurses having grievances amid COVID-19 crisis.

A single-judge bench of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas observed that the Centre has also issued guidelines to protect health workers and for the appointment nodal officers who may be approached by nurses in other states.

3. As many as 30 new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Karnataka from April 29, 5:00 pm to April 30, 5:00 pm, taking the total number of cases to 565, informed the State Health Department on Thursday.

4. Tamil Nadu has reported 161 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday with 138 from Chennai.
According to a media bulletin from Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Department, 161 new COVID-19 positive cases including 138 from Chennai reported in Tamil Nadu today; the total number of positive cases in the state till now is now 2,323.

5. Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey on Thursday said that the state health department conducted a door-to-door drive to screen people for coronavirus which led to the identification of more cases in those districts that reported relatively higher number COVID-19 cases.

"Bihar Health Department conducted a door-to-door drive to screen people for COVID-19 in some districts that reported relatively higher number of cases. The door-to-door screening led to identification of more cases in those districts, Pandey told ANI.

6. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Thursday appealed to the Centre to allow special trains to bring back migrants from distant places to the state.

"I appeal GOI to allow special trains to bring migrants from distant places.#WelcomeBihar," Sushil Modi tweeted today.

7. A woman who tested positive for COVID-19 safely delivered a baby in Agra, the district magistrate said on Thursday.

Both the mother and baby are reported to be in stable condition.

"The cesarean section of a pregnant woman who tested positive for coronavirus was conducted successfully by a team of gynaecologists at the Sarojini Naidu Medical College," said Agra District Magistrate Prabhu N Singh.

8. The Industrial Training Institute, Cuttack has developed a service robot with the help of SakRobotix Lab. to help frontline health workers, who are at constant risk of contracting the coronavirus.

The robot has a white body that can move on wheels. It has hand-like structures and can carry food and medicines to patients reducing the risk of infection transmission to health workers. The robot would help in reducing the dependence on Personal Protection Equipment as well.

The robot's cost is estimated at Rs 3 lakh.

9. 127 more coronavirus cases have been reported from Pune in the last 12 hours, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the district to 1,722, informed District Health Officer Bhagwan Pawar on Thursday.

10. Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan on Thursday said that unemployment numbers are really worrying and India needs to be "cleverer" about lifting the lockdown.

Rajan's remarks came during his interaction with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, via video conference, on the economic crisis due to ongoing lockdown which is scheduled to end on May 3

(ANI)

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