Coronavirus: India's doubling rate has improved to 11 days (File)
The total number of coronavirus cases in the country reached 33,610 on Thursday, the centre said, with 1,823 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. The total of deaths was 1,074. Punjab saw its biggest spike in a day with 105 cases. Maharashtra - the worst hit state in the country-crossed the 10,000-mark. The country has been under lockdown for weeks, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to announce the future course of action when it ends on May 4. The centre on Wednesday said it would ease restrictions in some districts when the new guidelines come into effect after the end of the second phase of the lockdown. PM Modi, meanwhile, met with Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and other senior government officers to discuss ways to attract more foreign investment and boost the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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"Chaired a high-level meeting to discuss ways to boost investment, both international and domestic. Issues relating to India's reform trajectory also discussed so growth can be accelerated," PM Modi tweeted after the meeting.
At the meeting, during which the Prime Minister and others were seen sitting apart to maintain social distancing, plug-and-play infrastructure in existing industrial estates was discussed. "Various strategies to bring investments into India in a fast-track mode and to promote Indian domestic sectors were discussed. Detailed discussions were held on guiding states to evolve their strategies and be more proactive in attracting investments," a statement released by the government said.
The health ministry on Thursday said the recovery rate in the country has risen to 25.13 per cent, a significant improvement over 13 per cent reported 14 days ago. A total of 8,324 patients have recovered, officials said.
The doubling rate - the time taken for the total cases to double - has improved to 11 days from 3.4 days before the lockdown, the centre said. In Karnataka, Ladakh, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Kerala the doubling rate is between 20-40 days, the centre said, adding that the doubling rate was found to be between 11-20 days in Delhi, UP, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Punjab.
The current fatality rate is 3.2 per cent for COVID-19 in India with 65 per cent of those dead males and 35 per cent females, the Health Ministry said.
According to the Maharashtra government data, total deaths in the state crossed the 450-mark. Mumbai, the worst-hit city in the country, has so far reported 290 deaths. Pune has the second highest numbers in the state with 1,379 coronavirus cases, including over 80 deaths.
Delhi, meanwhile, has de-notified two areas from its containment zones list. The number of the total areas declared as red zones in the national capital has come down to 98 from 100. Delhi has reported 3,515 cases as of now; 76 in the last 24 hours.
The number of districts designated COVID-19 hotspots or "Red Zones" has come down to 129 from 170 a fortnight ago, but in the same period the number of infection-free districts or "Green Zones" too decreased from 325 to 307, news agency PTI reported, quoting official sources, on Wednesday. During this time, the number of non-hotspot districts, also known as "Orange Zones", increased from 207 to 297.
Migrant labourers, students, pilgrims or tourists who do not have symptoms of coronavirus can return to their home states now, the centre has said.
The centre had assured that migrant labourers will be looked after by the states where they were located. But the situation on the ground indicated otherwise, with reports of hunger coming in from various corners of the country.
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