Coronavirus Cases: India crossed the 16,000 mark today.
The number of coronavirus cases in India has climbed to 16,116, which includes 519 deaths, the Union Health Ministry said today, adding that 1,324 cases and 31 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. On Saturday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting of a Group of Ministers (GoM) at his residence to and discussed re-starting economic activity in non-containment zones after April 20, in line with announcements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week. Later in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the functioning of COVID-19 war room in the North Block of the Secretariat in the national capital, which is buzzing with activity since the nationwide lockdown began on March 25. Mr Shah also took stock of the situation prevailing in the country.
Here are the top 10 developments on coronavirus cases in India
The recovery rate that indicates the number of people who have successfully fought off the illness is improving, Union Health Ministry has said. The rate stood at 14.19 per cent this morning, an improvement over 13.85 per cent on Saturday, 13.06 per cent on Friday, Thursday's 12.02 per cent, Wednesday's 11.41 per cent and Tuesday's 9.99 per cent. So far, 2,302 patients in India have recovered from the highly infectious illness.
Health Ministry's Lav Agarwal said that the rate with which Coronavirus patients were recovering has improved, adding that 54 districts across 14 states have not reported any news case in past two weeks.With over 3,600 COVID-19 cases, Maharashtra continues to remain the worst hit state in the country. The number of cases in Mumbai's Dharavi, Asia's largest slum rose to 138 on Saturday.
In Delhi, one of the worst affected cities in the country, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday warned people of the dangers of not following social distancing advice during the lockdown by citing the case of a neighbourhood in the national capital, where 26 people were found infected with COVID-19. "In Jahangirpuri, 26 people of the same family tested positive. They lived next to each other and despite containment measures, they continued visiting each other. We are worried for you," Mr Kejriwal said in a video briefing.
More than 4,000 cases reported across India have been linked to the congregation held in south Delhi's Nizammudin last month by the Islamic sect Tablighi Jamaat, the government said on Saturday. "A total of 4,291 COVID-19 cases or 29.8 per cent of the 14,378 coronavirus infections reported till Saturday morning are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation," Union Health Ministry's Lav Agarwal had said on Saturday.
In Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddha Nagar district, one of the worst affected in the state by the outbreak, the top medical officer has been replaced for the second time in a month. The twin cities of Noida-Greater Noida are a part of this district.
Two districts in Jammu and Kashmir where over 300 coronavirus cases have been reported including five deaths have flattened the curve, officials have said. There is no active COVID case in Rajouri and Kishtwar districts after four COVID positive patients recovered and no new case has been reported in the last 10 days.
Amid the fight against COVID-19, attacks continue on health workers and those providing essential services. In the latest incident, a group of sanitation worker in Madhya Pradesh were attacked by a mob of locals in Dewas district on Friday when they went to a neighbourhood to clean the streets. In Bihar, four such cases of attack on health workers were reported across the state within 24 hours on Thursday. PM Modi has repeatedly urged people across the country to support those providing essential services in doing their jobs.
India may touch its peak of coronavirus cases in the first week of May, after which the number will decline, sources in the Home Ministry have said.
Worldwide, over 1.5 lakh people have died due to coronavirus, which originated in China's Wuhan city in December; more than 20 lakh are infected. The global economy, already "sluggish" before the coronavirus outbreak, is now bound to suffer a "severe recession" in 2020, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva has warned and said the current crisis posed "daunting challenges" for policymakers in many emerging markets and developing economies.
