Coronavirus Live Updates: With 86,432 Cases In A Day, India's COVID Tally Crosses 40-Lakh Mark

Over 50 Arrested From Pool Party In Ludhiana For COVID Rules Violation
Fifty four people have been arrested for violating COVID-19 guidelines in Ludhiana, Sameer Verma, Additional Deputy Commissioner of police said on Saturday.

Coronavirus News: Odisha To Set Up 100-Bed COVID Hospital At VIMSAR
Odisha has decided to set up a new 100-bed COVID-19 hospital at VIMSAR, Burla as cases of coronavirus surge in the state, reported news agency ANI. Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy, who along with Additional Chief Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra visited Sambalpur and VIMSAR on Saturday, made the announcement. "Presently operating isolation ward in VIMSAR will be developed to one 100-bed COVID hospital with ICU facilities," Mr Tripathy said while assuring that the facility will be made functional within 10 days.

Coronavirus News: Goa's COVID-19 Tally Passes 20,000 With 592 New Cases
592 new COVID-19 cases and 534 recoveries were reported in Goa on Saturday, reported news agency ANI. With these new cases reported in the coastal state, the COVID-19 tally in Goa has surged to 20,455, including 4,945 active cases, 15,281 recoveries and 229 deaths, the State Health Department said. On Wednesday, Pramod Sawant had tested positive for coronavirus. He said that he was asymptomatic and had opted for home isolation. He continues to discharge his duties despite testing positive for coronavirus, informed the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on Friday." As stated, Chief Minister Dr Pramod P Sawant continues to discharge his duties," tweeted the CMO.

Coronavirus News: In A First, Single-Day Recoveries Outnumber New COVID-19 Cases In Nagaland
Single-day recoveries outnumbered new COVID-19 cases in Nagaland on Saturday as 68 people were cured of the disease and 21 tested positive for the infection, Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom said, reported news agency PTI. The fresh infections have pushed the state's tally to 4,128. Of the new cases, eight each were reported from Dimapur and Kohima districts, four from Mon and one from Mokokchung, the minister said on Twitter. He also said 68 patients - 34 in Kohima, 25 in Mon and 9 in Dimapur - were cured of the disease during the day, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 3,419. All recovered patients will be kept under strict surveillance, he said. The recovery rate among COVID-19 patients in the state has improved to 82.82 per cent.

Coronavirus News: Odisha Reports 3,543 New COVID-19 Cases, 7 Deaths On Saturday
Odisha reported 3,543 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, taking the state's tally to 1,20,221, a Health Department official said, reported news agency PTI. Seven more people died, following which the death count rose to 538, he said. The day also registered recovery of 3,443 patients taking the total number of cured people in the state to 93,774, which is 78 per cent of the total caseload. Most of the new cases were reported from the Khurda district where 878 people tested positive, its highest single-day spike. Mayurbhanj reported 326 new cases, followed by 295 cases detected in Cuttack, the official said. New cases were reported from all 30 districts of the state.

COVID-19: Biggest one-day spike of 182 cases in Meghalaya pushes tally to 2,916
Meghalaya registered its highest single-day spike of 182 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, which pushed the tally in the northeastern state to 2,916, a health department official said.

Of the new cases, 121 were reported from East Khasi Hills district, 31 from Ri-Bhoi, 15 from East Garo, 12 from West Garo, two from North Garo and one from West Khasi hills districts, Health Services Director Aman War said.

"Fifteen health workers and five armed forces personnel from East Khasi Hills district are among new patients," he said.

The death count rose to 15 in the state after a 65-year-old man from West Khasi Hills district succumbed to the infection, War said.

"The man was brought to the Civil Hospital in Mairang with respiratory problems and diagnosed with the coronavirus infection. He was taken to a COVID hospital here but the patient died on the way," War said.

COVID-19: Free food packets for poor families to encourage testing in Punjab
The Punjab government on Saturday announced distribution of free food packets to poor families who do not want to get themselves tested for coronavirus for fear of isolation impacting their meagre earnings.

The decision was taken by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to encourage COVID-19 testing amid rising number of cases and deaths due to the disease in the state, a government release said.

He said the distribution of free food packets would encourage poor families to go for early testing, which was imperative to check the spread of the pandemic and control the increasing fatality rate in Punjab.

The programme will start from Patiala, one of the worst affected districts, he said.

The chief minister also directed other districts to make similar arrangements for poor coronavirus patients in home isolation so that they get motivated to come out for testing and do not live in fear of losing their earnings during isolation, the release said.

COVID-19: Durga Puja Functions To Be Allowed With Cap On Attendance In Madhya Pradesh
The Madhya Pradesh government on Saturday said Durga Puja celebrations will be allowed in the state but with an attendance cap of 100 persons in pandals.

Durga Puja is scheduled to be celebrated in October.

This was decided in a meeting to review the COVID-19 situation in the state, Minister for Medical Education Vishvas Sarang said on Saturday night.

Mr Sarang said it was decided in the meeting that religious functions can be organised from September 21 in the presence of a maximum of 100 persons.

COVID-19: With measures in place, bus services resume in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal
With COVID-19 protocols in place, public and private buses have resumed their services in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal following relaxations amid Unlock 4.

The staff members ensured measures against COVID-19 such as maintaining social distancing norms, use of hand sanitisers and thermal screening. The buses were also sanitised by the staff before passengers boarded them.

Speaking to ANI, a bus-operator said, "We are following all guidelines by the government such as sanitisation of bus, use of face masks, temperature checks, providing sanitisers, etc. The services which resumed after a gap of over five months have brought major relief to the passengers here as no public transport was operating in the city. We are allowing only 60 per cent passengers in one bus."

Thermal scanning of passengers was conducted and they were allowed to board the bus only after seeing if their body temperature was normal.

COVID-19: Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah To Reopen From Sept 6; Graves Covered In Sheets, No Qawwali
The famous Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah here will open after over five months on Sunday, but there will be no Qawwali evenings at the shrine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the dargah's caretakers said.

Safety measures like use of sanitisers and face covers as well as social distancing will be strictly followed at the dargah of Sufi saint Hazrat Nizmuddin, which was closed in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, they said.

"We have also covered the graves of Hazarat Nizamuddin Aulia and Amir Khusro (in the dargah complex) with plastic sheets so that people do not touch them while paying obeisance, as it could lead to people getting infected with the virus," Nazim Nizami, one of the caretakers of the shrine, said.

The entry and exit points of the dargah will be separate, and markings have been made on the floor to ensure social distancing by devotees, he said.

"We will also deploy men at the gates of the dargah to ensure that people enter wearing face covers," Mr Nizami said.

Coronavirus: For First Time, Maharashtra Reports Over 20,000 COVID-19 Cases In A Day
In a grim milestone, Maharashtra on Saturday reported its highest-ever single-day spike in COVID-19 cases at 20,489, taking the total count of infections to 8,83,862, showed the state health department data." itemprop="description

Coronavirus news: Haryana reports its highest one-day jump in COVID-19 deaths, cases
The total number of fatalities in the state rose to 781 with the addition of the fresh fatalities.
The state has 14,911 active COVID-19 cases while 58,580 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the infection.

COVID-19: Reduction in passengers due to COVID-19 hits Kolkata auto drivers
The reduction in the number of passengers due to COVID has brought financial hardships to Kolkata auto-rickshaw drivers.

Auto-rickshaw drivers hope that the resumption of public transport such as metros and local train services might bring some relief to them following increase in footfall.

While speaking to ANI, auto-rickshaw driver Sadam Kumar said, "We are facing a lot of financial problems. Earlier, we would earn around Rs 1,000 per day. Now, it has come down to Rs 400. We hope that when metros and local train services resume, we might get some respite."

"We mostly get local passengers for the rides as tourists are not visiting due to COVID-19. Our incomes have reduced by 70 per cent. This has caused a lot of hardships. The public transport should be resumed so that it brings us some relief," said Raju, another driver.

COVID-19: Next 3 months challenging due to sharper case spikes, says Uddhav Thackeray
The spike in COVID-19 cases in Mumbai in the last two days shows the state administration will face the challenge of containing the outbreak more vigorously in the next two to three months, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Saturday.

He was speaking at a review meeting on the COVID-19 situation.

"When the number of cases daily was between 1000-1100, we felt we are the peak of the virus spread. But in the last two days, the daily spike is between 1700-1900. Hence, the next three months are challenging and we have to tackle it effectively," he said.

Mr Thackeray said 5000-6000 more beds can be arranged in Mumbai and the administration has to plan for oxygen and ICU facilities.

COVID-19: Free food packets for poor families to encourage testing in Punjab
The programme will start from Patiala, one of the worst affected districts, he said.
He was chairing a virtual meeting with elected representatives, including state ministers and MLAs, as well as senior officials.

COVID-19: Door to door testing of samples launched in Pondicherry
The Puducherry government on Saturday launched door to door testing of COVID-19 samples in a bid to check the spike in fresh infections in the Union Territory.

"Puducherry is witnessing an increase in number of cases of coronavirus infection. We will zero in more positive cases through door to door testing of samples.

Such a system of testing would help identify the actual number of pandemic stricken patients, particularly in areas which were reporting highest number of positive cases," Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao said.

The Union Territory on Saturday reported 408 fresh cases and 18 deaths, taking the tally to 16,566 and the count to 298.

The minister, addressing a virtual meet after inaugurating such tests in neighbouring Kurunji Nagar and Lawspet blocks, said about 1,500 samples were being tested on an average daily and this number would double with the door to door tests being carried out.

COVID-19: Number of recoveries crosses 31 lakh in India, case fatality rate drops to 1.73%
With a record 70,072 patients recuperating from COVID-19 in a span of 24 hours, the total number of such recoveries surged to 31,07,223 in the country, pushing the recovery rate to 77.23 per cent, the health ministry said on Saturday, while underlining that the "test, track and treat" strategy is showing tangible results.

The COVID-19 case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.73 per cent, it added.

Five states account for 60 per cent of the recoveries. Maharashtra accounts for almost 21 per cent, followed by Tamil Nadu (12.63 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (11.91 per cent), Karnataka (8.82 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (6.14 per cent), the ministry said.

"The highest ever single-day recoveries of 70,072 were recorded in 24 hours. With this high number of COVID-19 patients recovering and being discharged from hospitals and home isolation, the recovery rate is now 77.23 per cent. This has also led to the declining case fatality rate, which stands at a new low of 1.73 per cent as on date," it said.

Early identification through testing has led to a higher daily number being reported, but surveillance and contact-tracing, along with a focus on a timely and appropriate clinical treatment of patients, have ensured a speedy recovery, the ministry said.

Gujarat's COVID-19 tally rises to 1,03,006 with 1,311 new cases; death count goes up to 3,094 with 16 new fatalities: News Agency PTI quoting health department.

COVID-19: J&K sees record one-day jump of 1,251 cases; 15 more die
Among the new cases, 739 were from the Jammu region, while 512 from the Kashmir Valley.
There are 9,547 active COVID-19 cases in the UT, while 31,924 people have recovered from the infection so far, they said.

COVID-19: ''On-demand'' COVID-19 testing for all individuals, says Centre
Now, any individual can get themselves tested for COVID-19 on-demand and no emergency procedure (including deliveries) should be delayed due to lack of test, the Union Health Ministry has said in an updated advisory on COVID-19 testing.

The National Task Force on COVID-19 recommended several amendments in the strategy for COVID-19 testing in India. Experts have simplified the testing procedure and approved "on-demand" testing for the first time.

The advisory states: "Testing on demand for all individuals who wish to get themselves tested and undertaking travel to countries/Indian states mandating a negative COVID-19 test at the point of entry. For this, State governments to decide simplified modalities," adding that tracking and contact tracing mechanisms should be ensured by the testing laboratories by notifying the public health authorities.

In Hospital settings, no emergency procedure (including deliveries) should be delayed for lack of test. However, samples can be sent for testing if a patient is symptomatic or asymptomatic. Pregnant women should not be referred for a lack of testing facility. All arrangements should be made to collect and transfer samples to testing facilities, stated the fresh advisory.

COVID-19: ''On-demand'' COVID-19 testing for all individuals, says Centre
Now, any individual can get themselves tested for COVID-19 on-demand and no emergency procedure (including deliveries) should be delayed due to lack of test, the Union Health Ministry has said in an updated advisory on COVID-19 testing.

The National Task Force on COVID-19 recommended several amendments in the strategy for COVID-19 testing in India. Experts have simplified the testing procedure and approved "on-demand" testing for the first time.

The advisory states: "Testing on demand for all individuals who wish to get themselves tested and undertaking travel to countries/Indian states mandating a negative COVID-19 test at the point of entry. For this, State governments to decide simplified modalities," adding that tracking and contact tracing mechanisms should be ensured by the testing laboratories by notifying the public health authorities.

In Hospital settings, no emergency procedure (including deliveries) should be delayed for lack of test. However, samples can be sent for testing if a patient is symptomatic or asymptomatic. Pregnant women should not be referred for a lack of testing facility. All arrangements should be made to collect and transfer samples to testing facilities, stated the fresh advisory.

COVID-19: 4 Uttarakhand BJP MLAs unhappy over cut in MLA funds due to pandemic
As many as four MLAs in the ruling BJP have expressed their unhappiness over the state government's decision to cut MLAs funds in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Observing that the deduction in the fund would affect development work in the constituencies, the four MLAs have decided to meet Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on the issue.

Speaking to ANI, Ganesh Joshi, MLA from Mussoorie, who was present in the meeting said, "There are many problems, as no matter how much work you do, everyone in your constituency wants road near his house, the drain should be properly made. Rs 1,15,000 has gone to the COVID-19 fund."

COVID-19: Bengal Clinical Regulatory Commission intervenes to reduce patient's treatment bill
The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission intervened to reduce the bill of a dead COVID-19 woman and urged the city-based private hospital which treated her to allow her family members to pay the dues in installments, an official said on Saturday.

The Commission urged that the woman's family be allowed to pay Rs 5,000 over two years to pay the bill, he said.

Acting on a complaint lodged by a family member of the octogenarian woman of being overcharged and threatened by the authorities of the hospital where she was admitted in July for treatment, the Commission has asked it to reconsider the bill and reduce an amount of Rs 1.7 lakh.

We went through the hospital bill and found that it had charged for medicines, which the family had already paid for while procuring it from the hospital pharmacy. We also found that the family is from an economically weak background but had gone to the private hospital at the suggestion of others, Justice (Retired) Ashim Kumar Banerjee said.

COVID-hit IIT Kharagpur imposes measures to check spread of infection
IIT Kharagpur authorities have directed its employees staying in the campus not to venture out, unless it is an emergency, between September 6 and 13 following detection of several COVID-19 cases in the institute.

However, faculty members will continue to conduct classes online from home, the institute said in a notification.

About 20 COVID-19 cases have been reported from the campus since August 19, an official said on Saturday.

In the notification, the institute issued a list of dos and don'ts which also include a ban on entry of outsiders, except those attached to essential services, during the period when all offices inside the campus will remain closed.

"No employee of the Institute will be permitted to leave or enter the campus until further orders, except for any emergency situation. Those employees who are presently outside the campus are advised to remain in the present place and work from that place," it said.

In the market inside the campus, shops dealing in essential items only will be allowed to remain open till 2 pm every day during the period.

The outpatients' department of the hospital inside the campus will remain closed, according to the notification issued on Friday.

COVID-19: With 6,692 people testing positive, UP registers largest single-day spike
With 6,692 people testing positive for COVID-19, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday reported the highest single-day surge in the number of fresh cases with state capital Lucknow topping the chart with 1,006 cases.

With 81 fresh COVID-19 deaths, so far 3,843 patients have succumbed to the viral disease in the state.

The previous single-day highest spike in COVID cases, registered on August 30, was 6,233.

According to the UP government's Saturday health bulletin, the bulk of 81 18 deaths was reported from Lucknow, followed by seven deaths from Kanpur. Gorakhpur and Hardoi reported 5 deaths each. Varanasi reported 4 deaths and Ghaziabad three.

Deaths in single figures were reported from each of the 75 districts of the state, barring a few.

COVID-19: Karnataka to soon reach goal of 1 lakh tests per day, says Minister
Karnataka will soon reach its goal of conducting one lakh COVID-19 tests per day as it has increased the number of labs and the tests done, Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said here on Saturday.

"From one testing lab for COVID-19 test, we have opened 108 labs in six months.

From 300 tests per day, we have increased it to 75,000. This will soon reach the goal of one lakh tests per day," Mr Sudhakar was quoted as saying in a release by his office.

He said the state government has shown its commitment to contain the pandemic and has been successful.

The Minister was speaking after inaugurating the MVJ Molecular Lab at MVJ Medical College & Research Hospital at nearby Hoskote

Stating that COVID-19 can be prevented completely only with the use of a vaccine, he said the death rate in the state was about 1.65 per cent and the aim is to bring it down to less than one per cent.

COVID-19: Punjab Chief Minister tests negative; ends self-isolation
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday tested negative for the coronavirus infection.

This was the third time that the chief minister had got himself tested for Covid-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Mr Singh also ended his week-long self-isolation after testing negative for the contagion.

The Chief Minister had gone into seven-day self-quarantine on August 28 after he came in contact with two Congress legislators, Kulbir Singh Zira and Nirmal Singh, who had tested positive after the one-day Punjab Assembly session.

Mr Singh, who presided over a virtual meeting of ministers, Congress MLAs and senior officials, disclosed during the interaction that he had got himself tested on Saturday and was found negative, according to a government release.

COVID-19: Noida reports 213 new cases, biggest single-day spike
Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar on Saturday recorded its highest single-day spike of 213 fresh COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 8,686, official data showed.

The number of active coronavirus cases reached 1,299, up from 1,188 on Friday, 1,163 on Thursday, 1,114 on Wednesday, 1,067 on Tuesday, 1,055 on Monday and 1,009 on Sunday, according to data released by the Uttar Pradesh Health Department for a 24-hour period.

The district's death count stands at 46. On the brighter side, the mortality rate among positive patients continued to decline and reached 0.52 per cent on Saturday, one of the lowest in the state, data showed.

Also, 94 more patients got discharged during the 24-hour period and so far, 7,341 patients have recovered from COVID-19 in the district, it showed.

Gautam Buddh Nagar stands sixth among districts in Uttar Pradesh in terms of recoveries, 11th in active cases, and 20th in death count, data stated.

Coronavirus news: Maharashtra, Worst-Hit By Covid Outbreak, Starts Door-To-Door Campaign
The Uddhav Thackeray-led state government, on Friday, launched a scheme - My Family, My Responsibility - to cover 2.25 crore families in Maharashtra, which recorded the highest number of new coronavirus till now.

Maharashtra reported 19,218 new COVID-19 cases pushing its tally close to the 9-lakh mark. The state reported 378 fatalities during the day, 38 of them from Pune city, taking the death count to 25,964, said a health department official. The spike in cases broke Thursday's record of 18,105 cases.

COVID-19: 718 more cases reported in Rajasthan
As many as 718 new coronavirus cases were reported in Rajasthan on Saturday, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 88,515, said the State Health Department.

With this, the active cases in the state have reached 15,409. While 71,990 recoveries have been reported, the death count has reached 1,116.

India registered the highest single-day jump of 86,432 new coronavirus cases taking the national caseload past 40-lakh mark, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

COVID-19: Telangana Finance Minister Harish Rao tests positive
Telangana Finance Minister Harish Rao has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the sixth session of the second State Legislative Assembly.

Mr Rao took to Twitter to confirm that he has tested positive for COVID-19. However, his health is stable.

"On getting initial symptoms of coronavirus, I got tested for COVID-19 and report came out to be positive. My health is fine, I request that all those who have come in contact with me in the last few days, please isolate yourself and get COVID test done," Mr Rao tweeted.

A total of 2,511 new coronavirus cases and 11 deaths were reported in Telangana on September 4, taking the total number of cases to 1,38,395 in the state.

COVID-19: Tripura reports record 691 new cases, seven more deaths
Tripura registered its highest single-day spike of 691 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, which pushed the tally in the northeastern state to 14,527, a health department official said.

The death count rose to 136 after seven more people succumbed to the infection, he said.

West Tripura district, of which state capital Agartala is a part, accounted for 76 of the 136 COVID-19 deaths, the official said.

The state currently has 5,887 active cases, while 8,483 people have recovered from the disease. Twenty-one patients have migrated to other states.

Tripura had reported its previous highest single-day spike of 590 COVID-19 cases on Thursday.

A total of 2,92,272 samples have been tested for COVID-19 so far, he added.

Coronavirus news: Prakash Javedkar participates in review meeting over Covid-19 situation in Pune
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday participated in a review meeting over coronavirus situation in Pune today.

The Union Minister, who hails from Pune, reviewed the measures taken by the district administration to contain the spread of the deadly virus, reported news agency ANI.

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Health Minister Rajesh Tope also attended this meeting.

Mr Javedkar had earlier held a video conference on March 21 with Divisional Commissioner Deepak Mhaiskar, District Collector Naval Kishor Ram and other officials to discuss the COVID-19 situation of this city.

COVID-19: Surge in cases in Delhi due to doubling of tests, no need to panic, says Arvind Kejriwal
"The numbers of Covid Cases are rising because more and more tests are being done every day. The more we test the more we find out about cases. In a way, we have launched a counter-attack on Coronavirus," he said. The AAP government has doubled testing in the city, he added.

Mr Kejriwal also said that the fatality rate (CFR) in Delhi is around 0.5 per cent, which was much lower than the national average. He said that his government has taken several steps to reduce Covid-related deaths in the national capital.

COVID-19: Odisha reports 3,543 new cases
As many as 3,543 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Odisha in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 1,20,221, the health department informed on Saturday.

The total figure includes 90,331 people who have recovered and 29,299 active cases.

So far, 538 lives have been claimed by the infectious virus.

Meanwhile, India registered the highest single-day jump of 86,432 new coronavirus cases taking the national caseload past the 40-lakh mark, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Total number of samples tested up to 4th September is 4,77,38,491 including 10,59,346 samples tested yesterday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

3,543 new positive cases were reported in Odisha on 4th September. The total number of positive cases in the state is 1,20,221 including 90,331 recoveries, 29,299 active cases and 538 deaths: State Government

Covid "Testing On Demand": Top Medical Body's New Advisory For States
All people living in containment zones should be tested using rapid antigen testing (RAT) kits, especially in the cities that are badly affected by the coronavirus outbreak, top medical body - the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - has stressed in its new advisory. It has also recommended "testing on demand" for "all individuals undertaking travel to other countries or Indian states mandating a negative COVID-19 test at the point of entry". The states, however, can use their discretion to modify the approach, according to the fresh advisory.

Assam reported 2,891 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 1,21,224 including  90,697 recoveries and 345 deaths. Number of active cases stands at 30,179: State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

India Crosses 4 Million Coronavirus Cases
India, one of the worst coronavirus-hit countries in the world, has crossed 4 million Covid cases. The country, which reported its highest one-day tally of 83,341 on Friday, now has 40,06,162 total cases, including 68,472 deaths.