The number of new coronavirus infections reported daily in India dropped below 60,000 for the second time this month, while the number of fresh fatalities registered across the country dipped below 600 almost after three months, the Union Health Ministry data stated on Monday.
The total cases mounted to 75,50,273 with 55,722 infections being reported in a day. On October 13, India had last registered daily cases below 60,000. The number of deaths climbed to 1,14,610 with 579 fatalities being registered in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The active cases of coronavirus infection remained below 8 lakh for the third consecutive day.
There are 7,72,055 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 10.23 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. The number of recoveries have surged to 66,63,608 and the national recovery rate has improved to 88.26 per cent. The case fatality rate due COVID-19 stands at 1.52 per cent.
According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 9,50,83,976 samples have been tested up to October 18 with 8,59,786 samples being tested on Sunday. The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities. "Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases:
Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma urged people on Monday to strictly follow the COVID-19 safety protocols during the festive season, reported news agency PTI. Launching the Kolkata Traffic Police's "Pujo Guide Map", Mr Sharma said the police will distribute masks among people from puja pandals.
Community Durga Puja organisers in Kolkata said today that they are staring at huge financial losses after Calcutta High Court ordered that pandals will be no-entry zones for visitors in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, reported news agency PTI. The organisers said that they hope the state government will issue a fresh advisory, following the court order, making the situation clearer.
A fortnight after partial reopening, the Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha's Kendrapara district has been thrown open to public today with strict adherence to COVID-19 protocol, an official said, reported news agency PTI. The national park, shut since March following the outbreak of coronavirus, had reopened on October 1 allowing only overnight stays at tourist cottages. The national park today allowed day visitors in a graded manner. In view of the pandemic, only 500 visitors are being provided entry permits to the park. The visitors were subjected to thermal screening.
Gujarat reported 996 new coronavirus cases today, taking the caseload in the state to 1,60,722, the health department said, reported news agency PTI. With eight deaths, the COVID-19 death count rose to 3,646, it said. 1,147 patients were discharged from various hospitals, increasing the number of recovered cases in the state to 1,42,799, the department said in its release. With this, Gujarat's recovery rate further improved to 88.85 per cent.
Delhi recorded 31 more fatalities today, taking the COVID-19 death count to 6,040, while 2,154 fresh cases pushed the infection tally to over 3.33 lakh, authorities said, reported news agency PTI. The relatively low number of fresh cases came out of the 36,445 tests conducted the previous day. Thirty-one more fatalities have been recorded, taking the death count to 6,040, the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department said. The tally of active cases on Monday dropped slightly to 22,570 from 23,292 the previous day. The total number of cases has climbed to 3,33,171, the bulletin added.
Kerala today has recorded 7,469 recoveries and 5,022 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the infection count to 3,33,881 while the death count mounted to 1,182 with 21 fatalities, reported news agency PTI. 92,731 patients are currently under treatment, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters. The fresh cases included 59 health workers. In the last 24 hours, 36,599 samples were tested and results of 7,469 returned negative, taking the recoveries so far to 2,52,868. All districts reported less than 1000 cases, with Malappuram accounting for 910 cases, Kozhikode 772, Ernakulam 598, Thrissur 533 and Thiruvananthapuram 516.
Andhra Pradesh's COVID-19 tally rose to 7,86,050 today as the state reported 2,918 new cases, reported news agency PTI. However, the number of active cases reduced to just about 35,000. The latest bulletin said 4,303 patients were cured in 24 hours ending 9 AM today, taking the total number of recoveries to 7,44,532. The overall death count increased to 6,453 after 24 more casualties were reported in 24 hours. East Godavari district reported the highest number of cases and Vizianagaram the lowest. Kadapa became the 10th district in the state to cross the 50,000 cases mark after it added 155 cases in 24 hours. However, it has only 2,620 active cases now. Chittoor, Guntur, Krishna and Visakhapatnam districts reported four fresh fatalities each, while Kadapa saw three more deaths.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra's Amravati rose by 28 today to reach 15,521 while 96 people were discharged, an official said, reported news agency PTI. One person died during the day, he added. The district has 1,100 active cases. 14,070 patients have been discharged and 351 have died due to the infection so far, the official said.
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan today reviewed the COVID-19 situation of Gujarat ahead of the onset of winter and the beginning of the festive season, reported news agency ANI. The Union Minister was briefed about the state's COVID situation in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and district collectors through video conferencing. "We conducted our first review meeting with Gujarat (ahead of the festive season). The purpose of these meetings was to analysis the (COVID) situation in detail especially before the commencing of winter and the festive season. Stress was laid on following COVID-appropriate behaviour meticulously," said Dr Vardhan. "Initially Gujarat's situation was worrisome. However, gradually the condition has changed for better. There are several programmes being organised to make people aware of COVID-appropriate behaviour," he added.
Uttarakhand today issued an order to not deduct the one-day salaries of state government employees under the COVID fund with effect from October 1, reported news agency PTI. The order comes days after the state cabinet decided to exempt the state government staffers from the pay cut, which was imposed for a year in June. However, one-day salaries of ministers, MLAs, IAS, IPS and IFS officers will continue to be deducted for a year as their contribution to the fund, the order signed by Secretary (Health) Amit Negi read.
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The Durga Puja pandals will be no-entry zones for visitors, the Calcutta High Court said today with only three days to go before Bengal's biggest festival. Only organisers will be allowed inside the pandals, the court said, limiting the number to 25 for big pandals and 15 for the smaller ones in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
The coronavirus death count in Uttar Pradesh rose to 6,685 on Monday with 27 more fatalities, while 1,746 fresh cases pushed the infection tally to 4,56,865, officials said, reported news agency PTI. Briefing reporters, Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said that in the past 24 hours, 3,093 patients have recovered from the infection and have been discharged. UP's recovery rate stands at 91.64 per cent, Mr Prasad said. There are 31,495 active cases in the state and 14,765 patients are in home isolation.
Six employees of the Delhi Commission for Women's 181 helpline have tested positive for coronavirus, the women panel today, reported news agency PTI. The helpine operates from Delhi's Naraina area where 36 counsellors work, according to the official statement. Two of the six employees who have tested positive are supervisors, while four are helpline counsellors, it said. All of them have been put under home isolation and the office has been thoroughly sanitised. The helpline's evening shift staffers have been asked to work from home, while proper sanitisation and social distancing have been maintained in the morning shift, the statement said.
Ghaziabad: Schools, except those in containment zones, reopen for students of Class 9th-12th, following #COVID19 norms
- ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 19, 2020
"Students, whose parents gave written consent, were permitted entry. We aren't allowing more than 20 students in a class," says P S Ganesh, a pvt school Manager pic.twitter.com/ipxCQhEWLA
The COVID-19 death count in West Bengal went past the 6,000-mark on Sunday with 64 more fatalities, even as a record number of 3,983 fresh cases pushed the tally to 3,21,036, the health department said.
A total of 6,056 people have succumbed to the virus so far in the state, it said in a bulletin.
Since Saturday, 3,113 people have recovered from the disease, bettering the discharge rate to 87.55 per cent. The total number of recoveries stood at 2,81,053.
North 24 Parganas district accounted for 17 deaths, while the metropolis registered 13 fatalities and Howrah (7), it said.
As many as 3,914 new COVID-19 cases and 56 deaths were reported in Tamil Nadu in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 6,87,400.
The total figure includes 39,121 active cases and 6,37,637 recoveries.
So far, 10,642 deaths have been reported from the state.
Meanwhile, India reported 61,871 new COVID-19 cases and 1,033 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the national COVID-19 count to 74,94,552, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) informed on Sunday.
With 1,894 new COVID-19 cases and 39 more deaths, Chhattisgarh's count rose to 1,60,396 and fatalities to 1,478 on Sunday, a health official said.
The number of recovered patients increased to 1,32,168 after 305 people were discharged from various hospitals while 1,772 others completed their home isolation during the day.
The state now has 26,750 active cases, the official informed.
"Raipur district reported 144 new cases, taking its total count to 39,089, including 518 deaths. Balrampur district recorded 179 new cases, Raigarh 176, Korba 159, Rajnandagon 119 and Janjgir-Champa 118, among other districts," he said.
Days after joining the World Health Organisation's (WHO) COVAX alliance to equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines across the world, China has stepped up the usage of its coronavirus vaccines to three more cities for urgent use.
Three more cities in East China's Zhejiang Province are stepping up efforts to offer COVID-19 vaccines for urgent use, with priority being given to key groups in need before they can be rolled out to the general public, official media reports here said.
The cities of Yiwu, Ningbo and Shaoxing are targeting key groups with urgent need for vaccinations against COVID-19 following the city of Jiaxing, state-run Global Times quoted another daily, The Paper, as reporting on Saturday.
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a restaurant in Kolkata is providing its customers with masks that have zips attached to them.
It is given to the customers upon entry and allows the patrons to relish the delicacies served at the restraunt without the hassle of removing the masks.
According to Wok'ies, a 2D theme restaurant, owner Somoshree Sengupta, the masks are being given free of cost to customers keeping the COVID-19 threat in mind.
"In the COVID-19 situation wearing masks is very important for the individuals safety and that of the society at large. We are thankful to the government for allowing the restaurant to reopen, and our business to resume. It's a customised mask which can be worn even while they are having their food, it has a zipper which they can zip in or out as per the need," Sengupta told ANI.