Coronavirus Cases India: India's recovery rate is at 67.98 per cent.
Coronavirus Live Updates: India logged more than 20 Lakh coronavirus cases on Friday, with the countrywide figure standing at 20,27,074. The country is behind Brazil, which has more than 2.9 million cases and the US, which is leading the list of nations hit worst by the pandemic, with close to 5 million cases.
A sharp surge of 62,538 new coronavirus patients in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said this morning, adding that number of Covid-linked deaths have crossed 41,000.
A total of 13,78,105 patients have recovered since the beginning of the pandemic, the government data shows. More than 850 Covid-19 patients have died since yesterday. While India's recovery rate stood at 67.98 per cent this morning, the positivity rate - that indicates the percentage of patients testing positive for the highly infectious illness - stood at 10.88 per cent.
Over 2.27 crore samples have been tested so far in India, which has a population of about 130 crore people.
In the last 24 hours, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh were the five states that recorded the highest surge in Covid cases.
Here are the Live Updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases:
Coronavirus News: COVID +ve Woman, 2 Children Spend Night On Verandah Of Jharkhand HospitalA coronavirus positive woman and her two children had to spend a night on the verandah of a hospital in Jharkhand's Dhanbad, prompting Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday to pull up the district administration, officials said, reported news agency PTI.
The woman was found lying on the rear verandah of the newly-constructed Cath Lab building of the Patliputra Medical College and Hospital along with her two children, who were also positive for COVID-19, a few days back, they said.
A photo of the woman and her two children on the verandah of the hospital triggered an outrage on social media, they added.
Coronavirus News: 6 Arrested, 19 Vehicles Impounded Across UP's Noida Over Alleged Lockdown Violations
Six people were arrested and 19 vehicles impounded across Noida and Greater Noida on Friday over alleged violation of the coronavirus curbs imposed due to the pandemic, Gautam Buddh Nagar police said, reported news agency PTI. Also, owners of over 1,400 vehicles were issued challans for similar violations till Friday night across the district, which has so far recorded 5,806 cases of COVID-19 including 43 deaths, according to official figures. Section 144, which bars assembly of more than four persons, is in force in Gautam Buddh Nagar.
Coronavirus News: Bengal Reports 52 Deaths, Taking Total Count To 1,954
The COVID-19 death count in West Bengal went up to 1,954 with 52 deaths on Friday, the state health department said, reported news agency PTI. A bulletin issued by the department also said that 2,912 new cases of infections were reported from various parts of the state, taking the state's coronavirus count to 89,666, In the last 24 hours, 2,037 patients have recovered from the disease and have been discharged from hospitals, taking the number of people who have been cured of COVID-19 so far to 63,060. The discharge rate in West Bengal is now 70.33 per cent.
152 New Coronavirus Cases In Ahmedabad, Three DeathsAhmedabad district recorded 153 new coronavirus patients since previous evening, taking the case tally to 27,587 on Friday, a Gujarat health department release said.
142 cases were reported from Ahmedabad city and 11 from other parts of the district, it said.
Three COVID-19 patients died during this period, which took the death to count in the district to 1,625.
With 120 coronavirus patients -- 99 from the city and 21 from rural areas -- given discharge during the day, the total number of recoveries in the district reached 22,272.
Of the total 2,606 COVID-19 deaths recorded in Gujarat so far, Ahmedabad accounts for as many as 1,625.
103 New COVID-19 Cases In Himachal PradeshFormer chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and Himachal Pradesh BJP chief Suresh Kashyap have gone into self-quarantine, while the state's infection tally has risen to 3,151 with 103 new COVID-19 cases.
Mr Kashyap has gone into self-quarantine as a precautionary measure despite testing negative for COVID-19, a party spokesperson said on Friday.
Mr Dhumal, along with his staff members, has quarantined himself at his house in Hamirpur district as a precaution, one of his Facebook posts stated.
Mr Dhumal quarantined himself as he had recently attended a meeting with Mr Kashyap, who was in close contact with Power Minister Sukh Ram Chaudhry, who alongwith his PSO and two daughters tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday.
249 people including 165 personnel of Cental Armed Police Force tested positive for COVID-19 in Manipur in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 3,466 including 1,926 discharges and 10 deaths: State government
Andhra Pradesh's COVID-19 Tally Crosses 2-Lakh Mark, Single-Day High Of 89 DeathsRiding on a rapid surge of infections, Andhra Pradesh on Friday crossed the two lakh-mark in the overall number of COVID-19 cases as another 10,171 were added afresh for the third consecutive day.
From its maiden case on March 12, Andhra Pradesh's COVID-19 graph peaked to over two lakh cases in just 149 days, witnessing a meteoric rise, particularly in the past three weeks, and reaching the third spot in the country behind Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Two three-day spells, first from July 29-31 and next from August 5-7, where COVID-19 spread so virulently with over 10,000 cases each daily saw the state gallop to the third spot in the national table.
The COVID-19 tally on Friday showed 2,06,960 over all cases, of which 84,654 were active, 1,20,464 recoveries and 1,842 deaths.
6,670 New COVID-19 Cases, 101 Deaths Reported In KarnatakaKarnataka on Friday reported 6,670 new cases of COVID-19 and 101 related fatalities taking the total number of infections to 1,64,924 and death count to 2,998, the health department said.
The day also saw 3,951 patients getting discharged after recovery.
Out of the 6,670 fresh cases, 2,147 cases were from Bengaluru urban.
As of August 7 evening, 1,64,924 positive cases have been confirmed, which included 2,998 deaths and 84,232 discharged cases, the bulletin said.
Out of 77,686 active cases, 77,008 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable while 678 are in the intensive care unit (ICU).
In Maharashtra, Special Teams To Check Fee For Covid TreatmentThe Maharashtra government has set up flying squads to inspect if hospitals and ambulances are taking exorbitant charges from COVID-19 patients, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Friday.
The government had repeatedly issues directives to officials to act on complaints about hospitals and ambulances charging exorbitant rates, he said.
"To check if the decisions are being implemented , flying squads have been set up. Divisional commissioners, district collectors and municipal commissioners have been told that inspection reports should be submitted in three days," Mr Tope added.
The government, by an order on May 21, had fixed upper limits for charges of private hospitals. Another order, on June 30, fixed rates for private ambulances.
But despite government orders, private hospitals are still charging exorbitant rates, the minister noted.
Flying squads will verify if the government decisions aimed at providing relief to COVID-19 patients are being implemented by hospitals, he said.
They will check, among other things, if private hospitals have displayed the government orders at their main gates, Mr Tope added.
There should be a system to audit the final bills issued to coronavirus patients by private hospitals and rates charged by private ambulances should also be audited, he said.
The flying squads should also inspect if the cashless treatment facility has been made available to patients under the Janarogya (insurance) scheme, the minister said.
Kerala's COVID-19 Tally Breaches 30,000-Mark, Death Count Climbs To 99Kerala's COVID-19 tally breached the 30,000 mark on Friday as 1,251 fresh cases were reported, including of 18 health workers, while five more deaths took the count to 99.
Of the 30,396 positive cases, 1,061 were infected through contact, while the infection source of 73 people was not yet known, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.
While 77 people had come from abroad, 94 had arrived from other states, he said.
As many as 814 people have recovered from the infection. Five districts reported over 100 cases -- Thiruvananthapuram (289), Kasaragod (168), Kozhikode (149), Malappuram (143) and Palakkad (123).
The five deaths were reported from Malappuram, Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts.
In the last 24 hours, 27,608 samples were tested, the Chief Minister said.
PM Modi Has Lauded Steps Taken By Himachal Government To Tackle COVID-19: Jai Ram ThakurHimachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday said the steps taken by his government to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic have been appreciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He also said the country is fortunate to have Narendra Modi as its prime minister as it is due to the timely steps taken by him that the death count due to COVID-19 is very low in India as compared to other developed nations.
Mr Thakur was addressing the functionaries of Dehra BJP organisational district at Bagli, which falls in the Jaswan Paragpur Assembly constituency of Kangra district.
He said the opposition is making an issue over the increase in bus fares in the state. Himachal has suffered a loss of over Rs 30,000 crore due to the pandemic and to cope up with this crisis, the government was forced to take the step, the chief minister said, while accusing opposition leaders of politicising even a pandemic.
He said an effective coordination between the government and party organisation is vital to ensure the "Mission Repeat" for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2022 state polls.
Use Dummy Phone Number: Delhi Court On Covid Tests Of "Homeless Mentally Ill"The Delhi High Court on Friday gave its nod for the use of "9999999999" as a dummy phone number and address of labs or hospitals for COVID-19 testing of homeless mentally ill patients after the submissions were made by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) in an additional affidavit.
The ICMR filed the affidavit before the Delhi High Court on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal claiming the homeless mentally ill persons are facing problem in COVID-19 testing due to provisions of mandatory ID proof and mobile number.
A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan, while disposing of the PIL, also directed the Central government to consider the submission of the petitioner, to use the ID of the police officer having jurisdiction over the concerned area as an ID proof of homeless mentally ill persons for COVID-19 testing as an alternative.
Siddaramaiah's Son Tests Positive For COVID-19Congress MLA and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Friday said he has tested positive for COVID-19.
A medical doctor himself, Mr Yathindra requested all those who had come in contact with him recently to quarantine themselves.
"My corona test reports have come positive. I request all those who had come in contact with me over the last few days to quarantine and take precautions," Mr Yathindra tweeted.
Mr Yathindra, who is 40-years-old, is a first time MLA, representing Varuna assembly constituency in Mysuru district.
His father and leader of the opposition Siddaramaiah had on Tuesday tested positive for COVID and is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bengaluru.
On Siddaramaiah's health, Manipal Hospital said in a statement on Friday that he is clinically stable and is responding to treatment.
"He is comfortable and his appetite has improved. Our team of experts will continue to monitor him closely," it said.
Shops, Offices Reopen In Raipur, Parts Of Chhattisgarh Post LockdownShops and commercial establishments in Raipur and otherurban parts of Chhattisgarh resumed their operations on Friday, as they were allowed to function with certain restrictions after overa two-week long lockdown came to an end on Thursday.
Roads in state capital Raipur witnessed a rise in the traffic movement as all the state government and private offices, which were shut since July 22 due to the lockdown, started functioning again from Friday.
Strict restrictions as a part of the lockdown were imposed for a week in Raipur and in areas under Birgaon Municipal Corporation in Raipur district since July 22 to contain the spread of COVID-19 after these areas reported a sudden rise in cases.
However, emergency services, including hospitals, were kept out of the purview of the restrictions. The lockdown was later extended till August 6.
1,192 COVID-19 cases, 1,108 recoveries and 23 deaths reported in Delhi today. Total number of cases in the national capital now stands at 1,42,723, including 1,28,232 recoveries, 10,409 active cases and 4,082 deaths: Delhi Health Department
India's Covid Management Marked By Rising Recoveries, Falling Fatality Rate: CentreIndia's COVID-19 management is marked by "two significant achievements" of continuously rising recovery rate among COVID-19 patients and a case fatality rate that has remained much below the global average, according to the health ministry.
While the recovery rate among coronavirus patients has risen to a record high of 67.98 per cent, the fatality rate has gone down to 2.05 per cent, it said on Friday.
"These two in tandem have enabled a higher and rising difference of more than 7.7 lakh between the number of recovered patients and active cases in India," the ministry said.
With 49,769 patients recuperating from the disease in 24 hours, the number of recoveries have jumped to 13,78,105 on Friday.
The recovery rate has increased from 51.08 per cent on June 15 to 67.98 per cent on August 7, while active cases which comprised 46.06 per cent of the total COVID-19 caseload now account for 29.96 per cent, it said.
Night Curfews Eased, Weekend Lockdowns Partially Lifted In Madhya PradeshThe Madhya Pradesh government on Friday relaxed night curfews by two hours and partially lifted weekend lockdowns in coronavirus-affected districts of the state, an official said.
Night curfews will now be observed from 10 pm to 5 am as opposed to the earlier timing of 8 pm to 5 am, the official from the state public relations department said.
Weekend lockdowns have also been partially lifted in virus-affected districts, he said.
While the lockdown on Saturdays has been lifted completely, curbs will remain in place on Sundays, the official said, adding that an order to this effect will be issued shortly.
The move has come after Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviewed the COVID-19 situation on Thursday and noted that the conditions have improved, he said.
3,646 new COVID-19 cases reported in Bihar on August 6. Total tally reaches 71,794 in the state: Bihar Health Department
11 Assam Assembly Employees Test COVID-19 Positive Ahead Of SessionEleven employees of the Assam Legislative Assembly have tested positive for COVID-19 on a single day, ahead of the scheduled commencement of a session from August 31, a senior official said on Friday.
The Assembly administration is testing all its employees with the help of the Health Department.
"We are conducting rapid antigen tests on all our employees. In three days till Thursday, 270 of our staff were tested, of which 11 tested positive for the infection on the previous day," Assembly Principal Secretary Mrigendra Kumar Deka said.
The infected people were admitted to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital and the COVID Care Centre set up at IIT-Guwahati, he said.
"We have around 350 staff and testing is on. The final count of employees testing positive for COVID-19 will be known by the end of the day," Mr Deka said.
When asked if the scheduled session will be cancelled or postponed, the official said they are waiting for the Health Department's advice.
"We will work as per the instructions of the Health Department. Also, the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) will meet on August 18 to finalise the session and its activities. So, a final decision will be taken then," Mr Deka said.
India's COVID-19 Management Marked By Rising Recovery Rate, Falling Fatality Rate: Centre
India's COVID-19 management is marked by "two significant achievements" of continuously rising recovery rate among COVID-19 patients and a case fatality rate that has remained much below the global average, according to the health ministry.
While the recovery rate among coronavirus patients has risen to a record high of 67.98 per cent, the fatality rate has gone down to 2.05 per cent, it said on Friday.
"These two in tandem have enabled a higher and rising difference of more than 7.7 lakh between the number of recovered patients and active cases in India," the ministry said.
Mandatory 2-Week Home Quarantine For Domestic Arrivals To Mumbai: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
Domestic passengers arriving in Mumbai will now have to isolate at home for 14 days as a precaution against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a statement.
"All passengers arriving in Mumbai will be stamped on their left hand for identification and will have to compulsorily undergo home isolation and self-monitor for a period of 14 days as per protocol. Local authorities will be authorised to give exemptions for contributing to an office or other important work after checking passengers," the statement said.
Maharashtra Governor Inaugurates New COVID-19 Testing Lab In Mumbai
A new COVID-19 testing laboratory was digitally inaugurated by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyar in Mumbai's Miya Bhayandar on Thursday, a statement from the governor's office said.
"The testing facility has been set up in the molecular laboratory of the Bhaktivedanta Hospital and will cater to people from the Miya Bhayandar, Vasai and Palghar districts," Ajay Sankhe, Director and CEO of Bhaktivedanta Hospital was quoted in the statement.
"Congratulating the Bhaktivedanta Hospital for providing healthcare to society, the Governor asked the hospital to give ''motherly affection to patients and set an example of ''selfless service, as the Chairman, Hrishikesh Mafatlal has always done, while providing services to the people with love and compassion" the statement said.
US Lifts Foreign Travel Restrictions For Citizens
The US State Department on Thursday lifted its foreign travel Level-4 advisory imposed since March, which urged Amerian nationals, not to travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Level 4 is the highest level of travel advisory.
According to the travel advisory, India is placed in the ''Do Not Travel Category'', as of August 6 and the same is the case for China as well since June.
"With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others, the Department is returning to our previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice (with Levels from 1-4 depending on country-specific conditions), in order to give travellers detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions," the State Department said.
179 Indian Nationals Arrive In Chandigarh From UAE
A total of 179 Indian nationals arrived from the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, said the Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL).
"Repatriating the stranded Indians abroad amid COVID-19 outbreak, Spicejet, Flight No. SG-9302 carrying Indians from UAE landed at Chandigarh International Airport on 06.08.2020. The flight brought 179 passengers and arrived at Chandigarh at 1431 hours," informed the public relations officer at the CHIAL
The officer further said that repatriated Indian nationals that arrived here mostly belong to different parts of Punjab and nearby states.
Andhra Pradesh Number 1 State In COVID Spread, Fatality Rates: Telugu Desam Party
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Thursday said that Andhra Pradesh is reporting one COVID-19 case every 10 seconds and alleged that it is the number one state in COVID spread and fatality rates.
TDP official spokesperson Kommareddy Pattabhi Ram accused the YSRCP government of not making any effort to contain the spread of corona even though the pandemic was increasing day by day causing pain and suffering to people.
Mr Pattabhi said that the daily case growth was at an alarming 6.11 per cent as against 1.95 per cent in Maharashtra, 2.4 per cent in Telangana and 3.95 per cent in Karnataka.
Western Railway Refunds Rs 400 Crore Through Cancelled Tickets Amid COVID-19
After bearing revenue loss of Rs 2,026 crores, the Western Railway has refunded over Rs 400 crore upon cancellation of tickets during the COVID-19-induced lockdown.
In a press release, the Western Railway said that resulting in the cancellation of tickets from March 1 to August 5, the department has ensured to refund Rs 410.18 crores where Rs 197 crore has been refunded from the Mumbai division alone.
Till now, 63.13 lakh passengers have canceled their tickets over the entire Western Railway and have received their refund amount accordingly, the Western Railway said.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath To Inaugurate New COVID-19 Hospital In Noida
Amid the rising cases of coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh, a new COVID-19 government hospital will be inaugurated in Sector 39 of Noida in the Gautam Buddh Nagar district by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday, sources informed.
Earlier on Thursday, the Chief Minister presided over a high-level unlock review meeting at his residence and directed officials to pay attention to the improvement of treatment and control of COVID-19 in the districts of Kanpur Nagar, Jhansi, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Prayagaraj.
Coronavirus News: Mexico's Coronavirus Deaths Surpass 50,000
Mexico's coronavirus death toll surged past 50,000 on Thursday, the government said, just days after becoming the third-highest in the world, reported news agency AFP. The health ministry announced 819 more deaths in its daily update, taking the total to 50,517 since the the Latin American country's first case was detected in February.
Coronavirus News: More European Nations Tighten Virus Curbs As Global COVID-19 Deaths Top 7 Lakh
More countries across Europe imposed new travel restrictions and containment measures on Thursday with fears growing over a second wave of coronavirus infections as global deaths from the pandemic climbed over 700,000, reported news agency AFP. Europe remains the hardest-hit region worldwide with more than 200,000 fatalities since the virus first emerged in China late last year, but the number of deaths is rising fast elsewhere, especially in Latin America and India. As governments across the globe struggle to salvage economies ravaged by months of lockdown, many have been forced to look at new measures to curb outbreaks of COVID-19 since they lifted initial containment orders.
Coronavirus News: Officials Scouring Places For Legislative Council Meet Amid COVID, Says Karnataka Speaker
Karnataka Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri is not averse to the idea of conducting the legislative council meeting at a place other than the council hall in September amid the coronavirus pandemic, reported news agency PTI. "There is a constitutional obligation on all of us to conduct the legislative council meeting in September. In view of the coronavirus situation, we have been discussing for the past few days where and how the meeting can be conducted," Mr Kageri told reporters after a meeting with the senior officials at Vidhana Soudha on Thursday. The previous council meeting had taken place in March. Since there is an obligation to conduct the next meeting in six months, Mr Kageri had convened the meeting. For the past few days the officials have been scouring a suitable place to conduct the council meeting. "Already a team of officers has been formed to search for a suitable place for the meeting to be conducted in view of the coronavirus scare," he said.
Coronavirus News: Top Medical Body ICMR Seeks Participation Of Hospitals To Set Up Registry Of Hospitalised COVID-19 Patients
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday sought participation of institutions and hospitals identified as dedicated coronavirus hospitals or health centres as part of its project to establish a 'National Clinical Registry of COVID-19' to help improve treatment outcomes and analyse trends in the progression of the pandemic, reported news agency PTI. The aim is to develop a registry to collect data regarding clinical and laboratory features, treatments, and outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in India. The objective is also to study the frequency, clinical and laboratory features, treatments, and outcomes of COVID-19 related multisystem inflammatory disorder in children and adolescents by analyzing the national COVID-19 registry, the ICMR said. Data will be collected from 100 hospitals across the country as part of the project.
Manipur extends omplete lockdown upto August 15
The complete lockdown and the curfew in Manipur to break the COVID-19 chain has been extended to August 15, an official order said on Thursday.
The curfew and the lcokdown has been extended from Friday onwards to August 15 as per a decision of the state cabinet, the order by chief secretary Rajesh Kumar said. The decision was taken in view of the increasing number of COVID-19 positive patients in the state who have no travel history in the recent times.
15-Year-Old Coronavirus Patient Dies In Manipur
A minor boy today died of Coronavirus in Manipur's Imphal. The death took Manipur's count to eight, officials said. The state also reported 124 new cases of COVID-19, following which the tally rose to 3,217, they said.
Coronavirus News: India Crosses 2 Million Coronavirus CasesIndia logged more than 2 million coronavirus cases this evening, with the countrywide figure standing at 20,06,760. The country is behind Brazil, which has more than 2.8 million cases and the US, which is leading the list of nations hit worst by the pandemic, with close to 5 million cases.
On July 28, India had recorded more than 1.5 million cases. The new 5,00,000 cases came in nine days, with an average of 50,000 fresh cases logged each day.
This morning, health ministry data showed India has added more than 56,000 cases, taking the total to 19.65 lakh. A total of 13.28 lakh patients have recovered so far, over 40,000 have died.
Read Himachal minister tests COVID-19 positive
Himachal Pradesh minister Sukh Ram Chaudhary has tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday. In a Facebook post, the MPP (multi purpose projects) and power minister stated that his personal assistant Sonu Chaudhary had tested COVID-19 positive. So, he got himself tested and his report is positive, he added.
The legislator from Sirmaur''s Paonta Sahib requested those who came in contact with him recently to get themselves quarantined and tested for COVID-19.
Sukh Ram Chaudhary was inducted in the state cabinet along with two other MLAs on July 30.
Andhra Pradesh records 10,328 coronavirus cases, tally inches towards 2-lakh mark
Racing closer to the two lakh mark, the COVID-19 tally in Andhra Pradesh reached 1.96 lakh on Thursday as another 10,328 cases were added for the second consecutive day.
State Energy Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy tested positive for coronavirus and was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad for treatment.
Karnataka Speaker mulls holding legislative council meeting at some other place due to COVID
In view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Karnataka Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri is not averse to the idea of conducting the legislative council meeting at a place other than the council hall in September.
"There is a constitutional obligation on all of us to conduct the legislative council meeting in September. In view of the coronavirus induced situation, we have been discussing for the past few days where and how the meeting can be conducted," Kageri told reporters after a meeting with the senior officials at Vidhana Soudha on Thursday.
India will be an important pillar of post-coronavirus global economic recovery: Jitendra Singh
Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday said India will be an important pillar of the post-coronavirus global economic recovery and that the road map for winning the battle against the pandemic lies in countries restarting the economy and strengthening cooperative federalism.
He said that India has set the tone for global collaboration to deal with the pandemic under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr Singh said that extraordinary foreign outreach of the prime minister the last six years has greatly helped in forging such an international coalition against the pandemic.
61 deaths, 4,586 fresh virus cases in UP; total count 1,08,974
Uttar Pradesh on Thursday recorded its highest daily increase in coronavirus numbers with 61 more deaths and 4,586 fresh infections. So far, 1,08,974 cases, including 1,918 fatalities, have been reported from the state.
The maximum 16 deaths were reported from Jaunpur; 10 from Kanpur Nagar; five from Varanasi; four from Gorakhpur; three each from Allahabad, Bareilly and Ayodhya among others, a government statement said.
The maximum 664 cases were reported from Lucknow, 447 from Kanpur Nagar and 281 from Varanasi, the statement said.
COVID-19: Eight more test positive in Dharavi; active cases 82
Dharavi, the biggest slum in Mumbai, reported eight new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, which took its tally to 2,597, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said.
On Wednesday, only a single case was reported from the area, he said.
The official said that Dharavi currently has only 82 active cases and the number of recovered COVID-19 patients has gone up to 2,257.
Odisha govt directs fire safety review of COVID facilities after Ahmedabad tragedy
Fire officers in Odisha were asked on Thursday to review safety measures at medical facilities where coronavirus patients were undergoing treatment after several people were killed in a blaze at a COVID hospital in Ahmedabad.
Director-General of Fire Services Satyajit Mohanty asked officers to visit the healthcare facilities under their jurisdictions and review the safety measures and deficiencies if any.
He said that the officers have also been asked to advise the authorities on taking proper measures. There are 35 dedicated COVID hospitals across the state, besides 6,770 Covid Care Homes.
Manohar La Khattar urges COVID-19 survivors to motivate people to take precautions against disease
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday urged cured COVID-19 patients to motivate people to take precautions against catching infection rather than fearing the disease.
The Chief Minister also appealed to the cured COVID-19 patients to donate their plasma for treatment of others.
"All COVID-19 survivors should encourage people to take proper precautions against the disease rather than fearing it," he said.
20 new COVID-19 cases detected in Himachal Pradesh; tally now 2,937
Twenty people tested positive for COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, taking the tally of cases in the state to 2,937, officials said. The deaths stand at 13, they added.
Of the fresh cases, six were reported from Sirmaur, four each from Kangra, Hamirpur and Kullu and one each from Chamba and Shimla, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) R D Dhiman said.
So far, 1,811 people have recovered from the infection in Himachal Pradesh, while 26 patients have migrated out of the state.
Coronavirus news: Centre releases Rs 890. 32 cr as 2nd installment of COVID-19 financial package to States, UTs
The Central Government on Thursday released Rs 890.32 crores as the second installment of the COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package to 22 States and Union Territories (UTs).
The COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March this year.
The amount of financial assistance is based on the COVID-19 caseload in various States/UTs.
Coronavirus news: Siddaramaiah's health condition stable, slams CM over flood relief
The condition of former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, is clinically stable and he is comfortable and cheerful, the hospital authorities said on Thursday.
"Honourable leader of the opposition and former Chief Minister of Karnataka Mr Siddaramiah continues to remain stable clinically since admission to Manipal Hospitals on Aug 3, 2020. He is comfortable and cheerful. He is being closely monitored by our team of doctors," Manipal Hospital said in a health bulletin.
Siddaramaiah had informed on Twitter on August 4 that he tested positive for COVID-19 and admitted himself to a hospital.
Coronavirus news: First COVID-19 cases reported in Syria's Al-Hol camp
Three health workers in a displaced persons' camp in northeastern Syria have contracted the novel coronavirus, the United Nations said Thursday, the first reported infections in the vast tent city.
The Al-Hol camp is home to tens of thousands of people, including the relatives of Islamic State group jihadists.
It is run by the autonomous Kurdish administration that holds most of the northeast and has reported 54 cases of COVID-19 in areas under its control.
"On 3 August, three health workers reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 at the Al-Hol IDP camp," said a spokesman for the UN Organisation for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
"The contact tracing process is ongoing. As a precautionary measure, only critical staff, with personal protective equipment, are allowed to operate inside the camp," David Swanson told AFP.
A health official at the camp said the three staff infected work with the Kurdish Red Crescent in Al-Hol.
Coronavirus news: Indians anywhere can access COVID-19 lab in three hours, says Harsh Vardhan
India has ramped up its COVID-19 testing facility from one lab in January this year to 1,370 labs today and citizens anywhere can access a lab within three hours of travel time, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said.
Addressing a virtual meeting of regional directors of World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia on Thursday, the minister said that India's proactive and graded multi-level institutional response to COVID-19 made it possible to have very low cases and deaths per million.
He said India had been preparing for the pandemic as soon as China informed WHO on January 7.
AstraZeneca in first COVID-19 vaccine deal with Chinese company
Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products will produce AstraZeneca Plc's potential COVID-19 vaccine in mainland China, the British drugmaker said on Thursday, its first deal to supply one of the world's most populous countries. The deal underscores Astra's frontrunner position in a global race to deliver an effective vaccine, given that Chinese ventures are leading at least eight of the 26 global vaccine development projects currently testing on humans.
Coronavirus news: 44 more COVID-19 cases in Meghalaya push tally to 983At least 44 more people, including 14 BSF personnel, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Meghalaya, raising the tally in the state to 983, officials said on Thursday.
Six persons were discharged from hospitals, pushing the number of recoveries in the northeastern state to 345, Health Services Director Aman War said.
Coronavirus news: Florida surpasses half a million COVID-19 cases Florida, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus pandemic in the southeastern US, has surpassed half a million cases and now has a death toll of more than 7,600, state health authorities said Wednesday.
The Florida Health Department reported only 5,409 new daily cases in its latest count, a considerable drop after recent figures of around 10,000 new infections per day in recent weeks.
The number of cases however may have decreased because testing was largely halted during the recent passage of Tropical Storm Isaias.
Public testing centers where people could go for a nose swab were closed Thursday, reopening only on Monday.
The storm swiped Florida's eastern coastline over the weekend, leaving four dead across the southeastern US, AFP reported.
Coronavirus news: Karnataka gets its first mobile COVID-19 testing labs
Karnataka's Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar inaugurated state's first Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-approved mobile COVID-19 testing labs.
The minister after inaugurating the testing labs had put out a tweet stating that the ICMR approved mobile labs can conduct 400 RT-PCR COVID-19 tests per day, whose results can be obtained in four hours.
Earlier, Dr Sudhakar had said the number of cured and recovered patients in the state surpassed the number of active cases.
As per the update by the Union Health Ministry on Thursday morning, Karnataka had 73,966 active cases while 74,679 patients had been cured and discharged so far and 2,804 deaths have been reported from across the state due to the disease.
Around 1,532,654 tests had been conducted in the state till August 5, ANI reported.
Coronavirus news: Lockdown period used to augment healthcare infrastructure in country, says Dr Harsh Vardhan
The coronavirus-induced lockdown was utilised to quickly augment healthcare infrastructure in the country to fight rising COVID-19 cases, said Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday.
Addressing the virtual meeting of regional directors of WHO South-East Asia the Union Minister said, "The lockdown period was utilised to quickly augment our healthcare infrastructure to support the growing number of COVID-19 cases. We were able to increase our isolation beds more than 34 times and ICU beds over 20 times."
"Within 10 to 20 days, with the help of DRDO, we were able to create 1,000 to 10,000 beds for COVID-19 patients. Right now, on evaluation, we find that the daily handling capacity of COVID-19 cases in our hospitals has increased to almost 35 times," the Minister added.
Jharkhand reports 1,060 new COVID-19 cases, tally rises to 15,130
With 1,060 new COVID-19 cases reported in Jharkhand on Thursday, the total number of coronavirus cases reached in the state 15,130.
In a COVID-19 bulletin, the state government informed that out of 5,372 samples tested on August 5, 1,060 samples resulted positive for coronavirus while 4,312 tested negative.
The number of active cases stands at 9,074 and 5,914 recovery, stated the bulletin.
The total number of fatalities is 142 in the state.
Five more die due to COVID-19 in Puducherry; 195 fresh cases reportedFive more people including two women died due to COVID-19 in Puducherry, taking the death
count in the union territory to 70, a top Health department official said on Thursday.
As many as 195 new cases were reported taking the overall tally to 4,621, of which 1,743 were active cases(including 510 patients in home quarantine in Puducherry and Yanam regions), Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a release.
On the five deaths in the last 24 hours ending 10 am today, he said the deceased were in the 55-80 age group and most of them had co-morbidities.
137 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths reported in Maharashtra Police
A total of 137 new COVID-19 cases and two deaths were reported in the Maharashtra Police force in the last 24 hours, taking the total count to 10,163.
With two more fatalities, the total deaths in the state police force reached 109.
Out of the total number of police personnel infected with coronavirus, 8,189 have recovered and 1,865 cases are active, informed the Maharashtra Police on Thursday.
Maharashtra with 1,46,268 active cases and 3,05,521 cured and discharged patients continues to be the worst affected. The state has also reported 16,476 deaths due to the infection, as per the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Odisha's COVID-19 tally rises to 40,717 with record 1,699 cases, death count mounts to 235Odisha's COVID-19 tally surged past the 40,000-mark on Thursday with the biggest single-day spike of 1,699 cases, even as 10 more fatalities pushed the death count to 235, a health department official said.
Ganjam district, the state's coronavirus hotspot, reported three deaths, Sundergarh (2), and Bhadrak, Kandhamal, Keonjahr, Nabarangpur and Nayagarh one each, he said.
Another 45-year-old coronavirus positive patient from Ganjam died, but the department attributed the cause of her death to other health conditions.
Nabarangpur district reported its first COVID-19 fatality, the official said.
The state registered a total of 1,699 fresh cases, raising the tally to 40,717, he said.
2,21,49,351 samples tested for COVID-19 till August 5: ICMR
A total of 2,21,49,351 samples for COVID-19 have been tested across the country as of Wednesday, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) today.
As many as 6,64,949 samples for COVID-19 were tested yesterday, the ICMR said.
"The total number of COVID-19 samples tested up to August 05 is 2,21,49,351 including 6,64,949 samples tested yesterday," said the ICMR in a bulletin shared on Twitter.
Coronavirus: 56,282 Covid Cases In India In A Day, 904 Deaths; Total Cases 19,64,536A sharp surge of 56,282 new coronavirus patients in the last 24 hours took India's COVID-19 tally to 19,64,536 cases, the Union Health Ministry said this morning, adding that number of Covid-linked deaths have crossed 40,000.
JUST IN: 56,282 coronavirus cases in India in a day, 904 deaths; total cases 19,64,536
The total number of COVID-19 samples tested up to 5th August is 2,21,49,351 including 6,64,949 samples tested yesterday: reports news agency ANI quoting Indian Council of Medical Research
Assam crosses 50,000 coronavirus cases
Assam has crossed 50,000 coronavirus cases. With 2284 new cases on Monday, Assam has logged 50,445 cases so far. Over 14,000 cases are active in the state. Over 35,000 patients have been discharged. Till now, there have been 121 deaths in the state. Assam has done over 11 lakh Covid tests. The state's recovery rate is 71 per cent.
Coronavirus News: US Adds 1,242 COVID-19 Deaths In 24 Hours, Shows Johns Hopkins Tally
The United States added 1,262 more deaths to its COVID-19 toll in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 pm Wednesday (0030 GMT), according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, reported news agency AFP. The world's largest economy also added 53,158 new cases of the virus, the Baltimore-based institution's tracker showed. The US has now recorded 4,818,328 total cases, which have resulted in 157,930 deaths, making it by far the worst-hit country in the world.