Coronavirus Highlights: 85,362 New Cases Take India's Tally Past 59 Lakh-Mark

"Where Is UN In COVID-19 Fight," PM Modi Asks
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked where is the United Nations in the coronavirus fight as he delivered a virtual address at the annual UN General Assembly today. The Prime Minister spoke on a wide range of issues including the coronavirus pandemic and India's role in the United Nations. He stressed that India has been looking at an extended role in the UN. "Till when will India be kept away from the UN's decision-making process?" the Prime Minister asked. Read

Fear Of Second Covid Wave As People Moving Out: Maharashtra Chief Minister
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday expressed apprehensions of a "second wave" of coronavirus transmission as more people are moving out for work, and called for stricter compliance with norms.

Speaking at a virtual meeting with ministers and officials of Marathwada and Nashik divisions on the COVID-19 situation, the CM expressed concerns over asymptomatic patients, allowed to remain at home, stepping out without proper precautions and infecting others.

He said the focus should be on reducing the mortality rate. Read

Karnataka Cuts Cost Of Accurate Lab Test To Detect Coronavirus Infection
The Karnataka government has reduced the cost of RT- PCR tests for COVID-19 - considered the most reliable test to detect coronavirus - saying the cost of reagents for the test has come down.
Samples sent by the government to private labs for testing will now cost a maximum of ₹ 1,200, while private samples will cost ₹ 1,600.

In July, the cost for samples sent by the government was ₹ 2,000 and those sent by private labs was ₹ 3,000. They were brought down in August to ₹ 1,500 and ₹ 2,500, respectively.

In a meeting on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told seven states with high COVID-19 cases, including Karnataka, to increase RT-PCR tests.

Karnataka plans to increase daily COVID-19 testing from 65,000 to one lakh, Health Commissioner Pankaj Pandey told NDTV. The one lakh tests will include 60,000 RT-PCR and 40,000 Rapid Antigen Test or RAT.

Coronavirus News: Bengal Cinema Halls To Reopen From October 1, Says Mamata Banerjee
Cinema halls and open air theatres will be allowed to operate in West Bengal from October 1 with limited number of participants, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday, reported news agency PTI. She also said musical, dance and magic shows will be permitted in the state from next month.

Coronavirus News: Karnataka Reports 8,811 New COVID-19 Cases, 86 Deaths
Karnataka today reported 8,811 new COVID-19 cases and 86 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 5,66,023 and the death count to 8,503, the Health department said, reported news agency PTI. The day also saw 5,417 patients getting discharged after recovery. Out of the 8,811 fresh cases reported today, 4,083 cases were from Bengaluru Urban alone.

Coronavirus News: Gujarat Adds 1,417 New COVID-19 Cases As 1,419 Recover
Gujarat on Saturday reported 1,417 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the total count of infections to 1,31,808, state health department said, reported news agency PTI. With 13 more deaths due to the infection, the fatality count went up to 3,409, it said. A total of 1,419 patients were discharged in the state in the day, taking the total number of recoveries to 1,11,909, the department said. With this, the case recovery rate in the state now stands at 84.90 per cent, it said in a release.

Coronavirus News: J&K Logs 1,217 New COVID-19 Cases, 20 Deaths
Jammu and Kashmir today recorded 1,217 fresh coronavirus cases, while 20 died in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 71,049 and the death count to 1,125, officials said, reported news agency PTI. It was for the 24th consecutive day that the number of fresh cases crossed 1,000 in a 24-hour period. "The Union Territory recorded 1,217 fresh cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, with 720 cases in Jammu and 497 in the Kashmir valley," the officials said.

Coronavirus News: Rajasthan Records 2,045 Fresh COVID-19 Cases, 14 Deaths
Rajasthan reported 2,045 fresh coronavirus cases today while the state's death count due to the infection rose to 1,426 with 14 more fatalities, according to a health department bulletin, reported news agency PTI. The state's infection tally now stood at 1,26,775. Ajmer, Banswara, Baran, Bikaner, Dungarpur, Jaipur, Jalore, Jhunjhunu, Jodhpur, Kota, Pali, Sikar, Tonk and Udaipur reported one death each, the bulletin said. The maximum number of fresh cases was reported from Jaipur (415), while Jodhpur and Bikaner reported 335 and 108 infections, respectively.

Coronavirus News: Kerala Adds Over 7,000 New COVID-19 Cases, 50,000 Under Treatment
Kerala's daily COVID-19 graph continues to surge with 7,006 new cases being reported today, taking the infection count to 1,66,939 and over 50,000 people are presently under treatment, state Health Minister KK Shailaja said, reported news agency PTI. In the last 24 hours, 58,799 samples have been tested. The state has been witnessing a massive spike in daily cases since the past few days. While 6,477 cases were detected on Friday, it was 6,324 on Thursday and 5,376 on Wednesday.

Coronavirus News: Assam Announces COVID-19 Prevention Rules For Passengers Arriving By Air
As a precautionary measure to contain the spread of coronavirus, the Assam government has declared a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for air passengers arriving in Guwahati from Saturday, reported news agency ANI. As per the guidelines, a person arriving in Guwahati by air will have to undergo Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) at a designated testing centre after he/she deboards. Kamrup Metro district administration will make necessary arrangements for it. "If the RAT result is positive, the person will undergo home isolation / treatment at a COVID Care Centre or hospital, as per protocol," the guidelines read.

Coronavirus News: Equine Biotech Develops Indigenous RT-PCR Diagnostic Kit
Equine Biotech, a startup incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), has developed an indigenous RT-PCR diagnostic kit called "GlobalTM diagnostic kit" for accurate and affordable diagnosis of COVID-19, said Indian Institute of Science, reported news agency ANI. It has been approved for use in authorised COVID-19 diagnostic labs by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The test takes about 1.5 hours to confirm the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in patient samples, Indian Institute of Science informed.

Coronavirus News: Over 900 COVID-19 Cases Detected In Private Offices Of Ahmedabad
As many as 966 persons have so far tested positive for coronavirus in 7,810 offices in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city, under the civic body's "COVID-19 coordinator" initiative, a senior official said on Saturday, reported news agency PTI. As part of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's (AMC) drive, 67,845 tests were conducted in 7,810 offices, in which 966 persons have tested positive so far, said Rajiv Gupta, additional chief secretary and in-charge for COVID-19 management in the city.

10 States, UTs Account For 75 Per Cent Of New COVID-19 Cases, Total Tests Cross 7 Crore: Centre
Of the 85,362 new coronavirus cases reported in India in a day, 75 per cent are found concentrated in 10 states and Union Territories, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday. It also said India has conducted a total of seven crore tests for the detection of coronavirus infection till now with the country's testing capacity having crossed 14 lakh tests daily. The 10 states and Union Territories from where 75 per cent of the new cases have been reported are Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Delhi, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.

COVID-19: Chandigarh Withdraws 14-Day Mandatory Self Home Quarantine Orders
Chandigarh Administration has withdrawn orders related to mandatory 14 days self home quarantine for all visitors coming from outside Tricity amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Aurangabad Records 351 New COVID-19 Cases
As many as 351 persons tested positive for coronavirus, while seven patients died of the infection in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district, an official said on Saturday.

Odisha Logs Record 4,356 COVID-19 Cases

Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases In Indore, Several Markets To Close On Weekends
In the wake of spike in COVID-19 cases in Indore, traders in several markets have decided to voluntarily close their shops on Saturday and Sunday while on weekdays their shops will remain open till 6 pm in the evening.

Tripura's COVID-19 Tally Rises To 24,408
At least 278 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Tripura on Saturday, pushing the coronavirus tally in the state to 24,408, a health department official said.

Thane's COVID-19 Case Count Grows By 1,670

85,362 New Covid Cases In 24 Hours In India, Total Crosses 59 Lakh
More than 85,000 new Covid cases were reported across India in the past 24 hours, government data showed on Saturday, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the country past the 59 lakh-mark. Over 1,000 deaths were also recorded in the past 24 hours, pushing the total number of deaths recorded since the pandemic began past 93,000. Read here