The government should go for COVID-19 testing "aggressively and strategically", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said today, as the total number of coronavirus-related deaths crossed 400. "In no way does a lockdown defeat the virus. It helps only to stop the virus for a short while. The only way to do this is to increase testing and chasing the virus and going beyond and this is my advice to the government -- use testing," the Congress MP said, addressing the media through a video app.
The COVID-19 pandemic has killed 414 in India, with 37 deaths reported in the last 24 Hours, government data shows. The number of people infected by the novel coronavirus in India has risen to 12,380 today. A list of 170 hotspot districts was released on Wednesday by the centre, which includes all six metros and most large cities. The list marked 123 districts as "large outbreaks" -- which includes all nine districts of national capital Delhi. Mumbai, Kolkata, nine districts of Bengaluru Urban, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur and Agra were among the areas marked hotspots also on the list.
On Wednesday, India was praised by the International Monetary Fund Wednesday for its proactive decision of nationwide lockdown in its fight against coronavirus. A day earlier, the IMF in its World Economic Outlook had forecast India's growth rate to be 1.9 per cent in 2020.
On March 25, India entered a three-week lockdown, which was slated to end on April 14. The lockdown was extended till May 3.
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus Pandemic:
Apr 16, 2020 21:19 (IST)
Rate Of Doubling Of Cases Slowing Down: Maharashtra Health Minister
Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said on Thursday that the rate of doubling of coronavirus cases in the state has fallen, while complaining that the state has not recieved enough N-95 masks and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits.
In a video message, he also said all the 1,400 persons who arrived in the state after attending Tablighi Jamaat meet in Delhi have been traced, and only 50 of them have tested positive for Coronavirus.
Apr 16, 2020 19:21 (IST)
Coronavirus Update: Madhya Pradesh COVID-19 Tally Reaches 1,115
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state increased to 1,115 on Thursday. According to the health department, with 701 cases, Indore has reported the highest number of cases, followed by Bhopal with 196 confirmed cases.
Coronavirus cases spiked in Madhya Pradesh as the testing of suspected patients started late in the state, according to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
PTI Input
Apr 16, 2020 17:12 (IST)
Covid-19 Update: "Zoom Not Safe," Government Warns People On Video Conference Service
The Zoom meeting app is not a safe platform for video conference, the government today said, issuing a set of guidelines for the safety of private users who "still would like to use Zoom for private purpose". Zoom bombing has apparently become a favourite past time of people during the lockdown.
"Zoom is not a safe platform even for usage of individuals a detailed advisory has already been issued by CERT-India," the home ministry said in a new advisory.
The guidelines, the government said, will prevent unauthorised entry in the conference room and even malicious activity by authorised participants on terminals of the other participants. It would also avoid DOS attack by restricting users through passwords and access grant.
