India Coronavirus Cases Highlights: India is the ninth worst-hit country. (File)
Coronavirus Live Update: With 116 deaths, Maharashtra today recorded the highest number of deaths in a single day.
"As many as 2,682 more people have tested positive of coronavirus today, taking the total count in the state to 62,228. One hundred and sixteen people have succumbed to the disease today. Till now, 2,098 deaths have been reported," read an official statement issued by the state's Health Department.
Maharashtra remains the worst-affected state in the country with nearly 62,000 cases.
Earlier in the day, Home Minister Amit Shah met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss lockdown strategy. The meeting comes a day after Mr Shah reached out to all Chief Ministers for feedback on the lockdown and their views about its extension or lifting after May 31, when the current phase is scheduled to end. All Chief Ministers have given their views on how they want to move forward. Over the last few days, the Prime Minister's Office has been busy reviewing the entire lockdown period to decide on the way forward from June 1.
The first case of the novel coronavirus emerged in China last December and since then it has spread to virtually all parts of the world infecting more than 59 lakh people globally. More than 3.5 lakh have died too across the world, but very few new cases are being reported in China for the last few days.
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus Outbreak:
Coronavirus Case Count Tops 5.7 million, says World Health OrganisationThe World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated that the overall number of coronavirus cases globally is at more than 5.7 million, with over 357,000 dying from the disease.
The UN health agency said in the situation report published on Friday that 107,740 new cases had been recorded in the past day, while a further 4,354 patients had died.
America continues to lead the count with 2.6 million cases, followed by Europe with 2.1 million. Africa brings up the rear with almost 93,000 cases, news agency ANI reported.
45 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death reported in Jharkhand today; the total number of positive cases in the state is now 521: State Health Department
177 cases of COVID-19 were reported in Assam yesterday, taking total number of cases to 1057 out of which 925 cases were active. Four people have died due to the infection in the state so far: Assam Health Department
Coronavirus news: 27 Shramik Special trains arrive in Bengal's Malda in 36 hours
A total of 27 Shramik special trains arrived at Malda in 36-hours till Friday evening bringing in several thousand migrant labourers and other passengers from different parts of the country, railway police officials said.
Twelve of these trains were from Mumbai, while others were from Delhi, Surat, Ludhiana and other places, the officials said.
The 27 include 13 Shramik specials that arrived at Malda since Friday morning, a government railway police officer said.
An average of 300 passengers detrained from each train, while one brought in around 1,000 people, he said.
At least 10 more trains were scheduled to arrive at Malda by Friday night, he said.
Most of the returnees belong to Malda, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur districts, the official said.
All the returnees were medically screened before they were sent to their home districts by state-run buses for mandatory quarantine, a West Bengal government official said. At Bankura, passengers of a Shramik special train headed for Malda from Kottayam in Kerala pulled the chain to stop it at the station and 58 of them deboarded.
COVID-19 news: Nitish for segregating recent arrivals from other inmates at quarantine centres
With more and more migrants returning to Bihar testing positive for COVID-19, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday called for containing the infection by segregating recent arrivals from those staying at quarantine centres for some time.
The state government has made it mandatory for migrant workers, who have been returning in droves, to undergo a 14-day quarantine before they could be allowed to go home and receive a remittance of Rs 1,000 inclusive of travel expenses, reported news agency PTI.
More than 15 lakh migrants have returned to Bihar since the beginning of the month, when the Centre agreed to run special trains to ferry them home.
According to the state health department, more than 2,000 migrants have tested positive since May 3.
Coronavirus news: Madhya Pradesh's coronavirus tally rises to 7,645; deaths so far 334
Madhya Pradesh on Friday reported 192 new COVID-19 cases, including 84 in worst-hit Indore district, which took the tally of patients in the state to 7,645, health officials said.
Thirteen deaths due to coronavirus infection increased the number of victims in MP to 334, they said.
Four persons succumbed to the infection in Indore, three in Bhopal, two in Sagar and one each in Ujjain, Khargone, Morena and Rajgarh, the officials said.
So far, 4,269 people have recovered from the infection in the state, while the number of active cases is 3,042. No new coronavirus case was found in 31 districts since Thursday evening, the health officials said.
The virus has impacted 51 out of the total 52 districts in Madhya Pradesh. The number of cases in Indore, the worst-hit district in the state, rose to 3,344 with 84 new cases since Thursday.
With four more deaths, the toll in the district grew to 126, the state health bulletin said.
COVID-19 news: Rajasthan Health minister congratulates team of doctors for conducting 1 lakh coronavirus tests
Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma on Friday congratulated the entire team of state-run SMS Hospital's Microbiology Department for conducting one lakh RT-PCR tests since the outbreak of coronavirus infection in the state.
More than 35 lakh tests for detecting coronavirus have been conducted in the country, out of which one lakh tests have been done in the SMS Hospital lab in Jaipur, an official statement said, conveying Sharma's congratulatory message to the team of SMS Hospital doctors.
SMS Medical College Principal, Dr Sudhir Bhandari, said the team of the Department of Microbiology of the college started doing RT-PCR test from the beginning of the year. All the senior residents, residents and paramedical staffers of the lab worked round the clock during the pandemic and have set an example by doing one lakh tests, he said.
COVID-19: 136 cops infected so far in Thane commissionerate
A total of 136 policemen have so far been infected with the novel coronavirus in Maharashtra's Thane city, and nine of them got discharged on recovery on Friday, an official said.
The number of Thane commissionerate policemen who have been discharged so far stood at 80, he added, reported news agency PTI.
"One lady constable died of the infection. The number of active cases is 55, comprising five officers and 50 constables," he said.
Coronavirus news: Delhi government notifies 2 more hospitals dedicated to treat COVID-19 patients
As the number of coronavirus cases continues to surge in the national capital, the Delhi government has included two more hospitals in its list of COVID-19 dedicated hospitals.
"Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital and Satyavadi Raja Harish Chander Hospital have been designated as dedicated COVID-19 hospitals," reads an official statement issued by the government.
On May 26, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal directed the Health Department of the Delhi government to closely review medical infrastructure in the national capital amid COVID-19 crisis.
A press release from the Raj Bhawan said: "The Lt Governor directed the Health Department to closely review the capacity building of medical infrastructure and remove bottlenecks immediately. He advised that the trend of last 10-15 days should be analysed for future management."
Mr Baijal had held a video conference with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendra Kumar Jain, and other administrative and top police officials to take stock of the situation of COVID-19 in Delhi.
COVID-19 news: 2,198 Flights Ferried Over 1.65 Lakh People Since Resumption Of Services
More than 1.65 lakh people have travelled in 2,198 flights till Friday afternoon after the government allowed partial resumption of domestic services from Monday amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who has been sharing daily updates on the numbers of flights and flyers, said, "Our airports continue to function smoothly."
So far, 16 asymptomatic passengers on seven different flights have tested positive for the novel coronavirus after landing in their respective destinations.
Private carriers have operated a total of 2,198 flights till 5 pm on Friday -- 428 on Monday, 445 on Tuesday, 460 on Wednesday, 494 on Thursday and 371 on Friday.
During the pre-lockdown period, Indian airports handled around 3,000 daily domestic flights, aviation industry sources said.
Domestic flight operations resumed in the country on Monday after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus lockdown. International passenger flights continue to remain suspended.
Coronavirus news: 1,343 natives of Rajasthan arrived at Jaipur airport from abroad in 11 flights till Friday
In total, 1,343 natives of Rajasthan have arrived at Jaipur airport in 11 flights till Friday evening under the Centre's mega evacuation mission amid the coronavirus-forced lockdown, an official said.
The people who arrived on Friday under the Vande Bharat Mission include 98 from Almaty, 180 from Dubai, while 150 passengers will arrive from Kuwait later in the night, Additional Chief Secretary Industries Subodh Agarwal said, reported news agency PTI.
He said those returning from abroad all the migrants from abroad are being sent to institutional quarantine for seven days followed by another week of home quarantine.
Coronavirus news: Samples of 1,700 people in Madhya Pradesh taken for COVID-19 survey
As part of its nationwide survey to estimate the prevalence of coronavirus infection in India, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has collected samples of 1,700 common people from four districts in Madhya Pradesh, who have not shown any symptoms of this disease.
Scientists expressed hope that the results of this survey will provide accurate information about the spread of the epidemic among the population in these four districts- Indore, Dewas, Ujjain and Gwalior, reported news agency PTI.
According to them, it will also help ascertain if there has been community transmission of the virus and whether collective immunity has developed in the people.
This nation-wide exercise has been named sero-survey. Under this survey, Jabalpur-based National Institute of Research in Tribal Health (NIRTH) has collected blood samples of people from the four districts in the state.
Talking to PTI on Friday, Aparup Das, Director of NIRTH, said, "Under the nationwide sero-survey of ICMR, blood samples of 500 people in COVID-19 containment zones in Indore were taken randomly. These people did not show any common symptoms of COVID-19, like fever and cold."
Under this survey, the blood serum of people is being anyalsed to monitor the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (which causes COVID-19).
Coronavirus news: Over 4 lakh migrant workers have returned to Jharkhand, says Chief Minister Hemant Soren
Over four lakh migrant workers have returned to Jharkhand so far and plans are afoot to provide work opportunities to 10 lakh people, Chief Minister Hemant Soren said.
Speaking to reporters, he said the state government will take a decision on extending the lockdown as the situation emerges and if necessary, it can further be extended by a few days.
Mr Soren said district officials are doing skill-mapping and the government will provide the migrant workers with employment opportunities according to their ability.
After a few days, migrants will also be brought back from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, he said, adding that so far, 4-4.5 lakh migrants have returned and there is a continuous movement. The sooner it ends the better it is for the government as plans for employment generation can be done more effectively, the chief minister said.
He said all modes of transport -- trains, flights, buses and even trucks -- are being deployed to bring back the stranded migrant workers.
"We already have work plans in place and five lakh people have been connected to it as against a target of giving employment to 10 lakh," Mr Soren said.
COVID-19 cases breach 20,000-mark in Tamil Nadu with 874 cases
Nine more people succumbed to COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu, which witnessed its highest single day spike of 874 cases, taking the infection count past the 20,000 mark, the health department said on Friday.
With the nine deaths, the death toll in the state has risen to 154.
Friday marked the third straight day when the number of positive cases crossed the 800 mark in the state, reported news agency PTI.
Among the 874 cases, 141 were those who had arrived from various states, the health bulletin said.
The number of people cured after testing positive stood at 765 cases, it said.
Coronavirus news: Will continue to run special trains to send migrants back home, says Punjab government
The Punjab government will continue to run special trains for migrants wanting to return home, a senior official said on Friday.
A total of 4.84 lakh migrant workers have returned to their native places from Punjab on 375 'Shramik Special' trains since May 5, the official said.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has already directed the officials to do everything possible to ensure that no migrant worker faces any hardship in Punjab, especially on account of returning to his/her home state, said the nodal officer and principal secretary, PWD Vikas Pratap in an official release.
Sufficient trains will keep running on need-based assessment to ensure all those who want to return are united with their families in a hassle-free manner, he said, adding that the state government will continue to run these trains till needed.
Punjab is among the best performing states when it comes to sensing migrants home, with nine more Shramik Special trains scheduled to run on May 30 from different locations across the state, an official release said.
COVID-19: Maharashtra government hikes remuneration of bonded doctors
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday announced a hike in the monthly remuneration of bonded doctors, bringing them on par with their colleagues hired on contract.
Mr Thackeray said the decision will help intensify the fight against COVID-19 and provide a morale booster to the medical workers, reported news agency PTI.
As per the revised salaries, bonded doctors working in tribal belts will get Rs 75,000 instead of Rs 60,000, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.
Specialist doctors on bond in the tribal belts will now get Rs 85,000 instead of Rs 70,000, it said.
In other parts of the state, MBBS doctors will get Rs 70,000 instead of Rs 55,000, while specialists will get Rs 80,000 instead of Rs 65,000, it added.
Coronavirus news: Migrants do not have to pay for tickets of Shramik Special trains, says Railway Board Chairman
Migrant workers do not have to pay for tickets of Shramik Special trains as sending and receiving states are coordinating with each other for the fare of these trains, Railway Board Chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav said on Friday.
"Sending states and receiving states are coordinating with each other for the fare of Shramik Special trains. Migrant labourers do not have to pay for the tickets. Initially, some states were collecting fares from migrants and they were reimbursed by the receiving states. But now there is coordination between sending and receiving states and they are managing the fare of these trains," Mr Yadav said.
He said that the fare of Shramik Special trains is the same as for regular trains.
"Usually special trains fares are higher than of regular trains as they carry passengers from one side only but during these times of COVID-19 pandemic, we have fixed the fare of Shramik Special trains as that of regular trains. We are just collecting 15 per cent of the total cost and bearing 85 per cent of the total cost for running these trains," he said.
He said that in 50 trains there were only 500-1000 passengers. "State governments need to be better prepared while asking for trains," he said.
Coronavirus lockdown: IIT Kharagpur Develops Vehicle-Based Mechanized Broom To Clean Public Places
A group of researchers at IIT Kharagpur has developed a vehicle with mechanised broom that runs on battery and solar power to clean roads and public places, an official said on Friday.
The vehicle, named Sammarjak MB 4.2, uses two mechanised brooms and has been successfully tested across the 2,100 acre campus of the institute during the ongoing lockdown, reported news agency PTI.
IIT-Kharagpur director Prof Virendra K Tewari has planned to deploy it on campus as the authority expects to face a shortage of cleaning staff, a spokesperson of the institute said.
Ban entry of people coming from Maharashtra , says Goa Minister
Goa Minister Michael Lobo on Friday urged state Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to ban the entry of people coming from Maharashtra and said that it is the only solution because there is a transmission of COVID-19 in Maharashtra in a big way.
"Goa was totally in the green zone and we are still in the green zone as far as the state is concerned. I think one, two or three people from Delhi who came in had the virus. Maximum people are from Maharashtra, who came in and were COVID-19 positive. The other day also we had taken a meeting with all the Cabinet ministers and we have made it compulsory that all the people who are coming in the state must be tested for COVID-19," Mr Lobo told ANI.
"Now my demand to the Chief Minister of Goa will be that you ban the entry of people from Maharashtra. I am not against the people of Maharashtra. Ban the entry for a certain period. Entry to the people from Maharashtra should be banned. This should be banned by road, by rail, by air. Now if you want to stop having more COVID patients coming into Goa, we have to ban that entry. This is the only solution because there is a transmission of coronavirus in Maharashtra in a big way," he added.
Coronavirus News: 52 lakh passengers moved via 3,840 Migrant trains, says Railway Board Chairman
A total of 52 lakh passengers have been moved through 3,840 Shramik Special trains till yesterday, said Railway Board Chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav.
Mr Yadav said that in the past week, more than 20 lakh passengers have been taken to their home states via Shramik Special trains.
"A total of 279 Shramik Special trains have been run till May 20. All requests from the States have been accommodated by the Indian Railways. Almost 3 lakh migrants are being ferried by the railways on a daily basis," he said.
"Most migrants have been ferried to Uttar Pradesh with around 42 per cent of the total number of passengers and Bihar with around 37 per cent of the total number of passengers," added Mr Yadav.
The Railway Board chairman said that demand of originating States for Shramik Special trains is gradually coming down.
COVID-19 news: Haryana minister Anil Vij bats for lockdown extension
Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Friday suggested that the lockdown should continue beyond May 31 and justified the strictness at the Delhi borders, saying free movement will lead to a surge in coronavirus cases in the state.
"If you ask my personal opinion, strictness will have to be maintained. Giving more relaxations at this stage can lead to increase in cases. Because the stage at which coronavirus is right now, need of the hour is that lockdown should be extended," he told reporters here.
"Already relaxations have been given like opening of 'bazaar'' (markets), factories... domestic flights have restarted. I am not in favour of more relaxations because cases are going up," Mr Vij said, adding he would convey his opinion to the chief minister.
Citing a sharp increase in coronavirus cases in the Haryana districts adjoining Delhi during the past week, Mr Vij had on Thursday issued orders for sealing borders with the national capital.
"Cases are increasing in the districts adjoining Delhi. The main reason for this is movement of people from Delhi into these adjoining districts of Haryana. Barring the categories exempted by the Delhi High Court and those exempted by the Centre under lockdown4, the state borders for others will remain completely sealed," the order had said.
Coronavirus news: Scale up COVID-19 testing capacity, Yogi Adityanath tells officials
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday stressed on scaling up the testing capacity for COVID-19 in the state and directed officials to improve the functioning of testing labs.
At a meeting with senior officials to review the lockdown situation, the chief minister asked officials to improve functioning of testing labs through micro- planning and directed them to increase COVID-19 testing capacity to 10,000 per day, an official spokesperson said.
Seeking information about training of technical workers for proper running of ventilators, the chief minister said regular rounds should be undertaken by doctors in all the medical colleges and hospitals, reported news agency PTI.
Expressing satisfaction over availability of pulse oximetres in districts and the working of quarantine centres as well as community kitchens, the chief minister emphasised on maintaining proper cleanliness and sanitation while directing officials to provide food to all the needy people.
The chief minister said over 27 lakh labourers and workers have safely returned to the state so far and the process to bring them back, free of cost, would continue.
COVID-19 news: 102 new cases in Uttarakhand, count at 602
A total of 102 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Uttarakhand on Friday, taking the total number of cases to 602 in the state, the State Control Room COVID-19 said.
Out of the total cases, 505 are active cases while the deaths in the state is five.
"Uttarakhand has reported 102 new COVID-19 positive cases today; taking the total number of cases to 602. Active cases stand at 505," the State Control Room COVID-19 stated.
"A total of 89 people have recovered so far including 10 recovered today and three people have migrated out of the state," it added further.
A total of 1,439 samples have been sent for being tested today and the results of 4,758 samples are awaited. However, the doubling rate of the state in the last seven days stood at 3.87 days.
Coronavirus news: People protest establishment of quarantine centre at Bengal school
People protested in large numbers against the establishment of a quarantine centre at a local school here.
The state government has decided to establish a quarantine centre in the Narsamuda High School in the Gopalpur area of Asansol, reported news agency ANI.
People of the area are of the view that there is a risk of transmission of COVID-19 amongst the residents here if rules are not followed in the proposed quarantine centre.
They have registered a complaint with the police and the district administration in this regard.
"I have no idea about a quarantine centre being set up in the area. I got to know about this from the local residents. They have talked to the concerned police station in-charge Amit Haldar about this matter," Sumit Manjhi, ward councillor said.
COVID-19 news: Around 80% Migrants Travelling Are From UP, Bihar, Says Railway Board
"Most of the migrants have been ferried to Uttar Pradesh with around 42% of the total number and Bihar with around 37% of the total," said Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman, Railway Board
COVID-19 news: Around 3 lakh migrants being ferried daily, says Railway Board Chairman
Tripura Chief Minister interacts with COVID-19 survivors
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Friday interacted with recovered COVID-19 patients who were admitted to Madhupur Primary Health centre in Sephijala district.
Mr Deb also met people in Bakshanagar who have been placed under home quarantine after they returned to the state, reported news agency ANI.
One of the quarantined returnees said, "I have returned from Howrah, West Bengal. I am very happy that the Chief Minister came to meet
Mr Deb said, "I''m thankful to the people of Tripura for being careful about the pandemic. They have made themselves aware of the situation and whatever has been said by the Centre and the state government."
Coronavirus news: Karnataka reports 178 new cases, state tally reaches 2711
With 178 positive cases reported between 5 pm on May 28 and 12 pm on May 29 in Karnataka, the state coronavirus tally has reached to 2,711, said officials.
The maximum number of freshly reported cases in the state were returnees from Maharashtra, said the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Bengaluru, reported news agency ANI .
According to the mid-day bulletin, 35 COVID-19 recovered patients have been discharged out of these 2711 cases, however, no new death has been reported.
The total number of active cases in the state stands at 1,793.
COVID-19 news: UP governmentt committed to safe return of all migrants, says Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today said that the State government is committed for the safe return of all the migrant labourers stranded across the country amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
"Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that Uttar Pradesh government is committed for the safe return of migrant workers to the state. A list of migrant labourers wishing to come back to the state should be received from the states so free special trains can be arranged for their return," an official statement said on Friday.
Earlier today, Mr Aditynanath held a high-level meeting to review the lockdown situation in the State.
According to an official statement of the meeting, Mr Adityanath expressed satisfaction with the arrangements at quarantine centres and community kitchens and said that better safety and hygiene measures should be ensured there.
Coronavirus news: Over 27 lakh migrant labourers have returned, more to come, says UP official
Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi on Friday said that more than 27 lakh migrant labourers have returned to the state and added that efforts are being made to bring back all the stranded migrants workers.
"More than 27 lakh migrant labourers have returned to the state. They were provided trains and bus services free of cost. A list of the migrant workers is being prepared. The state will continue the services until all migrants are brought to the state safely," Mr Awasthi told ANI.
He also said that arrangements are being made for the employment of migrant workers.
Chief Minister Yogi Aditynanath held a meeting with Indian Industrial Association (IIA) here today and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the employment of migrant workers who have returned to the state.
This comes as migrant workers stranded across the country are being transported back to their home States amid the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.
Coronavirus News: Gurgaon releases revised list of Containment Zones as COVID-19 cases rise
The Haryana government has released a revised containment zone order for Gurgaon amid the ongoing nation-wide lockdown.
Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon posted the new order by the district administration on Twitter today, which lists the containment zones in the city that have reported positive COVID-19 cases.
The order by District Magistrate of Gurgaon, Amit Khatri, said it is "imperative to strictly observe the lockdown and isolation measures to contain the further spread of COVID-19."
Coronavirus news: 2,711 COVID-19 cases in Karnataka
178 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Karnataka from 5 pm of May 28 to 12 noon today, the state Health Department said. Total positive cases stand at 2,711 including 1,793 active cases, it said.
Coronavirus news: 30 new COVID-19 cases in Assam
Thirty new cases have been reported in Assam, taking the total number of cases to 910, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted. Number of active cases stand at 800, he said.
Coronavirus news: 80% COVID patients have either no symptoms or very mild symptoms, says Delhi Chief minister
Over 80 per cent of people who tested positive for coronavirus have either no symptoms or very mild symptoms, tweeted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Such patients, Mr Kejriwal, said can recover in the comfort of their home.
Coronavirus India Lockdown news: 27 lakh migrant labourers have returned to Uttar Pradesh, says official
More than 27 lakh migrant labourers have returned to Uttar Pradesh, state Additional Chief Secretary (Home),Awanish Awasthi, told ANI. They were provided train/bus services free of cost, and the state will continue the services till all migrants are brought to the state safely,"he said.
Coronavirus news: No community spread in Kerala, says Health Minister KK Shailaja
There has been no evidence of community transmission of the novel coronavirus in Kerala, state Health Minister KK Shailaja was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
"Till now there is no community spread in the state. Contact tracing team is very efficient and they are tracing all contacts," the minister said.
Coronavirus news: Bengal Minister Tests Positive For COVID-19
A minister in the West Bengal governmen has tested positive for COVID-19, making it the first such case in the Mamata Banerjee-led state cabinet.
He has been advised to undergo home quarantine after his test results came out positive on Thursday night. His wife has also tested positive for the virus.
Coronavirus news: Director in Rajya Sabha Secretariat tests positive
A Director in Rajya Sabha Secretariat has been tested positive for novel coronavirus. His wife and children have also tested positive. positive.
His office at the first floor of Parliament House Annexe building has been sanitized and sealed. All those who may have come in contact with the official or his personal staff have been asked to monitor their health.
Coronavirus news: Telangana reports 117 new cases, biggest jump so far
Telangana reported its biggest spike in the number of cases, with 117 people testing positive for the virus. Forty-nine of the those who tested positive were returnees from Saudi Arabia. The new cases have pushed the number of COVID-19 cases to 2,256.
Global count of coronavirus cases crosses 58 lakh, over 3.8 lakh deaths
JUST IN: 7,466 coronavirus cases in India in 24 hours, biggest jump so far, 1.65 lakh total cases, 4,706 deaths
Social Distancing Norms Defy During Protest By Locals In NagpurLocals in Mominpura, a COVID-19 red zone, held a protest here on Thursday demanding re-opening of roads in the area.
With hundreds of people hitting the streets, social distancing norms were flouted openly.
As per the latest update by the Maharashtra Health Department, a total of 59,546 people have tested positive for coronavirus and 1,982 have succumbed to the disease, news agency ANI reported.
3 More Staff Of Delhi Lt Governor Office Test Positive For COVID-19Three more employees of the office of Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal have tested positive for COVID-19, a day after a junior assistant was found infected with the novel coronavirus.
Sources said that entire staff members may undergo COVID-19 test in the next few days, since four cases of coronavirus infection have so far emerged at the LG Secretariat.
"Two junior assistants and a sanitation worker tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday," a source told PTI.
India At No. 9 On Global Coronavirus Chart, Overtakes China In DeathsThe number of coronavirus cases in India crossed 1.6 lakh on Thursday, making it the ninth worst-hit country by the deadly virus infection, while the number of deaths crossed China's official count, data from states governments and America's Johns Hopkins University showed.
With 1,65,386 cases, India has reported nearly double the number of cases in China at 84,106, an online real-time tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University showed. India also surpassed China with as many as 4,711 deaths, compared to 4,638 by Thursday night, the data showed.
West Bengal To Start Plasma Therapy To Treat COVID-19 PatientsWest Bengal has taken a major step towards starting plasma therapy to treat COVID-19 patients after a state-run hospital collected and preserved the blood component from a woman who recovered from the disease in March, a senior official of the health department
said on Thursday.
The therapy involves taking antibodies from the plasma of a person who has recovered from COVID-19 and transfusing those antibodies into an active coronavirus patient to help the immune system fight the infection.
The collection and preservation of plasma have been done at the Department of Immunohaematology and Blood Transfusion of the Kolkata Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday after Monami Biswas donated blood for the purpose, the official said, news agency PTI reported.