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Published: July 19, 2020 12:38:35 pm
A team of healthcare workers taking samples of resident of Gandhi Colony near Mansa Devi temple in Panchkula on Saturday, July 18 2020. (Express Photo by Jaipal Singh)
Coronavirus India Updates: India witnessed a record single-day jump of 38,902 coronavirus cases on Saturday, pushing its total tally to 10,77,618, data from the Union Health Ministry showed. The death toll due to the disease rose to 26,816, with 543 fatalities in a day.
The total number of recoveries rose to 6,77,422, with as many as 23,672 patients recovering in the last 24 hours. Sunday marks the fourth consecutive day when Covid-19 cases in the country have increased by over 30,000.
Of the 543 reported deaths, 144 are from Maharashtra, 93 from Karnataka, 88 from Tamil Nadu, 52 from Andhra Pradesh, 27 from West Bengal, 26 from Delhi, 24 from Uttar Pradesh, 17 from Haryana, 16 from Gujarat and 9 from Madhya Pradesh.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 1,37,91,869 samples have been tested up to July 18, with 3,58,127 samples being tested on Saturday.
The Ministry said that the 11 countries most affected by Covid-19 in the world—the US, Brazil, Russia, Peru, Chile, mexico, South Africa, the UK, Iran, Pakistan, Spain together reported 8 times more cases and 14 times more deaths than India.
Globally, over 14.14 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus and 5,96,576 have died, according to a Reuters tally. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported a record increase in Covid-19 infections on Saturday, with total cases rising by nearly 2,59,848 in the last 24 hours.
The United States reported the highest rise in cases, followed by Brazil, India and South Africa, according to a daily report. Deaths increased by 7,360, the highest one-day rise since May 10.
Medics at Majnu ka Tila in New Delhi on Friday, July 17, 2020, during Unlock 2.0. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)
Free ambulance service
The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has started free ambulance service for Covid-19 patients in need of “mobility support in the national capital”, PTI reported.
Twelve ambulances equipped with “ultra-modern medical facilities” have been rolled out for this purpose, the Sikh body said. DSGMC President Manjinder Singh Sirsa said more ambulances will be made available as per requirement.
“Covid-19 patients can avail free ambulance service by dialing “9811992175/9818676757 for West Delhi, 9899511581/8527154302 for East Delhi, 8010471440/9953333307 for South Delhi, 9868741345/8587944794 for North Delhi,” the DSGMC said.
Meanwhile, human trials of Covaxin — India’s first vaccine candidate against Covid-19 infection — will start at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, with the premier institution getting approval from the ethics committee to begin the process of enrolling participants.
A total of 100 participants will be recruited by the institute, with the trials being carried out on 375 participants in the first phase.
So far, AIIMS Patna and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Rohtak have begun clinical trials of the vaccine candidates.
Inter-state travelers responsible for Covid-19 spread: Karnataka government
The Karnataka government holds inter-state travelers responsible for the spurt in coronavirus infections in Bengaluru, saying those from hotspot states like Maharashtra could have brought the infection, PTI reported.
State Minister for Medical Education K Sudhakar said there was no community transmission, adding that if that were to be the case, the number of infections would be running into ‘lakhs’. He said that the state government’s “vigilant approach” has slowed down the spread of the virus by two months in the city.
Bengaluru has so far reported 29,621 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 6,540 discharges and 631 deaths.
Healthcare staff performing swab collection for Covid-19 tests for elderly people in Dadar West on Saturday, July 18 2020. (Express Photo by Nirmal Harindran)
Mizoram coronavirus case count rises to 284
Two people tested positive for Covid-19 in Mizoram on Saturday, taking the state’s total count to 284, PTI quoted a health official as saying.
The new patients are from Aizawl and had recently returned from other states, the official said.
Of the total cases in the state, 117 are active while 167 people have recovered. Aizawl district has the highest number of active cases at 77, followed by 16 in Lunglei, 13 in Lawngtlai, four in Serchhip, three each in Siaha and Champhai and one in Mamit district, the official said.
Assam Covid-19 death toll rises to 53
The death toll due to Covid-19 in Assam rose to 53 on Saturday, with two more people succumbing to the disease, while 1,117 new cases brought the state’s total tally to 22,981, PTI quoted Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as saying.
The state had reported its highest single-day spike of 1,218 cases on Friday.
As many as 1,060 patients were discharged on Saturday, taking the total number of people who have recovered to 15,165, Sarma said. There are around 7,760 active cases in the state.
Guwahati city, which is under a lockdown since June 28 has reported 515 new cases. The Assam government has prohibited inter-district movement of people from July 22 till further orders to prevent community spread of Covid-19, Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna said on Saturday.
Fearing spread in Gandhi Colony, Panchkula administration declares it a containment zone
Gandhi Colony, a slum with a population of 2,100 living in 485 huts with access to only 20 public bathrooms, was turned into a containment zone on Saturday. Although the area has reported only one Covid-19 case yet, the drastic measures have been taken to stop any possible spread of infection in the congested colony.
The area is turning out to be a major challenge for health authorities and residents alike.
The Gandhi Colony slum is divided into three broad lanes, which give way to multiple smaller lanes. Most families, with up to five members, live in raw 7×7 huts, most of which are small tents with only the basic necessities. The area consists mostly of migrants from Uttar Pradesh who sell fruits and vegetables in the neighbouring areas of the colony, situated in MDC 4.
Nearly 4,000 new cases in Andhra Pradesh
A new single-day high of 3,963 new COVID-19 cases pushed the overall tally in Andhra Pradesh to 44,609 on Saturday while 52 patients died, the highest in a day so far. In the last 24 hours, 23,872 samples were tested, of which 3,963 turned positive, close to 18 per cent.
A staggering 994 new cases were added in East Godavari district alone and another 550 in Kurnool, taking their aggregate to 5,499 and 5,681 respectively. East Godavari also registered 12 casualties, the highest in a day in a district so far, according to the bulletin.
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