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Since the lockdown was announced on March 24, India has added between 75-100 cases a day on average.
India on Sunday reported more than 100 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the overall case load to 979.
“There have been six deaths in the past 24 hours,” said Joint Secretary in the Union Health Ministry Lav Agrawal at a briefing.
“We have identified certain emerging hotspots and [will] investigate, on a war footing, what action can be taken there,” he added. However, none of the officials at the briefing specified the hotspots or the number of cases at these locations.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said testing for new cases has been stepped up to 30% of the nation’s capacity.
Director-General of ICMR Balram Bhargava had said earlier this month that the country could theoretically test upto 70,000 samples a week.
Head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at ICMR, Raman Gangakhedkar, said there was no estimate yet of whether the nationwide lockdown — now into its fifth day — had managed to check community transmission. “If we all observe the lockdown strictly then there’s a chance that we will soon reach the peak number of cases,” Dr. Gangakhedkar added. The ICMR continues to maintain that there are no instances of community transmission.
Coronavirus | Isolation is India’s best weapon: ICMR
Reports from State health authorities put the death toll from COVID-19 at 29, with 1,121 positive cases. Maharahstra reported two fatalities, while J&K and Delhi reported one each on Sunday. Maharashtra and Kerala continued to have the most cases at 203 and 202 respectively. Kerala reported 20 new cases, while 1.41 lakh people are under observation, State Health Minister K.K. Shailaja said. Maharashtra had 22 new cases, with 10 from Mumbai.
Since the lockdown was announced on March 24, India has added between 75-100 cases a day on average. According to district-wise updated figures from the Union Health Ministry, Mumbai recorded the highest number of cases at 81, followed by Kasargod in Kerala with 78. Bangalore came next with 26.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority has asked States to coordinate with manufacturers of gloves, hand sanitisers and masks to address shortages in these products. The list mentions 35 manufacturers of gloves, 49 makers of sanitisers and 34 mask makers.
As of Sunday, coronavirus infections have been recorded in 188 countries. There were 6,83,694 cases according to covidindia.org, an independent tracker, and 32,155 deaths globally.
The thrust of the government is to ensure that the lockdown restrictions are strictly adhered to, said Mr. Agrawal. Delhi has seen a surge in migrants packing up and trying to leave the city for their homes in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar mainly but stranded in the city want of transport. The Central government reiterated directions to States to ensure that people stayed put and they be provided food, water and shelter.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The Union Health Ministry on Sunday laid down the standard operating procedure (SOP) for medical staff attending to or transporting suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases, saying the SOP is meant to guide and train ambulance drivers and technicians.
“Ideally, there should be ambulances identified specifically for transporting COVID suspect patients or those who have developed complications, to the health facilities,” according to the SOP.
“Currently, there are two types of ambulances — ALS (with ventilators) and BLS (without ventilators). States may empanel other ambulances having basic equipment like that of BLS and use it for COVID patients,” the Health Ministry said.
It warned against use of the ‘102 ambulances’ for coronavirus patients and said they should only be used to transport pregnant women and sick infants.
The emergency medical technician (EMT), driver of ambulance must wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling, managing and transporting identified and suspected cases of COVID-19.
The patient and the attendant should be provided with triple-layer mask and gloves, the SOP said.
The ministry also provided a sample questionnaire to identify COVID-19 cases in its SOP.
The SOP instructed local authorities to prepare a list of all private ambulance service providers in their respective areas. These ambulances should be linked with a centralised call centre to ensure adequate number of ambulances and reduce response time to an average of 20 minutes, it said.
“Orientation on infection prevention protocols and protocols for transporting COVID patients should also be ensured for staff of these ambulances. To ensure response time of 20 minutes, ambulances should be strategically located at hospitals, police stations,” it said.
It said only identified and designated ambulances should be used for transportation and all health functionaries should be made aware to use such ambulance services for COVID patients through toll free numbers.
“Otherwise it might increase the chances of transmission of infection. Every district should facilitate empanelling of ambulances other than those in the public health system even if the present situation may not require using them.
“To minimize the risk of transmission, it is strongly recommended that if other than empanelled ambulances are bringing COVID or suspect patients, such vehicles need to be quarantined for thorough cleaning and disinfection and should only be released after certification by district administration/ district health official,” it said.
The SOP also enumerates detailed guidelines for each level of contact with such patients — at call centres, on board ambulances, during handing over of patient to institutional care, disinfecting ambulances and capacity building in terms of PPE and a checklist for weekly monitoring by district surgeon/anesthetist.
The Congress leader expressed solidarity with Narendra Modi and asked him to adopt a more ‘nuanced approach’ that factors India’s complex realities
Expressing solidarity with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India’s fight against COVID-19, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asked Mr. Modi to adopt a more “nuanced approach” that factors India’s complex realities and unique position.
In a letter addressed to the PM, Mr. Gandhi argued that a complete lockdown could result in “catastrophic” loss of life as unemployed youth rush back to their villages and endanger the elderly population.
In his letter, released by the Congress party hours after the Prime Minister’s Mann Ki Baat address, he also offered suggestions to deal with the exodus of migrant workers, informal sector and financial institutions as the Congress leader anticipated a further extension of the lockdown.
“It is critical for us to understand that India’s conditions are unique. We will be required to take different steps than other large countries who are following a total lockdown strategy. The number of poor people in India who are dependent on a daily income is simply too large for us to unilaterally shut down all economic activity,” Mr. Gandhi said, and added that “the consequences of a complete economic shut down will disastrously amplify the death toll arising from the Covid-19 virus”.
“It is important that the government consider a nuanced approach that takes the complex realities of our people into consideration. Our priority must be to protect and isolate the elderly and vulnerable from the virus and to clearly and strongly communicate to the young the dangers of proximity to older people,” he said.
“Millions of India’s elderly live in villages. A complete lockdown and the resulting shut down of our economic engine will almost certainly ensure that millions of unemployed youth rush back to their villages, increasing the risk of infecting their parents and the elderly population living there. This will result in a catastrophic loss of life,” the former Congress chief noted.
Mr. Gandhi suggested strengthening the social safety net and use every public resource to support and shelter the working poor as a sudden lockdown has created immense panic and confusion.
He pointed out how closure of factories, small industries and construction sites have forced tens of thousands of migrant labourers to walk home to their villages and are stranded at various State borders.
“It is important that we help them find shelter and provide them with money directly into their bank accounts to help them tide over the next few months,” he said.
The Congress leader noted that the actual economic impact would be felt in a few weeks from now and stressed on the importance of “protecting the financial and strategic institutions from the shock wave that is bound to come”.
“Our informal economy and immense network of small and medium businesses and farmers are going to be vital to any rebuilding effort. It is crucial that we engage them in a conversation, build their confidence and protect their interests with correct and timely action,” he said.
The Congress leader also requested the government to set up big, dedicated hospitals with thousands of beds and ventilators and “dramatically increase the number of tests that we are carrying out to get an accurate picture of the spread of the virus”.
“We stand together with the government in fighting and overcoming this tremendous challenge,” Mr. Gandhi said.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
India Lockdown: Ranveer Singh, who worked as a delivery agent in Delhi, was among the thousands of migrants desperately trying to return to their hometowns and villages after they were left without jobs, shelter or money.
Agra: A 38-year-old man, who had walked over 200 km from Delhi to reach his home in Madhya Pradesh after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus, died on the way.
Ranveer Singh, who worked as a delivery agent in Delhi, was among the thousands of migrants desperately trying to return to their hometowns and villages after they were left without jobs, shelter or money. Most of them have been covering a journey of hundreds of kilometres on foot, as all transport services are shut, including passenger trains and interstate buses, in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Ranveer Singh had started walking to his village in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district, around 326 km from the national capital.
When he collapsed on the highway in Agra in Uttar Pradesh, a local shopkeeper offered him tea and biscuits. But soon, Ranveer Singh had a heart attack and died. The man was about 80 km away from his village.
On Saturday evening, thousands of migrant workers crowded into bus terminals around the national capital trying desperately to return home across the border in Uttar Pradesh.
The centre’s “total lockdown”, meant to halt the spread of a highly infectious novel coronavirus that transmits rapidly in crowded spaces, had suspended all interstate bus and railway services, leaving migrants and their young families no option but to walk hundreds of kilometres foot in searing heat.
The Uttar Pradesh and Delhi governments responded Saturday by arranging buses to ferry the people home; the UP government said it had organized 1,000 buses and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said 200 buses would also be pressed into service.
The government has faced criticism that the lockdown, that came two months after the global outbreak, was announced abruptly and without planning, leaving millions stranded and triggering panic about access to food and basic necessities.
The government brushed aside the allegation that the nationwide lockdown was announced without any planning, triggering a major crisis for migrant workers and people who live on daily incomes. The country’s response to COVID-19 has been “pre-emptive, pro-active and graded”, the government said on Saturday.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
India coronavirus lockdown, day 5 live updates; Over 980 test positive as death toll touches 24
Italy’s death toll from the novel coronavirus shot past 10,000 on Saturday with 889 new deaths, the country’s Civil Protection Service said.
The toll in Italy, which has suffered more deaths than any other country, now stands at 10,023. An additional 5,974 infections brought to 92,472 the number of people who have officially tested positive for COVID-19 in Italy since the crisis began last month.
USA:
A U.S. infant has died from the COVID-19 illness, officials in the state of Illinois said on Saturday, marking an extremely rare case of juvenile death in the global pandemic.
The state Department of Public Health said the child who died in Chicago was younger than one year old and had tested positive for COVID-19.
“There has never before been a death associated with COVID-19 in an infant,” the department’s director Ngozi Ezike said in a statement.
A full investigation is underway to determine the cause of death, said authorities. Multiple studies have found the virus disproportionately affects older patients and those with underlying conditions.
Deaths from new coronavirus in the United States surged past 2,000 Saturday, doubling in just three days, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
The number of deaths late Saturday was 2,010, about a quarter of them in New York City, the country’s hardest hit region, Johns Hopkins reported. That i2,314 in Frances fewer than the 10,023 in Italy, Spain’s 5,812, China’s 3,299 or the 2,314 in France, the tally showed
KARNATAKA:
The district administration has announced fresh restrictions on petrol pumps and shops selling essential things in Hassan, with effect from Sunday.
The petrol pumps, grocery shops, milk booths, malls and others establishments that sell other essential things like vegetables will be open between 7 a.m. and 12 noon on all odd days in a week. On even days, only circulation of newspapers and sale of milk will be allowed between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m.
There is no restriction on medical shops. Hotels are allowed to offer home deliveries. Only two petrol pumps in each city limits will be allowed to open throughout the day.
The administration took this decision after J.C.Madhuswamy, Minister in-charge of the district, held a meeting in Hassan
CANADA:
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife said that she has recovered from being ill from COVID-19.
“I am feeling so much better,” Sophie Gregoire Trudeau said in a statement on social media. She said she received the clearance from her doctor and Ottawa Public Health.
Mr. Trudeau’s office announced on March 12 that she had tested positive for the coronavirus after she fell ill upon returning from a trip to London.
The Prime Minister and his family have been in self isolation at home since then. He and their three children didn’t show symptoms.
– AP
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor on Saturday said the state and central governments should let the licensed liquor shops operate in the evening during the 21-day lockdown period.
In a Twitter post, the actor said liquor is a major source of revenue for the government and is already being sold illegally everywhere in the country.
“Government should for sometime in the evening open all licensed liquor stores. Don’t get me wrong. Man will be at home only what with all this depression, uncertainty around. Cops, doctors, civilians etc… need some release. Black mein to sell ho hi raha hai (It is already being sold in black) (sic),” Kapoor wrote.
“State governments desperately need the money from the excise. Frustration should not add up with depression. As it is everyone is drinking so legalise it no hypocrisy. My thoughts,” he said in another post.
Filmmaker Kunal Kohli agreed with Kapoor and said, “Or open in the mornings. 9am-2pm. The revenue is imp for the states& employees (sic).”
However, Kapoor’s comment didn’t go down well with social media users.
“What about those families, Sir, where ladies face abuse by husbands under the influence of liquor? And, that’s at the best of times. Do you think that it’s a safe option during a lockdown?, a user wrote.
Another user said, “Think beyond it Rishi ji. People don’t have and are not getting even basic food to survive. Watch the TV to know the ground reality and to come out of your cocoon. What an immature suggestion. Absurd.”
“Rich people think in a different trajectory altogether,” a Twitteratti said.
The country is witnessing a 21-day lockdown, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to contain the spread of the virus, which has claimed the lives of over 27,000 people globally.
Incidentally, Kapoor had slammed trolls, who had asked him if he has stocked up liquor for the lockdown.
“Anyone cracking jokes about my country or my lifestyle, will be deleted. Be aware and warned. This is a serious matter. Help us to tide over the situation,” Kapoor had tweeted.
One more death in Gujarat
A 46-year-old woman who had coronavirus infection died at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Hospital in Ahmedabad on Saturday afternoon, taking the number of COVID-19 patients who have died in Gujarat to four, authorities said. The total death toll in India rises to 23.
The woman had tested positive for the virus on March 26 and had been put on ventilator, the hospital said in a statement.
She was also suffering from hypertension and diabetes, it said.
On Thursday, a 70-year-old COVID-19 patient died in Bhavnagar district. Before that, one death each was reported from Ahmedabad and Surat.
Uttar Pradesh:
Five new cases in Gautam Budh Nagar
Five news cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Gautam Budh Nagar, district officials said. With this, the total number of cases in the district has reached 23.
“Three persons have been tested positive in Noida, while a couple has been tested positive for the virus in Dadri area of Greater Noida,” said Anurag Bhargav, Chief Medical Officer, Gautam Buddh Nagar. He said the travel history of the persons was being ascertained.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
With Inputs from PTI
Gujarat recorded six new cases of coronavirus in the last 12 hours, taking the State’s tally of COVID-19 patients to 53, a senior official said.
As many as six new cases were reported since Friday evening, taking the count of coronavirus patients to 53, principal secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi said.
With seven more persons testing positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra, the total number of such cases in the state has gone up to 160, officials said.
Of these seven new COVID-19 patients, five are from Mumbai and two from Nagpur, Health Department officials said.
On Friday, 28 persons were found infected in different parts of the State, they said.
Three men from Indore and one from Ujjain tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday night, taking the count of active cases in Madhya Pradesh to 31, according to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore.
The college had received 52 samples for testing on Thursday, of which three were inappropriate and 45 tested negative. Those who tested positive are aged 60,42 and 23 in Indore, and 23 in Ujjain.
A 69-year-old man who was admitted to the COVID-19 care centre in Ernakulam died at 8 a.m. on March 28. He is Kerala’s first COVID-19 victim.
The man, who had returned from Dubai, was admitted to Ernakulam Medical College Hospital with pneumonia on March 22, said the authorities in a statement.
Tamil Nadu has recorded two new COVID-19 positive cases, TN health minister Dr. C. Vijayabaskar informed via Twitter.
This includes a 42-year-old male from Kumbakonam and a 49-year-old from Katpadi. Both have a history of foreign travel and had transit via Middle East. The former had returned from West Indies and the latter from United Kingdom, and are in isolation at the Thanjavur Medical College Hospital in Thanjavur and at a Vellore private hospital respectively.
Both the patients are stable.
As the world is grappling with thousands of deaths and lakhs of coronavirus-infected cases, there is some hope as the world’s top university Oxford has announced its vaccine is entering Phase 1 clinical trials in humans.
In a press release, University of Oxford stated that its researchers working in an unprecedented vaccine development effort to prevent COVID-19 have started screening healthy volunteers (aged 18-55) on Friday for their upcoming ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine trial in England’s Thames Valley. The vaccine based on an adenovirus vaccine vector and the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is already in production but won’t be ready for some weeks still.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Coronavirus Cases: To reach these numbers, Johns Hopkins and CDDEP — a public health research organisation — used IndiaSIM, a well-validated agent-based model of the Indian population which has been published widely over many years and has been used for government decision-making.
In what could spell real trouble for the country in the next three months, a new report from prestigious Johns Hopkins University and the Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) has predicted that 21-day lockdown may be ineffective to stop the COVID-19 peak arriving in April-May-June — infecting over 12 crore Indians in an optimistic (low) scenario.
In a High scenario (trajectory with current lockdowns but insufficient physical distancing or compliance), the total number of cases (asymptomatic, hospitalized and symptomatic) can even touch a massive figure of 25 crore.
In the most likely (Medium) scenario with moderate to full compliance but no change in virulence or temperature/humidity sensitivity, the numbers of total cases can swell up to 18 crore.
The optimistic (low) scenario constitutes decreased virulence and temperature/humidity sensitivity.
To reach these numbers, Johns Hopkins and CDDEP — a public health research organisation — used IndiaSIM, a well-validated agent-based model of the Indian population which has been published widely over many years and has been used for government decision-making.
According to the report, hospitalised cases can reach up to 25 lakh people in the High scenario, 17-18 lakh people in Medium scenario and 13 lakh people in Low scenario.
“Ventilator demand will be 1 million. Current availability in India is estimated to be between 30,000 and 50,000 ventilators,” said the joint report.
“Mortality in healthcare workers could further increase deaths in the general population. Healthcare workers need personal protective equipment (masks and gowns) to protect themselves. Without them they get sick further straining the capacity of the healthcare system to respond,” the report warned.
The number of coronavirus cases climbed to 649 in India on Thursday and the death toll hit 13, with one death reported each from Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh, according to the Health Ministry.
But March is the month when peak is yet to even begin, according to the report.
According to the report, delays in testing are seriously reducing the ability of the population to protect itself.
“This is the most important way in which we can contain the epidemic. An increase in the official number of detected cases in the short term could encourage the population to take distancing more seriously and will reduce panic compared to a big spike later,” the findings showed.
“Border closures at this stage have little to no impact and add further economic disruption and panic. While international transmission was important in the first stage, domestic transmission is now far more relevant,” it warned.
A national lockdown, said the report, is not productive and could cause serious economic damage, increase hunger and reduce the population resilience for handling the infection peak.
“Some states may see transmission increase only after another 2 weeks and lockdowns should be optimized for when they could maximize the effect on the epidemic but minimize economic damage,” said Johns Hopkins-CDDEP report.
State-level lockdowns in the most affected states could change the trajectory of the epidemic and should commence immediately. Any delay allows for more secondary cases to emerge.
Lockdowns should be guided by testing and serological survey data and should be planned on a rolling basis, the report mentioned, adding that preparedness for case load should be the highest priority at this time.
“Temperature and humidity increases should help us in reducing case load. Although the evidence is limited, it is plausible,” the report mentioned.
Evidence from China indicates that higher temperature and humidity are likely to lower the transmission rates but it is unclear “how this will translate to the India context”.
India “should be prepared for multiple peaks in the model and should be prepared for more cases and deaths later in the year”.
In India, initial infections likely first arrived in early February, according to the report.
People who will show symptoms next week are already infected and incubating the virus. Some of these will transmit before they are symptomatic. A large percentage of cases are mild, but for older individuals, the mortality rate is strikingly higher.
“Children are less likely to be infected and also less likely to be hospitalized than adults. Illness is less likely to be severe in children than in adults,” the report noted.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)