Cases near 60,000-mark; testing capacity scaled up to 95,000 per day
NEW DELHI: With India entering its 46th day of the lockdown, Coronavirus cases reached 60,000-mark on Saturday as 3,320 new cases and 95 deaths were reported in a day. Of the total 59,662 cases, 39,834 are active while 17,847 people have recovered and 1,981 have died due to the virus. It is for the third day in a row that India has reported above 3,000 positive cases in a single day.
With 1,307 new recoveries in the last 24 hours, the rate of recovery has improved to 30 per cent from 29.35 per cent, while the death rate is almost constant at 3.32 per cent.
The testing capacity for COVID19 has been scaled up to around 95,000 tests per day and a total of 15,25,631 tests had been conducted so far across 339 government and 123 private laboratories.
According to the Health Ministry’s data, Maharashtra’s Coronavirus count increased to 19,063 as the state has witnessed over 1,000 fresh cases in the last 24 hours. The death toll in the state stood at 731. Notably, Maharashtra is the only state in India that has recorded over 19,000 COVID-19 cases and above 700 fatalities.
Gujarat is the second highest with the state recording a total of 7,402 cases and 449 deaths followed by Delhi at 6,318, Tamil Nadu at 6,009,
Rajasthan at 3,579, Madhya Pradesh at 3,341, Uttar Pradesh at 3,214, West Bengal at 1,978, Andhra Pradesh at 1,887, Punjab at 1,731 and Telangana at 1,133. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has partnered with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to develop a fully indigenous vaccine for COVID-19,
the apex health research body said on Saturday. The vaccine will be developed using the virus strain isolated at the ICMR’S National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, a statement said. The strain has been successfully transferred from NIV to BBIL, it added.
The Union Home ministry’s
lockdown guidelines that mandate employers to ensure that their employees have the Aarogya Setu mobile app does not apply to domestic helps, a senior official said on Saturday.
The official said this provision was clearly designed for public and private offices.
Globally, nearly 40 lakh people have tested positive for the deadly virus since its emergence in China last December, while approximately 2.75
lakh people have lost their lives. However, nearly 13 lakh people have recovered too, including nearly 2 lakh in the US and over 1.4 lakh in Germany.
Germany and South Korea are among those countries that have been seen as having successfully avoided a large number of deaths by their extensive testing and contact tracing measures. But, worries mounted on Saturday about fresh outbreaks in both the countries following various
lockdown relaxations, thus raising the risks associated with reopening of economies.
We are serving the humanity and have to continue doing so
J P NADDA ON COVID-19 FIGHT