The number of coronavirus-linked deaths has crossed the 9,000-mark in India.
India's coronavirus tally rose to 3,20,922 cases today as it recorded the single-day biggest jump of 11,929 new infections in the last 24 hours and 311 deaths, the Union Health Ministry said this morning. A total of 9,195 COVID-19 patients have died so far, according to the government. This is the second consecutive day that India has recorded more than 11,000 new infections in one day. The country has jumped two positions since last week to become the fourth worst-hit country by the pandemic after the United States, Brazil and Russia. Over 70,000 new patients and more than 2,000 deaths have been recorded in a week as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Gujarat continue to remain the worst-affected states.
Here are the top 10 developments on coronavirus cases in India:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, among other ministers and officials, to review the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They discussed the situation in the states and Union Territories, including Delhi, where coronavirus cases have been rising.
The centre has added new symptoms of COVID-19 in a document published for use by health professionals as a reference. "Loss of smell and taste" has been added to a list of nine other symptoms in the document "Clinical Management Protocol: COVID-19".
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Dr Harsh Vardhan and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are a holding a meeting this morning, two days after the Supreme Court pulled up the Delhi government over its handling of the pandemic. This is the second meeting between Amit Shah and Kejriwal in less than a week.
With the third highest number of cases in India, Delhi has logged nearly 38,000 cases so far. The number is likely to cross the 5 lakh-mark by July 31, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has said.
With over 1 lakh coronavirus cases, Maharashtra continues to remain the worst-hit state in the country. On Saturday, it recorded 3,493 new patients and 127 deaths. A total of 3,717 people have died in the state so far.
Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in Mumbai, the city worst-affected by the novel coronavirus outbreak, are operating at 99 per cent capacity and 94 per cent of ventilators in the city are currently in use, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Saturday.
Tamil Nadu, which has India's second highest number of coronavirus infections, recorded the single-day biggest jump of 1,982 new patients, taking the state's tally to 40,698. Chennai, the state's coronavirus hotspot, has 14,180 active cases.
As restrictions ease across the country in a phased manner, Uttarakhand on Saturday announced a jail term of six months and a fine of Rs 5,000 for not wearing masks in public places. In Delhi, Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Saturday empowered health, revenue and police officials to impose fines up to Rs 1,000 for violations of COVID-19 rules.
In a new set of protocols, the Union Health Ministry has removed its earlier recommendation of using hydroxychloroquine in combination with azithromycin in severe cases and requiring ICU management. The government has recommended use of anti-viral drug remdesivir under "emergency use authorization, off-label application of immunomodulator tocilizumab and convalescent plasma therapy for treating COVID-19 patients in moderate stage of criticality", in the new guidelines, news agency PTI reported.
Globally, the coronavirus count has crossed the 76 lakh-mark. Nearly 4.2 lakh people have died due to the highly infectious illness. The United States - that has logged over 20 lakh patients so far- has the highest number of cases.
Coronavirus originated in China's Wuhan city in December. The country reported 57 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, the highest daily figure since April, as concerns grow about a resurgence of the illness, news agency AFP reported.
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