This Article is From Aug 12, 2020

Coronavirus Highlights: Coronavirus Death Rate Below 2%, Says Centre

Covid-19 India Updates: 15,83,489 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the infection, taking the recovery rate to 69.79 per cent, the ministry said today.

Coronavirus Highlights: Coronavirus Death Rate Below 2%, Says Centre

COVID-19 Cases India Updates: Coronavirus cases crossed the 22 lakh- mark today.

New Delhi:

Coronavirus India Live Updates: The country's COVID-19 mortality rate dropped below 2 per cent for the first time in weeks, the Health Ministry said this evening. The announcement came after a virtual conference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief ministers of 10 of the worst affected states.

India has logged 53,601 cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours with 871 deaths, the Union Health Ministry said in the morning. The total number of cases in the country has now shot up to 22,68,675 with 45,257 deaths. A total of 15,83,489 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the infection, taking the recovery rate to 69.79 per cent, the ministry said today.

This is the seventh consecutive day that India, which has the third highest COVID-19 caseload in the world, has reported more cases in a day than the United States and Brazil, which have logged more patients than India since the beginning of the pandemic.

The COVID-19 cases in the country have jumped from 10 lakh to 22 lakh in 24 days, an analysis of the health ministry data done by news agency PTI showed on Monday. India's COVID-19 recoveries have reached a "historic peak", made possible by the policy of "testing aggressively, tracking comprehensively and treating efficiently", the Health Ministry had said in a statement.

Here are the updates on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:

Aug 12, 2020 07:01 (IST)
Coronavirus News: Bihar Plans To Raise Covid Tests To 1 Lakh Per Day: Nitish Kumar Tells PM
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Tuesday told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the state plans to raise testing rate for COVID-19 to over one lakh per day.

Mr Kumar, who was joined by his counterparts in nine other states at the video conference meeting on coronavirus situation, said the state was at present testing more than 75,000 samples daily though the number of RT-PCR examinations, which he called "the most important", remained as low as about 6100 per day.

"The RT-PCR facility will soon be introduced at five more medical college hospitals which would help in raising the daily average by about 2300. Moreover, we have plans to purchase 10 RT-PCR and RNA extraction machines which would raise our capacity by another 5,000", he said.



Aug 12, 2020 06:10 (IST)
No Known Data On Quality, Efficacy And Safety Of Russian Vaccine: Germany
Germany on Tuesday raised doubts over the quality and safety of Russia's coronavirus vaccine, stressing that drug approval is granted in the European Union only after full clinical trials.

"Patient safety is of the highest priority," a health ministry spokeswoman told German newspaper network RND. "There is no known data on the quality, efficacy and safety of the Russian vaccine."
Aug 12, 2020 05:21 (IST)
Punjabis' "No Worries" Attitude Delaying COVID Testing: Amarinder Singh
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said Tuesday the Punjabi attitude of ''koyi gal nahin'' was causing people to delay their COVID-19 testing until it became inevitable, warning them it could prove detrimental in some cases.

Mr Singh blamed the attitude for the higher-than-Haryana mortality rate in Punjab.

He said he had conveyed this to Prime Minister Narendra Modi too earlier Tuesday.



Aug 12, 2020 05:20 (IST)
News: Over 10 Lakh Indians Have Returned From Abroad Under Vande Bharat Mission
Over 10 lakh Indians have returned from abroad after the government launched the "Vande Bharat" evacuation mission on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.

MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava tweeted, "Vande Bharat Mission crosses the 1 million mark!".

"We continue our efforts with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to bring our nationals home," he tweeted.

Aug 11, 2020 23:59 (IST)
UN says pandemic could inflict severe damage on youth

The United Nations warned Tuesday that the coronavirus crisis could have a severe and lasting impact on the life prospects of young adults without swift remedial action.

The UN's International Labour Organization said the career prospects of people aged 18 to 29 were taking a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, while students faced a "gloomy outlook" for its effects on their education.

The ILO report entitled "Youth and COVID-19: impacts on jobs, education, rights and mental well-being" said young adults had been disproportionately affected by the crisis.
Aug 11, 2020 23:20 (IST)
Over 10 lakh Indians have returned from abroad under Vande Bharat Mission: Centre

Over 10 lakh Indians have returned from abroad after the government launched the "Vande Bharat" evacuation mission on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava tweeted, "Vande Bharat Mission crosses the 1 million mark!".

"We continue our efforts with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to bring our nationals home," he tweeted.
Aug 11, 2020 22:45 (IST)
Over 700 COVID-19 patients received plasma to treat coronavirus: Arvind Kejriwal

Over 700 COVID-19 patients in Delhi have received plasma from designated banks enabling their recovery from coronavirus infection, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.

He asserted that the system of plasma bank has been a "crucial element" in the 'Delhi Model' of COVID-19 response and is being adopted by other states too. 

"Until now, around 710 units of convalescent plasma have been provided, enabling recovery of patients across hospitals in Delhi," he was quoted as saying in a statement released by the Delhi government.
Aug 11, 2020 22:16 (IST)
Cases in Pune district might cross 1.6 lakh by month-end: Official

The number of COVID-19 cases in Pune district might cross 1.6 lakh at the end of this month as per the projection of the Maharashtra health department, a senior official said today. However, the number of active cases are expected to come down by August 24.

Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao said the positivity ratio and the case fatality rate are stable in the district as of now.

"As per the projection of the state health department, there will be over 1.60 lakh cases in Pune district by the end of August. Of these cases, around 62,000 cases will be active," said Mr Rao.

The total count of cases as of today was more than 1.1 lakh in the Pune district while 82,000 of patients have been either discharged or recovered, as per the official data.
Aug 11, 2020 21:42 (IST)
West Bengal COVID-19 cases cross 1 lakh-mark

The COVID-19 count in West Bengal rose above the one lakh-mark today to reach 1,01,390 after 2,931 new infections were reported, the state health department said.

The death count mounted to 2,149 with 49 fresh deaths, the department said in a bulletin.

Since Monday, 3,067 patients were discharged from hospitals taking the total number of people who recovered from the disease to 73,395.
Aug 11, 2020 21:30 (IST)
Aug 11, 2020 21:17 (IST)
Maharashtra adds 11,088 new cases, count rises to 5,35,601

Maharashtra has reported 11,088 fresh cases of COVID-19, taking its tally to 5,35,601, while 256 more patients died due to the infection, said a state health official.

After the addition of new cases, the state's tally rose to 5,35,601, while the COVID-19 death figure increased to 18,306, he said.

Also, 10,014 patients were discharged from hospitals on Tuesday, taking the number of recovered cases to 3,68,435, the official said.
Aug 11, 2020 20:34 (IST)
Punjab reports record 32 COVID-19 deaths, over 1,000 fresh cases

Punjab reported a record 32 deaths due to COVID-19, pushing the death toll to 636, while 1,002 fresh cases took the state's infection tally to 25,889.

Eleven fatalities were reported in Ludhiana, four in Sangrur, three each in Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar and Mohali and one each in Gurdaspur, Bathinda, Kapurthala, Muktsar and Tarn Taran, according to a medical bulletin.

A total of 1,055 coronavirus patients were discharged after recovering from the infection. So far, 16,790 people have been cured of the infection.
Aug 11, 2020 20:15 (IST)
Trinamool failed to tackle COVID-19 crisis in Bengal: BJP's Dilip Ghosh

The West Bengal BJP alleged that the Trinamool Congress government has failed to tackle the COVID-19 crisis as the number of coronavirus cases in the state is rising.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said the TMC government instead of tackling the COVID-19 crisis is only asking for money from the Centre during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's periodic video conferences with chief minister on the coronavirus situation in the country.

He said the state government's decision to take recourse to "erratic" lockdowns has not resulted in improving the situation but rather "aggravated" it.
Aug 11, 2020 19:43 (IST)
Karnataka Changes Rules For COVID-19 Home Isolation. New Guidelines Here.
Coronavirus patients isolating at home in Karnataka will be considered discharged 10 days after their last positive test, according to revised guidelines from the state government
Aug 11, 2020 19:25 (IST)
20 Countries Have Pre-Ordered A Billion Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine: Russia

Moscow has dubbed its new coronavirus vaccine "Sputnik V" after the Soviet satellite, the head of the country's sovereign wealth fund said Tuesday, after Russia declared itself the first country to develop a vaccine.

Kirill Dmitriyev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund which finances the vaccine project, said Phase 3 trials would start on Wednesday and industrial production was expected from September.

Aug 11, 2020 18:44 (IST)
National Expert Group constituted for vaccine logistics: Health Ministry 

The government has constituted National Expert Group on Vaccine Admn which will meet tomorrow. "Their terms of reference constitute all matters related to logistics of vaccines, ways to address issues of equity," says Health Ministry on Centre's plan to tie-up with Russia to get coronavirus vaccine.

This expert group will continue its engagement with all state governments and vaccine manufacturers in India, says Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Health Ministry.
Aug 11, 2020 18:28 (IST)
Aug 11, 2020 17:52 (IST)
PM said some states need to increase COVID-19 testing: Health Ministry official

Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to the fact that there are states - Bihar, Gujarat, UP, West Bengal and Telangana -- where there is a need to increase testing rate as positivity rate at present in these states is on a higher side, says Rajesh Bhushan, Health Ministry official, on PM's video conferencing with 10 states today.
Aug 11, 2020 17:39 (IST)
Delhi-NCR managed to bring down COVID-19 cases with Centre's help: Official

Health ministry secretary Rajesh Bhushan said the Delhi-NCR region, on Centre's directions and with help, was able to bring down coronavirus cases.

He said the PM also emphasised all three things which can be accomplished. This has been shown by NCR states, in Haryana and UP, and Delhi which followed a strategy prepared under the leadership of the Union home ministry. They registered a substantial number of recoveries, the official added.
Aug 11, 2020 17:21 (IST)
India's COVID-19 death rate below 2% for first time: Health Ministry
Health ministry Secretary Rajesh Bhushan says India's COVID-19 death rate has fallen below 2% for the first time. He says India's coronavirus death rate at the present is 1.99%.

The official said that PM Modi, during a meeting with 10 states, emphasised on containment, contract-tracing and surveillance as the most important tools to fight COVID-19.

According to the official, PM Modi, during the meeting, said all state governments should try that any new positive cases, their close contacts should be tested and traced as well as hospitalised or quarantined (as necessary) within 72 hours, to reduce the COVID-19 fatality rate.

The PM said our aim is bring Covid fatality rate below 1%. "Right now, the fatality rate is under 2 per cent fatality rate  -- 1.99% at the moment," the official said.
Aug 11, 2020 16:56 (IST)
COVID-19 recovery rate nears 70 per cent: Centre

India's COVID-19 recovery rate nears 70 per cent, while case fatality rate falls below 2 per cent, says health ministry.
Aug 11, 2020 16:04 (IST)
New Zealand reports first coronavirus infections after 102 days

New Zealand announced its first locally transmitted coronavirus infections more than 100 days on Tuesday and issued a stay-at-home lockdown order for the country's largest city.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said four cases had been detected in a single family in Auckland from an unknown source. "After 102 days, we have our first cases of COVID-19 outside of managed isolation or quarantine facilities... we have all worked incredibly hard to prevent this scenario," she told the country in a televised address.

New Zealand reported just 22 deaths in a population of 22 million and had not recorded community transmission since May 1.

Aug 11, 2020 14:37 (IST)
Bhutan Orders First Nationwide Lockdown As Coronavirus Cases Hit 113
Bhutan ordered its first nationwide lockdown on Tuesday after a returning resident tested positive for coronavirus after being discharged from quarantine and coming into close contact with people in the capital Thimphu.
Aug 11, 2020 14:31 (IST)
Coronavirus News: Russia has developed "first" coronavirus vaccine, says Vladimir Putin
Russia has developed "first" coronavirus vaccine, says Vladimir Putin: news agency AFP.
Aug 11, 2020 14:03 (IST)
Coronavirus News: 276 New COVID-19 Cases Take Puducherry's Total Count To 5,900
Two more people have died due to COVID-19 in Puducherry while the Union Territory has resported 276 fresh cases today, taking the total count to 5,900, reported news agency PTI. Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao told a virtual press conference that while one patient aged 44 died at Indira Gandhi Government Medical college (IGGMC) hospital here, the other aged 69 passed away at a private hospital in the last 24 hours. Both the patients had co-morbidities. With the two deaths, the death count rose to 91. Of the new cases, Puducherry registered 241 cases, followed by 30 cases in Karaikal and five in the Yanam region.
Aug 11, 2020 13:53 (IST)
Coronavirus News: Rajasthan Reports 620 New COVID-19 Cases, 10 Deaths
Rajasthan has reported 620 new COVID-19 cases till 10:30 am today, pushing the state's coronavirus tally to 54,290 cases, reported news agency ANI. According to the Rajasthan health department's bulletin, 10 deaths were reported on Monday, taking the death count to 810. There are 14,207 active cases in the state. As many as 214 patients have been discharged taking the number of such patients to 36,524. 213 patients have recovered, taking the total number of recovered patients to 39,273, the bulletin said.
Aug 11, 2020 12:29 (IST)
Coronavirus News: Odisha Reports 1,341 New COVID-19 Cases, 10 More Deaths
Odisha's COVID-19 tally rose to 48,796 with the detection of 1,341 new cases, a health department official said on Tuesday, reported news agency PTI. Ten more patients died, following which the death count rose to 296, he said. Three people died in Ganjam and in Khurda district while Sunderharh, Rayagada, Puri and Balasore reported one fatality each. Besides, two COVID-19 patients from Bhubaneswar and Nabarangpur also died but these fatalities were due to other reasons. The number of such deaths in the state increased to 53, the official said. The new cases were reported from 29 districts.
Aug 11, 2020 12:25 (IST)
Coronavirus News: Telangana Logs 1,896 New COVID-19 Cases, 8 Deaths
Telangana recorded 1,896 new COVID-19 cases and eight fatalities, taking the total infection tally in the state to 82,647, reported news agency PTI. The declining trend in fresh coronavirus cases continued in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), which reported only 338 new cases, a state government bulletin said on Tuesday.
Aug 11, 2020 11:20 (IST)
Coronavirus News: Single-day COVID Cases Dip Below 55,000, Recovery Rate Rises To 69.80%
Single-day COVID-19 cases in India dipped below 55,000 on Tuesday after the country recorded over 60,000 cases daily for four straight days, according to the Union Health Ministry data, reported news agency PTI. With the fresh cases, India's COVID-19 tally has risen to 22.68 lakh, while the recoveries have surged pass 15.83 lakh, pushing the recovery rate to 69.80 per cent.
Aug 11, 2020 11:17 (IST)
Coronavirus News: 36 Security Personnel Among 76 New COVID-19 Cases In Arunachal Pradesh
Seventy-six more people, including 36 security personnel, have tested positive for coronavirus in Arunachal Pradesh, taking the state's tally to 2,231 on Tuesday, a senior health department official said, reported news agency PTI. Barring nine, all of them are asymptomatic, the official said. Of the 76 new cases, 23 were reported in West Kameng, 15 from Capital Complex region, six each from East Siang and Changlang districts, five from Upper Subansiri, four each from Leparada and Namsai, three from Lower Dibang Valley, two each from Tawang, Lower Siang, East Kameng, and Lohit, and one each from Papumpare and Lower Subansiri.
Aug 11, 2020 10:20 (IST)
Coronavirus News: PM Modi To Meet Chief Ministers Of 10 States Today Over Coronavirus
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a virtual meeting with the chief ministers of 10 states today to review the coronavirus situation. This is the seventh such interaction with chief ministers on the coronavirus crisis. The meeting comes after "Unlock3" or the third phase of  lifting of coronavirus-related restrictions across the country began last month. The chief ministers of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and West Bengal are expected to attend the meeting which begins at 11 AM. Read here
Aug 11, 2020 10:08 (IST)
Coronavirus News: Assam Reported Biggest Single-Day Jump On Monday With 2,900 Fresh Cases
Assam has reported the highest single-day spike in coronavirus cases with 2,900 fresh infections on Monday. The state has reported over 60,000 cases of coronavirus with 151 deaths so far. Over 42,000 COVID-19 patients have recovered so far in the state and nearly 20,000 are undergoing treatment. The state's positivity rate has dropped to a little over 4 per cent.
Aug 11, 2020 10:01 (IST)
Coronavirus News: India Reported Highest Number Of New COVID-19 Cases Globally Between August 4-10, Says WHO
India has recorded the most number of single-day cases globally for the seventh straight day today. According to the World Health Organisation, India has recorded the highest number of new coronavirus cases globally between August 4 and August 10.
Aug 11, 2020 09:51 (IST)
Coronavirus News: These Five States Recorded Most Number Of COVID-19 Cases, Fatalities In 24 Hours
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh are the five states which reported the most number of coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. These states also had the most number of single-day fatalities.
Aug 11, 2020 09:40 (IST)
Coronavirus News: 53,601 Cases Of Coronavirus Reported In 24 Hours
India has logged 53,601 cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours with 871 deaths. The total number of cases in the country has now shot up to 22,68,675 with 45,257 fatalities. 15,83,489 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the infection, taking the recovery rate to 69.79 per cent, officials said today. Read here
Aug 11, 2020 09:17 (IST)
Coronavirus News: Over 300 Assam Health Workers Ready To Donate Plasma For Covid Patients
In Assam, where the government has launched a massive campaign to collect blood plasma from people who have recovered from coronavirus , more than 300 doctors, nurses and health workers who got infected in the line of duty signed up at a plasma donation camp on Monday so they can save lives. Assam's health workers - from both the public and private sectors - queued up to sign up as plasma donors at a mega plasma donation camp in Guwahati. Read here
Aug 11, 2020 07:37 (IST)
Coronavirus: World Crosses 20 Million Cases, WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Says Never Too Late To Turn Outbreak Around
The coronavirus pandemic chalked up another horrific milestone Monday as the world surpassed 20 million recorded cases of infection from the tiny killer that has upended life just about everywhere.
Aug 11, 2020 07:12 (IST)
Coronavirus Update: India Stands Second After US In Coronavirus Testing, Says Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump today that India stands second in terms of coronavirus testing while no other country comes close to the United States.

According to Donald Trump, while the US has tested close to 65 million people for coronavirus, India would be second with 11 million tests.

"We have tested close to 65 million people and no country is even close to that number. India would be second at 11 million (tests) and they have 1.5 billion people. We have the number one testing in the world by far and also the highest quality tests," Donald Trump told reporters.

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