JULY 26, 2020
Coronavirus India Updates: With as many as 48,661 new Covid-19 cases, India’s total virus caseload has risen to over 13.85 lakh. As many as 705 coronavirus patients succumbed to the illness since yesterday, bringing the death toll to 32,063. After 36,145 patients were cured in the last 24 hours, the total number of active cases stands at 4.67 lakh.
During his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to exercise caution as the number of Covid-19 cases continue to rise at an alarming rate in the country.
“COVID-19 recovery rate in our country is better than others. Our fatality rate is much less than other countries. We were able to save the lives of lakhs of people, but the threat of coronavirus is not over yet. It is spreading fast in many areas, we need to remain vigilant,” PM Modi said.
As many as 4,42,263 samples were tested yesterday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 tests conducted since the onset of the pandemic to 1.6 crore (1,62,91,331), according to data released by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
A look at the top developments today
Delhi’s COVID-19 recovery rate nearly 88 per cent
Delhi’s recovery rate among corona patients reached nearly 88 per cent on Sunday, with CM Arvind Kejriwal saying the national capital is now at the 10th rank among the states and union territories as the number of active cases are “steadily” declining. The number of active cases is 11,904 now, against 12,657 on Saturday, 13,681 on Friday, 14,554 on Thursday and 14,954 on Wednesday, according to health department bulletins. The recovery rate in Delhi has climbed to 87.95 per cent from Saturday’s figure of 87.29 per cent, while the positivity rate rose to 6.13 per cent from 5.56 per cent on Saturday, the department said in its latest bulletin.
PM to launch COVID-19 testing facilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata on Monday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Monday launch “high throughput” COVID-19 testing facilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata, which will boost the testing capacity and strengthen early detection and treatment in the country, the Prime Minister’s Office said. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, along with the chief ministers of Maharashtra, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh — Uddhav Thackeray, Mamata Banerjee and Yogi Adityanath respectively, will be attend the virtual launch event.
The three high throughput testing facilities have already been set up strategically at ICMR institutions — National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research in Noida, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health in Mumbai and National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases in Kolkata. These have the capacity to test over 10,000 samples per day, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said.
No mass prayers in Eidgah for Bakrid: Karnataka govt
The Karnataka government has allowed Eid-ul-Azha prayers in the mosques only and that too with a maximum of 50 attendies at a time and said mass prayers at Eidgah and other places are prohibited in view of the coronavirus pandemic. People visiting the mosques for prayers will have to wear face masks and maintain the required social distancing, Minority Welfare and Wakf Department Secretary A B Ibrahim said in an order issued on Friday. It said the Hilal committee has decided that the Eid-ul-Azha, also known as Bakrid, would be celebrated on July 31 in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu districts while it would be on August 1 in the rest of the state.
Gap between fresh cases, recoveries widens in West Bengal
On June 20, the number of fresh Covid-19 positive cases in one day in West Bengal stood at 441, while that of patients discharged was 562. The dedicated number of Covid-19 beds in both state-run and private hospitals stood at 10,340. A month later on July 20, the daily new positive cases stood at 2,282 and the daily discharge 1,535. The dedicated Covid beds increased to 11,239.
The state has registered a total of 56,377 Covid-19 cases, while 1,332 have succumbed to the illness.
While the gap between new positive cases and discharged patients hovered over 700 per day, the state government in an entire month only managed to increase 899 dedicated Covid beds in hospitals across the state, according to the data released by the state government in the health bulletins.
In a bid to arrest the rise in fresh cases, the state government has announced a fresh lockdown of two days per week. According to the government, the lockdown could reduce the spread of the infection, free up hospital beds and break the chain of transmission.
The state has registered a total of 56,377 Covid-19 cases, while 1,332 have succumbed to the illness.
Over 9,000 new cases registered in Maharashtra; death toll in Mumbai crosses 6,000
A single-day surge of 9,251 COVID-19 cases pushed Maharashtra’s tally to 3,66,368 on Saturday. The death toll grew by 257 to stand at 13,389, said the Health department. Meanwhile, Mumbai alone registered 52 fatalities since yesterday, taking the total toll to over 6,033.
Healthcare staff conducting screening and swab collection for Covid-19 test at an apartment complex in Dadar west on Monday. Express photo by Nirmal Harindran, 20-07-2020, Mumbai.
Mumbai reported 1,090 new coronavirus cases taking the active number of infections at 23,071. The total number of patients reported in the city so far is 1,07,981 and 78,877 of them have recovered.
Pune district reported 2,891 new coronavirus cases till Saturday evening, taking its case tally to 66,965, a health official said. The death toll in the district due to the pandemic reached 1,672 with 47 patients succumbing to the infection.
A record 7,227 patients were discharged in the state on Saturday, bringing the total number of active cases to 1,45,785. As many as 18,36,920 people have been tested so far.
Over 3,000 Covid-19 patients untraceable in Bengaluru, say health officials
At least 3,338 people who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, which accounts for about 7 per cent of the cities’ total caseload, are “untraceable”, state health authorities have said. A search is currently underway to locate them.
According to the city’s civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), many Covid-19 patients ‘disappeared’ after testing positive. They provided incorrect phone numbers and addresses, making it difficult for the police to find them.
On Saturday, Karnataka reported over 5 lakh new cases, bringing the state’s total caseload to well over 90,000. Bengaluru reported 2,036 fresh cases, pushing its tally to 43,503.
Over 7,800 new cases recorded in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh recorded as many as 7,813 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the state’s overall tally to 88,671. In the last one week, Andhra Pradesh has contributed more number of novel Coronavirus cases than any other state in India, except Maharashtra.
People wait in queue to give their nasal swab samples for COVID-19 test at Government Fever Hospital in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, July 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
The highest number of cases have been registered in the East Godavari district. The area recorded 1,324 cases in the last 24 hours and has a total caseload of 12,391. It is followed by Kurnool, which has a tally of 10,357 positive cases.
The state has registered a total of 985 deaths since the onset of the pandemic in the country.
Coronavirus remains lethal, exercise caution, says PM Modi
“Whenever you feel like taking off your masks, think of frontline soldiers. Villages have been making extraordinary efforts against Covid-19,” he added.
During his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to continue to exercise caution as the number of Covid-19 cases continued to rise at an alarming rate in the country.
He also praised the efforts of community leaders in villages across India to contain the spread of the virus. “’During COVID19, Balbir Kaur, sarpanch of Trewa in Jammu, built a 30-bed quarantine bed in her panchayat. Jaituna Begum of Chountliwar in Ganderbal resolved that her panchayat will fight COVID19 & also create employment opportunities,” he said.
“Whenever you feel like taking off your masks, think of frontline soldiers. Villages have been making extraordinary efforts against Covid-19,” he added.
Forsaken after Covid, Bhagalpur says, ‘This is no time for elections’
Bhagalpur, the focus of a series by The Indian Express to understand the effects on a district of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown, has the trappings of the rest of Bihar. There is a steeply rising coronavirus curve, complicated by high poverty indicators in Bhagalpur’s 1,500 villages, thousands of migrants who have returned and are now unemployed, and the spectre of floods.
Forsaken after Covid, Bhagalpur says, ‘This is no time for elections’, – (Express file photo by Dipankar Ghose)
While there are no signs of an election, what dominates conversations is all of the above — the pandemic, its effects, and the political response to it.
While there are no signs of an election, what dominates conversations is all of the above — the pandemic, its effects, and the political response to it.
Local BJP leaders in Bhagalpur admit that in May and June, there was palpable anger against the ruling NDA, both at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. “When we set up the equipment for digital rallies (held by BJP leaders, including Amit Shah), they asked if we could not help them instead. The party told us to keep meeting people, ask them what they wanted from their leaders,” a former deputy mayor of Bhagalpur says, adding, “Who could have dealt with a worldwide pandemic better than Modi and Nitish, symbols of good governance? Now people realise that this pain is everywhere, in every state.”
However, the BJP leader feels, it will eventually come down to the candidates. “If you didn’t stand with the people, cowered inside your house, you will get voted against.”
Courtesy/Source: The Indian Express
