The coronavirus which had first emerged in China’s Wuhan city in December last year and has now spread across many countries in the world. India is also affected by it. Central and States government are taking all preventive measures to curb it.
With 47 new cases, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases rose to 1071 in India on Monday morning, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This includes 99 people who have been discharged or cured of the highly contagious respiratory illness.
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19:50 IST: Entire nation is facing COVID-19 challenge with immense resilience, grit, patience, says PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the entire nation is displaying ‘immense resilience, grit, and patience in facing the challenge of COVID-19.’
Prime Minister Modi, who was interacting with representatives of various social welfare organsations via video conference, said that the entire nation is “displaying immense resilience, grit, and patience in facing the challenge of COVID-19.” Recalling Mahatma Gandhi used to say that serving the poor and downtrodden is the best way to serve the nation, he praised the dedication and commitment of the participating organisation towards serving humanity, read a statement.
Prime Minister Modi stated that these organisations have three distinct specialities — humane approach, massive reach and connect with people and a service mindset — due to which they are trusted implicitly.
He said the nation is facing an unprecedented crisis and needs the service of these organisations and their resources like never before. He suggested that the organisations can play a huge role in arranging for basic necessities for the poor, and can also dedicate their medical facilities and volunteers to serving patients and the needy.
Modi highlighted that the nation needs both short-term measures and a long-term vision to overcome the challenge.
He added that they have a big role to play in countering superstitions, beliefs, and misinformation. He shared that in the name of beliefs, people have been seen gathering at places and flouting social distancing norms.
It is necessary to further spread the importance of maintaining social distancing to check the spread of coronavirus, he said. The representatives of the social welfare organisations praised the leadership of the Prime Minister in navigating a complicated situation with dexterity, the statement said. They lauded the pro-active measures of the government which have been effective in controlling the spread of the virus. They pledged support to the PM-CARES fund, adding that their workforce will be dedicated completely to the cause of serving the nation in this time of crisis. They also talked about the work being done currently by them to meet the challenge through awareness campaigns through digital means, distribution of essentials, food packets, sanitisers, medicines and the provision of medical help to those in need.
Prime Minister Modi also reiterated the importance of spreading awareness, helping the poor and needy through arranging for basic necessities, provision of medical facilities and dedicating the volunteers to the cause of serving those impacted by COVID-19. He stressed on the importance of giving medical and scientific advice and countering misinformation. He also underlined the need to keep working together to face the challenge of the pandemic.
19:45 IST: 5 new cases of COVID-19 in K’taka, tally reaches 88
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka has climbed to 88 on Sunday after five more persons tested positive for the lethal infection.
“Five more COVID-19 cases reported in Karnataka taking positive cases in the state to 88,” said the State health department. Of the five, one is a close contact of an earlier confirmed patient and the others are workers of a pharmaceutical company in Mysuru, from where a person had tested positive, the department said.
19:31 IST: Spain’s total number of COVID-19 cases at 85,195
Spain’s total number of coronavirus cases rose to 85,195 on Monday from 78,797 on Sunday.
The toll due to the infectious virus in Spain rose to 7,340 on Monday from 6,528 on Sunday. Spain’s total number of confirmed cases has now surpassed China’s 81,470 confirmed cases, according to the latest data.
The number of new patients requiring ICU treatment at 324 in the past 24 hours, was also slightly lower.
However, Spanish Health Ministry officials have been warning that ICUs are near capacity, with the total number of patients requiring ICU treatment now at 5,231, according to CNN
19:17 IST: Four new COVID-19 cases in J-K
Four more coronavirus positive cases were reported in the Union Territory on Monday.
While two cases were from Srinagar, the other two were reported from Shopian. “Four more COVID-19 cases detected positive in Kashmir, two each from Shopian and Srinagar. They have contact history with previous positive cases,” said Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary-Planning, Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier in the day, Kansal had informed that “three new positive cases of coronavirus were reported in the Jammu division pushing the total tally to 41”.
18:39 IST: 39 positive cases of coronavirus in Punjab so far
Thirty-nine positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in the state so far, said a media bulletin of Punjab’s Health and Family Welfare Department.
“Total suspected cases reported till date is 1,051. The total number of samples sent for testing is 1,051, and the total number of patients tested positive till date is 39,” said the media bulletin from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP). “Total deaths reported are two, and total patients tested negative are 881. Results of 131 are awaited and one person has been cured,” added the media bulletin.
It further said: “One positive case has been reported from the PGIMER, Chandigarh. The patient is a resident of SAS Nagar. Contact tracing of the case is being done. One patient, who was admitted at GMC, Amritsar, was having co-morbidities, expired on the night of March 29 due to cardiac arrest.”
18:31 IST: Community centre turns into relief camp for migrants in Gurugram
The Gurugram district administration has turned the Sukhrali Community Centre into a relief centre to provide water, food and shelter to the migrants during the ongoing nationwide lockdown imposed to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
“A few days back, we received around 140 people and from whom all the arrangements for food and water were done. Including this, the arrangements for lodging was also done. The basic amenities like water and electricity are being provided,” said Naresh Kumar Sharma, a former sarpanch, who is managing all the necessities for the people at the centre. Sharma said they have urged the people to stay at the centre as long as they want. “Some people still left the centre on foot,” he added.
18:03 IST: 3 more test positive for coronavirus in Rajasthan, tally reaches 62
Three more people were tested positive for coronavirus in Rajasthan on Monday, taking the tally to 62 in the state.
One of them was reported from Bhilwara and two others in Jaipur, said Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Rohit Kumar Singh on Monday. Jaipur patients are the mother and the son of a person who earlier tested positive. The patient in Bhilwara was being operated upon at Bangar Hospital whose doctors have also tested positive.
17:23 IST: Iran’s COVID-19 death toll rises to 2,577 with 117 new deaths
Iran’s death toll from the coronavirus went up to 2,577 with 117 new deaths on Monday, and the number of positive cases reached 41,495.
Kianush Jahanpur, Spokesman of Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education said, “In the past 24 hours, we had 117 new deaths and 3,186 new confirmed cases of people infected with the coronavirus,” as reported by Al Jazeera. On the same day, Vice-President of Iran, Eshaq Jahangiri said that the Government is committed to safety of the people and therefore has shut down major community centres since early days of the outbreak in the country.
17:05 IST: 92 new COVID-19 cases, four deaths in last 24 hours: Lav Aggarwal
As many as 92 new coronavirus cases and four deaths, have been reported in the last 24 hours, said Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on Monday.
A total of 1,071 cases have been reported across the country so far. “92 new cases of COVID-19 and four deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, thus, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 1,071 and the number of deaths to 29 in the country,” Aggarwal told media here.
Citing the increasing number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in other countries, the Joint Secretary said, “In comparison to the developed countries which are smaller in size than India, which is still a developing country with a large population, the number of positive cases for COVID-19 here has been till now only 1,071.”
“People’s support and collective pre-emptive actions like social distancing and lockdown have kept a check on the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in India,” he added.
16:50 IST: 28 hospitals of Army, Air Force, Navy earmarked to treat COVID-19 patients
Twenty-eight hospitals of Army, Air Force, and Navy across the country have been earmarked as COVID-19 hospitals.
This is done to handle and treat coronavirus cases, which is part of the measures by the defence forces to help the civil authorities. Lieutenant General Anup Banerji, DG, of Armed Forces Medical Services, shared this development.
Separately, five hospitals of the three defence services can carry out testing for COVID-19.
These include Army Hospital Research and Referral, Delhi; Command Hospital Air Force, Bangalore; Armed Forces Medical College, Pune; Command Hospital Lucknow; and Command Hospital Udhampur.
16:33 IST: India is in ‘limited’ community transmission phase, says Health Ministry
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday said that India is in “local transmission and limited community transmission” phase of COVID-19.
“This SOP [Standard Operating Procedure] is applicable to the current phase of COVID-19 pandemic in India (local transmission and limited community transmission), wherein as per the plan of action, all suspect cases are admitted to isolation facilities,” a statement from the ministry said. India has reported 1,071 cases and 29 deaths due to coronavirus till Monday morning. The procedures were meant as a guide to be used for training ambulance drivers and technicians in transporting COVID-19 patients.
16:04 IST: Total positive COVID-19 cases in Madhya Pradesh climbs to 47
The number of COVID-19 positive cases in Madhya Pradesh climbed to 47 on Monday. Out of these cases, Indore has the majority of positive cases at 32. Eight cases have been reported from Jabalpur, while Bhopal has confirmed three positive cases. The areas of Shivpuri and Gwalior have reported two cases each. The total number of COVID-19 positive cases rose to 1071 in India on Monday morning, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This includes 99 people who have been discharged or cured of the highly contagious respiratory illness.
15:56 IST: Over 175 Malaysian citizens to fly back from Amritsar today
Over 175 Malaysian citizens, most of them of Indian origin, who were stranded in India due to the suspension of international flights, will leave for Malaysia later today.
The people are going back by a special Malindo Airlines flight sent by the Malaysian government in coordination with the Indian government and will be leaving from Amritsar Airport. “We had come from Malaysia to visit Sri Harminder Sahib. India and Malaysia’s government joined hands to rescue us. Today we are all going back to Malaysia. I would like to thank the Indian government, the Malaysian government, Khalsa Aid and Punjab Police for helping us out,” said Jatinder Singh, one of the passengers.
15:36 IST: COVID-19 positive patient dies in Pune
A 52-year-old man who tested positive for coronavirus passed here on Monday, said Murlidhar Mohol, Mayor, Pune. Mohol said, “He suffered from diabetes and hypertension. He was admitted to Deenanath Mangeshkar hospital. There are total 32 Coronavirus cases in Pune.” The total number of COVID-19 positive cases rose to 1071 in India on Monday morning, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This includes 99 people who have been discharged or cured of the highly contagious respiratory illness.
14:56 IST: 17 more COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu, count rises to 67
Seventeen more COVID-19 cases have been reported from Tamil Nadu, taking the count of coronavirus positive cases in the state to 67, Tamil Nadu Health Department stated on Monday. “17 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Tamil Nadu, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 67,” the Tamil Nadu Health Department said. With 47 new cases, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases rose to 1071 in India on Monday morning, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This includes 99 people who have been discharged or cured of the highly contagious respiratory illness.
14:56 IST: Man tests positive for COVID-19 in Punjab’s Nayagaon
A 65-year-old man was tested positive for coronavirus here on Monday.
He was admitted in a hospital following acute respiratory symptoms and was kept in an isolated ward. With 47 new cases, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases rose to 1071 in India on Monday morning, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This includes 99 people who have been discharged or cured of the highly contagious respiratory illness.
14:21 IST: 60 coronavirus positive cases in Rajasthan: Health Minister Raghu Sharma
Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma on Monday said that the total number of positive coronavirus cases in the state is at 60.
“60 positive coronavirus cases have been reported in Rajasthan, with Bhilwara reporting the maximum number – its tally is 25 cases,” Sharma said. Reacting to reports about the doctors of a government hospital in Jodhpur being given substandard personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, he said: “No one wants to purchase substandard products and the state government will never tolerate this. These claims are misleading.”
With 47 new cases, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases rose to 1071 in India on Monday morning, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This includes 99 people who have been discharged or cured of the highly contagious respiratory illness.
13:55 IST: Health Ministry asks automobile makers to manufacture ventilators
As the country steps up efforts to combat COVID-19, automobile makers have been asked to manufacture ventilators and they are working towards it, the Health Ministry informed on Monday.
According to a tweet by the ministry, Bharat Electronics Ltd. has been asked to manufacture 30,000 ventilators in the next two months in collaboration with local manufacturers. In a series of tweets, the ministry gave information about the government’s steps to augment the supply of ventilators, masks and PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment).
“Agva Healthcare, Noida has been given an order to manufacture 10,000 #ventilators within a month. Their supplies are expected to commence in the 2nd week of April,” read another post on Twitter.
“Over 14,000 existing #ventilators earmarked for #Covid_19 patients in various hospitals in the country,” the ministry added.
Another post on the micro-blogging website informed that 3.34 lakh Personal Protective Equipments (PPE) coveralls are available with hospitals in the country and another three lakh donated coveralls are being received from abroad by April 4.
“11 domestic producers of PPE coveralls have qualified so far and orders for 21 lakh have been placed on them. They are supplying 6-7,000 pieces per day and are expected to go up to 15,000 per day by mid-April,” the Health Ministry tweeted.
“…..One more domestic manufacturer has qualified today and is being given orders for 5 lakh #PPE coveralls,” it added. Orders for 10 lakh PPE kits have been placed through Ministry of External Affair on a Singapore-based platform and supplies are to commence soon, while orders for 20 lakh PPE coveralls have been placed on a South Korea firm which has a capacity to produce one lakh coveralls per day. Supplies are expected to commence in 10 days.
“10,000 #PPE coveralls donated by Red Cross have been received and are being distributed today,” Health Ministry tweeted.
In another tweet, the Ministry announced that two domestic manufacturers are producing 50,000 N95 masks per day. This is expected to go up to one lakh per day within next week.
“Hospitals in the country have 11.95 lakh #N95masks in stock. Additional 5 lakhs were distributed during the last two days and 1.40 lakhs are being distributed today,” read another tweet.
“DRDO will begin manufacturing 20,000 #N99 masks per day within the next week,” it added. As on Monday, the country has 942 active cases of coronavirus, 99 recoveries and 29 deaths.
13:25 IST: Primary schools in UP’s Etawah district converted into quarantine centers
Primary schools in various villages of Etawah district have been converted into temporary quarantine centres for people who are coming from different districts and states.
“Many people have come back from different states and districts to their respective villages. We asked all the villages to give us a list of all such people. And with the help of the village heads, we started setting up quarantine wards in schools and panchayat houses. They will be quarantined there,” said JB Singh, District Magistrate. The village head of Desharmau told ANI, “The arrangements are being made at the directions of the administration. A list of people who have come from other states is being made; right now we have three people under quarantine.”
13:13 IST: Pak style of combating Covid-19: Use brute force to harass people
Authorities here have imposed stricter measures under the garb of law, including fines and imprisonment for people failing to comply with the government’s directives, without any reasonable excuse, to control the coronavirus spread.
The provincial government on Sunday promulgated the Punjab Infectious Diseases (Prevention and Control) Ordinance 2020, allowing civil administration and health department to control the pandemic outbreak in the country, Dawn reported. The new rules levied by the provincial government stated that those violating the law would be punished, with a jail term not extending more than two months or a fine not exceeding Rs50,000 or both. However, on the repeat offence, the person, upon conviction, may be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding Rs100,000 or both.
12:35 IST: Two more COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh, count rises to 23
Mar 30 (ANI): Two more COVID-19 cases have been reported in the state on Sunday, a coronavirus bulletin released by Director Andhra Pradesh Health and Family Welfare said.
With this, the total number of coronavirus cases in the state has increased to 23, the COVID-19 bulletin stated. A 49-year-old male from Kakinada city in East Godavari district and a 72-year-old male from Rajahmundry city in East Godavari district are the two new cases of COVID-19 in the state.
12:08 IST: COVID-19 positive cases climb to 1071 in India: Health Ministry
With 47 new cases, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases rose to 1071 in India on Monday morning, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This includes 99 people who have been discharged or cured of the highly contagious respiratory illness.
The number of people who have succumbed to the infection in the country is 29 while one patient has migrated. There are 942 active cases in the country so far. Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba today dismissed reports that the three-week countrywide COVID-19 lockdown, which began five days ago may get extended.
Today Kerala has reported the highest number of COVID positive cases in the country so far at 194, trailed closely by Maharashtra with 193. Eight deaths have been reported from Maharashtra so far.
Gujarat has recorded 58 cases and five deaths. On Sunday Delhi reported more cases and now the count in the national capital stands at 53.
Globally over 34,000 deaths have been reported and 151,991 people have recovered from the disease, according to Johns Hopkins University.
12:01 IST: Coronavirus positive patient dies in West Bengal
A 54-year-old resident of Kalimpong, who was admitted at North Bengal Medical College and was tested positive for coronavirus, died on Monday morning, said Dr Pralay Acharya, Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) Darjeeling.
Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare the total number of COVID-19 positive cases in India reached 1071. On Saturday the Health Ministry had reported 1024 positive COVID-19 cases in India.
11:58 IST: Total positive COVID-19 cases in Rajasthan rises to 60
After a 41-year-old man tested positive for novel coronavirus here on Monday, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases reached 60 in the state.
The patient, who is resident of Ladakh, was an evacuee from Iran who landed in Jodhpur on Wednesday. He is currently admitted to MDH Hospital Jodhpur. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown in the entire country to deal with the spread of coronavirus, saying that “social distancing” is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly.
11:35 IST: UP govt credits Rs 611 crores into accounts of over 27 lakh MNREGA workers
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday transferred Rs 611 crores directly into the bank accounts of over 27.5 lakh workers of the state enrolled under MNREGA scheme.
This comes in the backdrop of 21-day nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak. The Chief Minister also interacted with them through video-conference today. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said: “I am happy that at a time when the world is affected by the coronavirus epidemic, the Village Development department and State Bank of India is crediting 611 crore to the account of over 27 lakh workers.”
He also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for announcing the lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus as also the announcement of economic package.
11:25 IST: Two COVID-19 cases reported from Uttar Pradesh
A 34-year-old man from Bareilly and a 17-year-old boy from Agra have tested positive for COVID-19, informed King George’s Medical University administration on Monday.
It also added that no COVID-19 positive cases have been reported from Lucknow in the last nine days. According to the Ministry of Health, the total number of cases with COVID-19 rose to 1071 in India on Monday.
11:17 IST: FIR against 4 in UP for spreading rumours on social media
An FIR was registered against four people, including former Students’ Union President of Allahabad University Richa Singh, for spreading rumor on social media platforms about the availability of buses to reach several districts amid lockdown.
“An FIR has been registered against Richa Singh, Neha, Akhilesh and Anand. On Saturday these people had written on Facebook and other social media sites stating that buses will be available for Azamgarh and other districts at 6 am on Sunday,” said Colonelganj Police in a statement. “The matter came to the notice of the police late on Saturday and on Sunday morning people started gathering at the bus stand,” it added.
“It is alleged that on Saturday it was written on Facebook and other social sites that buses will depart for Azamgarh and other districts at 6 am on Sunday,” the police added.
11:03 IST: 85 suspected COVID-19 cases admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital, Delhi
At least 85 possible COVID-19 cases were admitted at Lok Nayak Hospital, Delhi on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, informed the hospital officials.
“As of now, the hospital has registered a total of 106 people possibly infected with COVID-19,” the hospital officials told ANI. According to the Ministry of Health, the total number of cases with COVID-19 rose to 1024 in India on Sunday.
11:00 IST Pakistan records 1600 COVID-19 positive cases, 17 deaths
At least 100 new cases were reported from across the country that took the total tally of coronavirus positive cases in Pakistan to 1600, while the death toll stood at 17, health officials confirmed on Monday.
Pakistan by far has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in South Asia. Punjab recorded 593 cases, the highest number in the country. The province was followed by Sindh with 502 cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 192 cases, Balochistan with 141 cases, Islamabad with 43 cases and Gilgit-Baltistan with 123 cases.
10:52 IST: Trump extends social distancing guidelines until April 30 to curb COVID-19 spread
In a bid to contain the rapid spread of coronavirus infection that has killed over 2,000 people in the United States, President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) announced to extend the measures under social distancing guidelines till April 30.
Briefing the press at the White House on COVID-19, the President said, “We will be extending our guidelines to April 30 to slow the spread.” “On Tuesday, we will be finalizing these plans and providing a summary of our findings, supporting data and strategy to the American people,” CNN quoted him as saying.
10:36 IST: 8 more coronavirus positive cases reported in Madhya Pradesh
Eight more people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh, informed the Dean of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore on Monday.
Seven of these new cases have been reported from Indore and one has been reported from Ujjain. The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in the state now stands at 32.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had earlier reported a total of 1024 confirmed COVID-19 cases in India and 27 deaths due to the deadly virus.
10:03 IST: Maharashtra reports 12 positive coronavirus cases, total tally 215
Twelve more coronavirus positive cases were reported from Maharashtra on Monday.
The Maharashtra Health Department has confirmed that five cases have been reported from Pune, three from Mumbai, two from Nagpur, one each from Kolhapur and Nashik. With this, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases in the State mounted to 215.
Earlier on Sunday, Maharashtra Health Department informed that a 45-year-old man who was coronavirus positive died in Buldhana district. However, the exact cause behind his death is yet to be ascertained.
09:46 IST: Punjab village sealed after 21-year-old tests positive for COVID-19
Ramnagar Sainian village of Patiala district was sealed by the local administration, as a precautionary measure after a 21-yr-old resident of the village, who returned from Nepal, tested positive for COVID-19 while other family members tested negative.
The village was sanitised with the disinfectants and police and medical team were deployed. Gurpreet Singh who had returned from Nepal on March 19, was admitted to Ambala Civil Hodpital on March 26 by the family members where he was tested positive for COVID-19.
