Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: Amit Shah to hold meeting with Delhi authorities, including Arvind Kejriwal, at 11 am to review COVID-19 situation

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08:57 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttarakhand Latest Update

Uttarakhand imposes fine of Rs 5,000 or six months' jail for not wearing face masks in public

Those who do not wear masks in public places and who violate COVID-19 quarantine rules in Uttarakhand will face six months in jail and fined Rs 5,000, the state government announced on Saturday.

Amendments have been made in Section 2 and 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 to make face masks mandatory in the state. Uttarakhand is the third state after Kerala and Odisha to make changes to the act.

08:53 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in China Latest Update

China reports 57 new confirmed, 9 asymptomatic COVID-19 cases for June 13

China reported 57 new confirmed COVID-19 cases for 13 June, the highest since 13 April, according to data released by the national health authority on Sunday.

The National Health Commission said in a statement that 38 of the new confirmed cases were locally transmitted, with 36 of them in Beijing. This is the highest daily infection count for China’s capital since authorities started releasing data.

Beijing recorded a jump in new confirmed cases, up from six a day earlier, after it started doing mass-testing at the Xinfadi market in the city’s southwestern Fengtai district.

08:46 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Update

Health ministry issues revised clinical management protocols for virus

As the number of Covid-19 cases crossed the three lakh-mark, the government on Saturday came out with a revised treatment protocol to deal with the deadly infection, allowing use of antiviral drug Remdesivir in moderate cases and Hydroxychloroquine in patients during the early course of the disease.

It also recommended an off-label application of Tocilizumab, a drug that modifies the immune system or its functioning, and convalescent plasma for treating coronavirus-infected patients in moderate stage of the illness, besides adding loss of smell or taste to the list of Covid-19 symptoms.

08:40 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Update

Pvt school waives off 3 months fee

A private school in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj district has waived off fees for 3 months, in wake of COVID-19 outbreak, reports ANI.

08:30 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in West Bengal Latest Update

12 succumb to COVID-19 in West Bengal, takes toll to 463

Twelve people in West Bengal succumbed to COVID-19 on Saturday, taking the death toll to 463, a bulletin of the state health department said. All of the 12 deaths were because of comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental, it added.

Five people from North 24 Parganas, four from Kolkata, two persons from South 24 Parganas and one from Howrah died in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.

Since Friday, a total of 454 fresh cases of COVID-19 have been reported from different districts of the state, pushing the total number of confirmed cases here to 10,698, it stated.

08:16 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Update

Amit Shah, Harsh Vardhan to hold meeting with Delhi guv, Arvind Kejriwal

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to hold a meeting with Delhi LG Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and members of State Disaster Management Authority to review the situation in the capital regarding COVID-19 on Sunday at 11 am.

08:10 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Update

IMAGES: Authorities use temperature guns to screen people in Delhi's Daryaganj Sabzi Mandi

08:06 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in West Bengal Latest Update

Fresh acrimony between TMC and Guv over video of decomposed bodies

The West Bengal governor and the ruling TMC were embroiled in fresh acrimony over a video showing decomposed bodies being loaded into a van by the city civic body in daylight for cremation.

The TMC accused Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar of peddling "fake news", drawing sharp retort. Dhankhar charged that the party was "deflecting from the main issue". The West Bengal government on Saturday dismissed the contents of the video as a "one-off incident" and said it has no link with the COVID-19 pandemic.

07:59 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Brazil Latest Update

Brazil reports second-highest COVID-19 deaths 

Brazil's health ministry has said that the country has recorded a total of 41,828 deaths during the coronavirus pandemic, meaning it has surpassed the United Kingdom and now has the second-highest total in the world, according to tallies by Johns Hopkins University CSSE.

Brazilian officials on 12 June reported 909 deaths over the previous 24 hours. It is the hardest-hit nation in Latin America, with more than 8.2 lakh confirmed cases, report AP.

07:54 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Update

Nursing homes in Delhi having 10 to 49 beds declared as COVID facilities

The Delhi government on Saturday declared small and medium multispeciality nursing homes having 10 to 49 beds as "COVID nursing homes" to increase the bed capacity for coronavirus patients, according to an official order. Only standalone exclusive eye centres, ENT centres, dialysis centres, maternity homes and IVF centres are presently exempted, the order said, reports PTI.

07:47 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Assam Latest Update

Assam's COVID-19 total reaches 3,900 with 207 new cases

Assam's coronavirus infection tally reached 3,900 with 207 new cases on Saturday, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Of the total 3,900 positive cases in the state, eight persons have died so far, including four this week.

The number of active cases is 2,084, while 1,805 have been cured and three persons have migrated, the minister said. Among the 207 cases detected on Saturday, 182 were reported late in the night and 25 others during the day, he said.

07:38 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak Latest Update

Global COVID-19 cases cross 77 lakh; toll now at 4.2 lakh

The total confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the world stand at 77.6 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University CSSE. This figure includes COVID-19 patients who have recovered and the overall global death toll which stands at 4.2 lakh.

With over 20 lakh reported cases till date, the United States is the worst-affected country in the world. The US is followed by Brazil, Russia, the United Kingdom and India.

07:30 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in UK Latest Update

AstraZeneca agrees to supply Europe with 400 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccine

AstraZeneca Plc said on Saturday it signed a contract with European governments to supply the region with its potential vaccine against the coronavirus, the British drugmaker’s latest deal to pledge its drug to help combat the pandemic, reports Reuters.

The contract is for up to 400 million doses of the vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, the company said, adding that it was looking to expand manufacturing of the vaccine, which said it would provide for no profit during the pandemic. Deliveries will start by the end of 2020.

Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST Updates: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to hold a meeting with Delhi LG Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and members of State Disaster Management Authority to review the situation in the capital regarding COVID-19 on Sunday at 11 am.

The total confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the world stand at 77.6 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University CSSE. This figure includes COVID-19 patients who have recovered and the overall global death toll which stands at 4.2 lakh.

India surged past three lakh COVID-19 cases on Saturday with the country recording the biggest daily jump of 11,458 new infections. According to figures released by the Union Ministry of Health And Family Welfare at its 8 am briefing, the nationwide tally stood at 3,08,993 while the number of deaths reached 8,884 with 386 fatalities reported in 24 hours.

India took 64 days to cross one lakh cases from 100 infections, then in another fortnight it crossed two lakh cases while it surged past three lakh cases in just 10 days, according to news agency PTI.

According to coronavirus statistics website Worldometer, India is currently the fourth worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic. It had surpassed the United Kingdom on Thursday.

A worker prepares a bed inside a makeshift quarantine facility for COVID-19 patients in Mumbai. AP

In the meantime, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a review meeting of the COVID-19 situation and response with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, top bureaucrats and representatives of Empowered Groups.

The meet focussed on augmenting testing as well as the number of beds and services to effectively handle the peak surge of daily cases, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office.

Delhi surpasses Maharashtra in daily deaths for first time

According to the health ministry, of the 386 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours (till 8 am Saturday), Delhi accounted for the highest 129 fatalities followed by Maharashtra 127.

The virus is moving rapidly in Delhi, which for the first time reported over 2,000 cases on Friday, and Maharashtra, where the number of cases has crossed one lakh.

Gujarat reported 30 deaths, Uttar Pradesh 20, Tamil Nadu 18, West Bengal, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh nine each, Karnataka and Rajasthan seven each, Haryana and Uttarakhand six each, Punjab four, Assam two, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir and Odisha one each.

Of the total 8,884 deaths, Maharashtra as per the health ministry figures, accounts for 3,717 fatalities followed by Gujarat with 1,415, Delhi with 1,214, West Bengal with 451, Madhya Pradesh with 440, Tamil Nadu with 367, Uttar Pradesh with 365, Rajasthan with 272 and Telangana with 174 deaths.

Maharashtra has also reported the maximum number of cases at 1,01,141 followed by Tamil Nadu (40,698), Delhi (36,824), Gujarat (22,527), Uttar Pradesh (12,616), Rajasthan (12,068) and Madhya Pradesh (10,443).

The ministry said 7,984 cases are being reassigned to states and "our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR". State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it added.

Loss of smell and taste among symptoms; HCQ not to be used in severe cases

Later in the day, the health ministry released the revised clinical management protocols in which it said that loss of smell (anosmia) and loss of taste (ageusia) have also been reported as symptoms of the novel coronavirus infection.

Backtracking from its earlier stance, the ministry said that the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) should be used in the early course of the disease to achieve any meaningful effect and should be avoided in severe cases.

In the new set of protocols, the ministry has removed its earlier recommendation of using hydroxychloroquine in combination with azithromycin in severe cases and requiring ICU management.

It also recommended the use of anti-viral drug remdesivir under emergency use authorisation, and off-label application of immunomodulator tocilizumab and convalescent plasma therapy for treating COVID-19 patients in moderate stage of criticality.

Representational Image. AP

New cases reported in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu

Meanwhile, many states and Union Territories including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tripura reported an increase in COVID-19 cases.

Tamil Nadu reported 30 COVID-19 deaths that occurred on various dates recently together on Saturday pushing the toll to 397 while the state recorded 1,989 fresh cases, propelling the infection count to 42,687 in Tamil Nadu and 30,444 in the state capital Chennai.

State health minister C Vijayabaskar announced that 2,000 more nurses have been appointed to cater to requirements in state-run hospitals in Chennai and nearby districts of Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chengelpet.

Also, he said that as many as 81 rapid response mobile medical teams have been deployed in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengelpet and Kanchpeepuram districts today in addition to the 173 mobile health teams already on the job in the Greater Chennai Corporation areas.

In Andhra Pradesh, the COVID-19 graph climbed further up to 5,676 as 222 new cases were added while fatalities increased by two to 82. In the last 24 hours, 94 coronavirus patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the cumulative to 3,185.

People wait by the burning pyre of a relative who died of COVID-19, at a crematorium in New Delhi. AP

Sources told PTI that two more employees in the state Secretariat tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours even as the Andhra Pradesh government issued a directive to its staff and officers not to move out of the state, including Hyderabad, where most of the employees families are located.

In Kerala, four health workers were among the 85 people who tested positive for COVID-19, taking the infection count to 2,406. The active cases in the state touched 1,342 while 1,045 people have recovered from the infection, including 46, who were discharged today.

Maharashtra, the worst-affected state, recorded 3,427 new cases and 113 deaths. With this, the total number of cases soared to 1,04,568 and toll rose to 3,830 reported ANI quoting the state health department.

Amidst the rising cases, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said that the government has reduced the rates of the COVID-19 tests conducted by private laboratories from Rs 4,500 to Rs 2,200.

"Rs 2,200 will be charged for collecting the swabs through viral transport media (VTM) from hospitals, while it would cost Rs 2,800 for collection of swab from home. Earlier, the charges were Rs 4,500 and Rs 5,200 respectively," he said.

In Mumbai, four policemen succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours, the worst in terms of single-day toll for any unit of the force in Maharashtra since the outbreak began. So far, 25 personnel and one officer of Mumbai Police have died of COVID-19, while several hundred are undergoing treatment for the infection at various hospitals, an official told PTI.

Odisha on Saturday reported its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases after 225 people tested positive for the disease, taking the state's infection count to 3,723, a health department official said.

Of the fresh cases, 196 were reported from various quarantine centres where people returning from other states were lodged, while 29 others were detected through contact-tracing exercises, he said.

Punjab's case count rose to 3,063 as the state reported 77 new infections and two deaths on Saturday. Sixty-five persons have died due to the viral infection in the state so far, of which 19 deaths were reported since 1 June, according to news agency PTI.

In the meantime, the COVID-19 case count in Tripura crossed the 1000-mark as 37 people tested positive for the infection on Saturday, taking the total number of cases to 1,001.

In Assam, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the health department will conduct 50,000 random tests in Guwahati city, which has reported 176 cases till date. Of these, 25 patients have no travel history, he said.

The state government may consider re-imposing a lockdown in the city if a sizeable number of new cases are detected, he said.

Two-thirds of total infections from five states

Amidst the rising cases in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic with senior ministers and top bureaucrats. He took stock of the pandemic situation in different states and Union Territories, including Delhi, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

During the meet, it was observed that two-thirds of India's COVID-19 infection load are in five states with an overwhelming proportion of cases in big cities, the statement said.

"In view of the challenges being faced, particularly by the large cities, it was discussed to augment testing as well as the number of beds and services to effectively handle the peak surge of daily cases," added the statement.

"The present and emerging scenario of the COVID-19 disease in the capital" was also discussed and the projections for next two months was deliberated, the statement said.

Modi suggested that the home minister and the health minister convene an emergency meeting with the Lt Governor and the Chief Minister of Delhi, along with senior officials of the central and the NCT governments as also officials of municipal corporations of Delhi, to plan a "coordinated and comprehensive response" to the pandemic. The meets suggested by the prime minister are scheduled to take place on Sunday.

With inputs from agencies



from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2Y0M65O
FP Staff

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