The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 2,902, with 68 deaths, according to the latest figures from the Union health ministry. Of these, 2,650 Covid-19 cases are still active and 55 people are foreign nationals. As many as 183 people have recovered while one person migrated.
The toll rose to 68 on Saturday morning after six new deaths – three from Maharashtra, two in Delhi and one from Gujarat – were reported.
The highest number of Covid-19 cases and deaths were reported from Maharashtra, where 423 people have been infected and 19 have lost their lives. Tamil Nadu came second with 411 cases, most of which are linked to the religious event held in Delhi’s Nizamuddin last month, which has now emerged as an infection hotspot.
After Maharashtra, the toll was highest in Gujarat, where 9 people have died. Seven people infected with the coronavirus died in Telangana, while six each have died in Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. In Punjab, five deaths have been reported till now and another three were recorded in Karnataka and West Bengal each. Two persons each have died of the coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh have reported a death each.
A spike in cases was also recorded in Delhi as the tally rose to 386, and in Kerala where 295 persons have contracted the coronavirus. The number of cases in Rajasthan increased to 179 and Uttar Pradesh reported 174 cases as of Saturday, according to the health ministry. In Andhra Pradesh, cases have increased to 161 while Telangana has 158 positive patients so far.
In West Bengal, the number of Covid-19 patients on Saturday morning stood at 63. Meanwhile, 53 cases were reported from Punjab, followed by Haryana (49), Bihar (29), Assam (24) Chandigarh (18), Uttarakjand (16) and Ladakh (14).
Ten cases have been reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Chhattisgarh has nine positive patients so far, while Goa and Himachal Pradesh have six cases each, Odisha and Puducherry five cases each, Jharkhand and Manipur two cases each, and Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported a case each.
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The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday that 647 confirmed cases of coronavirus linked to the Tablighi Jamaat group have been detected in the last two days, from 14 states. Joint Health Secretary Lav Agarwal said that over the last few days, the increase in cases is due to cases on a “particular level”, referring to the Tablighi Jamaat group.
Ministry of Home Affairs spokesperson Punya Salila Srivastava said that 960 foreigners who are connected with Tablighi Jamaat have been blacklisted. As many as 360 foreigners, who participated in the activities of the organisation and have now returned to their countries, have also been blacklisted, she said.
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