Coronavirus: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain tests positive; TN count crosses 50,000-mark

11 pm: Here are the day’s top ten updates on the pandemic.

10.33 pm: Delhi records 2,414 new cases and 67 deaths in a day. As many as 510 people recovered. With this, Delhi’s total count goes up to 47,102, while the toll rises to 1,904. As many as 17,457 people have recovered. This is Delhi’s highest single-day rise in cases.

10.30 pm: Jharkhand reports 56 new cases and one death. The state’s total now rises to 1,895, including 10 deaths.

10.25 pm: Telangana reports 269 new cases and one death, ANI reports. This takes the state’s total to 5,675. The toll is 192.

10.04 pm: Himachal Pradesh reports 25 new cases of Covid-19, according to ANI. The total number of cases is now 585, and the active cases stand at 198.

9.50 pm: Uttarakhand reports 38 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of cases to 2,023, ANI reports.

9.45 pm: Mumbai reports 1,359 new coronavirus cases, and 77 deaths, ANI reports. The total number of cases now stands at 61,501 and the toll is at 3,242, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

9.28 pm: Dr Adhanom Ghebreyesus says he is encouraged by progress in tackling the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He says that the experience of the Congolese health workers in tackling Ebola on testing and contact tracing are being applied to tackle the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

9.20 pm: World Health Organization Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says that while 85,000 cases were recorded in the first two months of the pandemic, the last two months saw over 60 lakh cases. However, he adds that there are “green shoots of hope”, as many countries have shown how to effectively suppress the virus with a combination of testing, tracing, and quarantining patients.

8.52 pm: Maharashtra reports 3,307 new coronavirus cases and 114 deaths. The total infections in the state has risen to 1,16,752 and the toll stands at 5,651.

8.48 pm: The spokesperson also says from June 18 coronavirus tests in Delhi will be conducted through the rapid antigen methodology approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research. “Delhi would be given priority for these kits,” says a tweet. “169 centers have also been set up across.”

Meanwhile, health surveys have also been started to improve contact tracing in containment zones of the national Capital.

8.45 pm: A spokesperson of the Ministry of Home Affairs says that the coronavirus tests in Delhi have been capped at Rs 2,400. “As per the directives of Home Minister Amit Shah in providing relief to the common man,” says a tweet. “High level expert committee’s report on Covid-19 testing rates received by Ministry of Health has been further sent to Delhi government for necessary action. It has been decided to fix the test rate at Rs 2,400.”

8.18 pm: The toll from the coronavirus in West Bengal has crossed the 500-mark with 11 new fatalities, reports PTI. Total cases in the state stands at 12,300.

8.13 pm: More new cases in states and Union Territories, according to ANI:

• Gujarat: 520 new cases, total rises to 25,148.
• Jammu and Kashmir: 108 new cases, total rises to 5,406.
• Punjab: 126 new cases, total rises to 3,497.

8.08 pm: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the state has been testing coronavirus samples aggressively and tracing new cases under “chase the virus” strategy, reports PTI. Due to this, the infection spread has been significantly contained in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum, an official quotes Thackeray as saying.

8.05 pm: Five more accused in the Palghar lynching case in Maharashtra, who were in Wada police station, have tested positive for the coronavirus, reports PTI. On Tuesday, 11 other accused had also tested positive.

8 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal says the national Capital may need more intensive care units in the coming days after a review meeting to ramp up medical infrastructure. “Discussed with doctors of our Delhi government hospitals on how to increase no of ICUs,” he tweets.

7.52 pm: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan says all passengers travelling from abroad must get themselves tested for the coronavirus, reports ANI. “Covid-19 patients and other passengers can’t travel together in the same flight,” he adds. “This is necessary to prevent community spreading.”

Vijayan says the state will treat those who test positive, but they should come in separate flight. “Central government should make arrangements to conduct Covid-19 tests through embassies of all passengers from abroad,” he says. “State has demanded this in a letter to Central government on May 5.”

7.45 pm: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has tested positive for the coronavirus in his second round of tests, reports ANI.

7.27 pm: Sisodia suggests that the board exam results be declared on the basis of internal tests or assessments.

Also read: Supreme Court asks CBSE to decide by June 23 if pending board exams can be scrapped

7.25 pm: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia writes to Union Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal, saying that plan to conduct CBSE board examinations in July would be extremely difficult due to the rising number of coronavirus cases. “Subjecting them [students] to take exam in such an uncertain and anxiety prone situation would not be fair to them,” he adds.

7.22 pm: Tamil Nadu health department says the coronavirus sample testing has crossed the 25,000-mark for the first time, reports PTI.

7.15 pm: Modi also stresses on the need to support the frontline workers tackling the pandemic. “He also underlined the emotional aspect of the battle against the virus, including battling fear of being afflicted and the stigma attached by making people aware of the high number of those who have defeated the virus and recovered,” says a statement. “Our priority must remain to help and support our corona warriors, doctors and health care workers.”

7.07 pm: In his interaction with some of the worst-affected states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that existing testing capacity must be utilized fully, adding that constant efforts must be made to expand them, says a press release.

“Prime minister stressed the importance of testing to quickly trace, track and isolate those affected,” says the statement. “The existing testing capacity needs to be utilized fully, and along with constant efforts for expansion. He mentioned the benefits of telemedicine and the need to create a big team of senior doctors who can guide and inform the sick through this means. He also talked about spreading timely and correct information through the helplines and the need to build a team of young volunteers to run the helplines effectively.”

7.05 pm: Karnataka reports 204 new coronavirus cases and eight deaths. With this, the state now has 7,734 total infections and 102 casualties.

7 pm: The Maharashtra government has urged the Centre to provide coronavirus treatment drugs –
remdesivir and tocilizumab – at a reasonable rate and in large quantities, reports PTI. Health Minister Rajesh Tope says that the state also wants the Centre to give additional 500 ventilators to treat patients.

6.58 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says the country will fight the coronavirus pandemic together, reports ANI. “We stand with the nation at this hour,” she adds.

6.55 pm: Mumbai’s Dharavi area records 17 new cases, taking the total to 2,106, according to ANI. So far, 77 people have died of the coronavirus.

6.40 pm: Assam reports 95 new cases in a day, taking the state’s tally to 4,605.

6.28 pm: Tamil Nadu’s tally crosses the 50,000-mark after 2,174 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours on Wednesday evening. The state’s count is now 50,193. With 48 deaths in a day, the state’s toll rises to 576.

6.23 pm: Home Minister Amit Shah, who was also part of the meeting, said the battle was far from over, according to the PMO. “He underlined that as we begin to unlock, we must stay vigilant. He requested all Chief Ministers to encourage download of Aarogya Setu to act as a self-shield for protection.”

6.20 pm: Modi also told the chief ministers about the “need to fight rumours of lockdown” and said India was now in the phase on unlocking. “We need to now think about phase 2 of Unlock and how to minimize all possibilities of harm to our people,” Modi said, according to the PMO.

“He noted that with reduction in restrictions, indicators of economic performance are showing signs of revival,” the PMO adds. “Inflation has also been kept under control. He asked the states to take steps to boost infrastructure and construction related work.”

6.17 pm: “The chief ministers thanked the prime minister for his leadership and briefed him about the ground situation in the states and their preparedness to tackle the impact of the virus,” the PMO says. “They talked about health infrastructure available to meet the challenge and steps taken to strengthen it further, support provided to frontline workers, monitoring in containment zones, campaigns to encourage usage of masks and other safety precautions, increase in testing, and providing gainful employment opportunities to the migrants who have returned.”

6.15 pm: Modi said it was important to not only fight against the virus but also the fear and stigma attached to it.

6.13 pm: During the second part of his interaction with chief ministers to discuss the coronavirus situation post Unlock 1.0, Prime Minister Narendra Modi observed that the spread of the virus was greater in certain big states and cities, the Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement. “High density of population, difficulty in maintaining physical distancing and daily movement of people in huge numbers has made the situation challenging,” Modi said, adding that “patience of citizens, readiness of administration and dedication of corona warriors” has helped keep the spread under control.

“Through timely tracing, treatment and reporting, the number of those recovering is rising,” he said, adding that “the discipline shown by people during lockdown has prevented the exponential growth of the virus”.

6.10 pm: West Bengal reports 391 new coronavirus cases in a day, ANI reports. The state has 5,777 active cases and 6,533 people have been discharged, West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha says.

5.20 pm: Nepal reports 586 new cases of the virus, taking the country’s overall tally to 7,177.

5.10 pm: The number of cases in Chandigarh rises to 368, ANI reports. Six people have died so far.

4.56 pm: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announces his government will set up Covid Care Homes and Ward Level Committees in 6,798 gram panchayats across the state to monitor the pandemic situation, PTI reports.

4.47 pm: Aam Aadmi Party MLA wishes party leaders Atishi and Akshay Marathe a speedy recovery after they test positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday.

4.41 pm: Puducherry reports 30 more cases of the coronavirus and one death in 24 hours, Health Minister Malladi Rao says, according to PTI. With this the tally of infections in the Union Territory rises to 246.

4.20 pm: The Uttarakhand government declares the Government Doon Medical College in Dehradun a “centre of excellence” for its clinical management of the coronavirus crisis, ANI reports.

4.19 pm: The Maharashtra government demands Covid-19 treatment drugs remdesivir and tocilizumab “in large quantity and at reasonable rate”from the Centre, PTI reports.

4.03 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wishes Aam Aadmi Party MLA Atishi a speedy recovery after she tests positive for the coronavirus. “Atishi has played an important role in the fight against corona[virus],” he tweets in Hindi. “I hope that she will get healthy soon and again get involved in serving the people.”

3.55 pm: Modi says the expansion of India’s healthcare infrastructure amid the rise in coronavirus cases is the government’s top priority, ANI reports. “This will happen when each coronavirus patient will get proper treatment, and for this, we will have to emphasise on testing so that we can trace and isolate infected people,” he adds.

3.53 pm: Three months ago, the world was facing a shortage of personal protection equipment kits and diagnostic kits, Modi says. “In India too we had a very limited stock because we were completely dependent on imports,” he adds. “But today, more than one crore PPE kits and [an] equal number of N95 masks have reached the states.”

3.49 pm: “We have been able to fight the coronavirus and control its spread because of the timely measures taken by us,” Modi adds, according to ANI.

3.48 pm: During a meeting with chief ministers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that the number of patients who have recovered from Covid-19 in India is higher than the number of active cases.

3.24 pm: Uttarakhand reports 43 new cases of the coronavirus, taking total number of infections in the state to 1,985, ANI reports, quoting health department figures. The toll from the disease is 25.

3.18 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins the second day of a video call with the leaders of states and Union Territories by observing two-minute silence as a tribute to the Indian Army soldiers who died during a violent face-off with China in Galwan Valley, ANI reports. The chief ministers of 15 states are attending the meeting held to discuss the coronavirus situation.

2.50 pm: Delhi High Court dismisses a plea seeking an order prohibiting the eviction of tenants on grounds of non-payment of rent till the coronavirus pandemic subsides, ANI reports.

2.45 pm: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences says it will conduct a pilot study to assess the effect of low dose radiation therapy in alleviating symptoms of pneumonia in Covid-19 patients, PTI reports.

2.43 pm: Maharashtra Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta says there is no shortage of medical staffers in Mumbai, News18 reports. In an interview with the channel, Mehta adds that all the medicines which are required as per the guidelines of Indian Council of Medical Research are in adequate supply.

2.20 pm: Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal says he held a meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other health officials, along with the members of the advisory committee on the management of the coronavirus situation in the Capital, ANI reports.

1.58 pm: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain undergoes another round of testing for the coronavirus, ANI reports. Jain, whose test results came negative on Tuesday, was admitted to a hospital in the Capital after he complained of breathing problems and high fever.

1.56 pm: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation informs the Bombay High Court that it has ramped up Covid-19 contact tracing in Mumbai to 1:10 ratio and plans to increase the same to 1:15 ratio in the coming days, PTI reports.

1.48 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Andhra Pradesh rises to 5,555 after 257 more cases were reported on Wednesday, ANI reports, quoting the state health department. The toll from the disease in the state is 90.

1.42 pm: The Railways deploys 503 isolation coaches in Delhi at nine different stations, days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah made the announcement as part of the measures to address the escalating coronavirus crisis in the Capital, PTI reports.

1.41 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Arunachal Pradesh approaches the 100-mark, after four more people test positive for the virus on Wednesday, PTI reports. With this, the state has 99 Covid-19 infections of which, 92 are active cases.

1.37 pm: The Supreme Court tells the district administration of Gautam Budh Nagar “not to be in denial”, as it took cognisance of the death of a pregnant woman in Noida after she failed to find a hospital bed, PTI reports.

1.28 pm: Beijing-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank approves a loan of $750 million to help India battle the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on poor households, Reuters reports.

1.21 pm: Rajasthan reports 122 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the infection tally in the state to 13,338, while the toll climbs to 309, PTI reports.

1.11 pm: In a separate hearing, the Supreme Court observes there is “no merit in charging interest on interest” for deferred loan payment instalments during the moratorium period announced in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, PTI reports.

A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan says that once moratorium is fixed, it should serve the desired purposes, and the government should consider interfering in the matter as it cannot leave everything to banks.

1.04 pm: The bench further observes that the affidavit filed by the Delhi Government in the matter is “vague and incomplete”, Live Law reports. “All unfortunate steps that have been taken from your end must be withdrawn,” the court adds. The matter is listed for further hearing on Friday.

1.02 pm: During a hearing on the treatment of Covid-19 patients and the handling of bodies in government hospitals, the Supreme Court tells the Delhi government that “doctors, paramedics are like warriors, they need support”, Live Law reports. “But you are not interested in treating them well,” it adds.

12.56 pm: The Supreme Court seeks the Centre’s reply on plea seeking transfer of contributions made to PM CARES Fund to the National Disaster Response Fund, The Indian Express reports.

12.52 pm: The Supreme Court asks the Central Board of Secondary Education to consider scrapping of all pending board exams of students of Class 10 and Class 12 and to allot marks on the basis of internal assessment, the Hindustan Times reports. A three-judge bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar asks CBSE to inform the court about its decision by Tuesday.

12.48 pm: The Supreme Court takes suo motu cognisance of the proper treatment of patients of the coronavirus and the ‘dignified handling’ of bodies in government hospitals, ANI reports.

12.41 pm: Himachal Pradesh reports eight more cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the total tally of infections in the state to 568, ANI reports, quoting the state health department. The toll from the disease is six.

12.26 pm: The Delhi Police Commissioner issues orders to completely seal all entry and exit points of containment zones in the city, except for those engaged in essential services, The Indian Express reports. There will drone surveillance in the area and the police will also keep a close watch on Covid-19 hospitals.

12.20 pm: There will be no foreign training of bureaucrats during the ongoing financial year considering the safety and austerity measures being taken by the government to contain the coronavirus pandemic, the Personnel Ministry announces, according to PTI.

12.10 pm: A special train that was to carry 1,600 migrant workers to Leh from Dumka in Jharkhand for construction work of the Border Roads Organisation gets cancelled, following tensions between India and China in the region, PTI reports.

11.44 am: As many as 3,000 nurses from Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Thanjavur, Coimbatore, Erode districts of Tamil Nadu arrive in Chennai on Wednesday to cater to the Covid-19 requirements in the state-run hospitals, The Indian Express reports.

11.31 am: Doctors in United States are skeptical about the UK’s clinical trial results that show the drug dexamethasone can be lifesaving for critically-ill patients, Reuters reports. The doctors’ claim the recent withdrawal of an influential study by British medical journal The Lancet, has left them “wanting to see more data”.

11.28 am: The tally of coronavirus cases in Pakistan crosses the 1.5 lakh-mark, while 136 more people succumbed to the disease, taking the toll to 2,975 on Wednesday, PTI reports, quoting the country’s health ministry.

11.15 pm: During the hearing, the Supreme Court asks the Centre to look into the matter and pass necessary directions to states for payment of salaries, and provide other quarantine facilities to doctors and health care workers treating Covid-19 patients, Live Law reports.

It asks the Centre to file a compliance report within four weeks on payment of salaries to doctors and warns that non-compliance would be viewed seriously.

11.12 pm: The Supreme Court is hearing a petition filed by a doctor seeking separate facilities and timely salaries for Covid-19 frontline health workers, ANI reports.

10.52 am: A special disinfection tunnel has been set up to protect Russia’s President Vladimir Putin from the virus, reports state-controlled RIA news agency. All visitors to his official Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow have to pass through this tunnel.

10.49 am: Rajasthan reports 122 new cases and one death till 10.30 am today, ANI reports citing the state health department. With this, the state’s total count of cases reaches 13,338.

10.23 am: A 65-year-old man from Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir dies, reports PTI. With this, the number of fatalities in the Union territory rises to 64.

10.14 am: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah will also attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with chief ministers today, reports ANI.

10.02 am: The total number of sample tested in India so far crosses 60 lakh, says the Indian Council of Medical Research. In the last 24 hours, as many as 1,63,187 samples have been tested

9.44 am: United States reports 740 new deaths in last 24 hours, taking the toll to 116,854, reports AFP.

9.26 am: India reports 10,968 new cases and 2,003 deaths in the last 24 hours, says the Union health ministry. With this, the country’s tally is now 3,54,065 cases including 11,903 fatalities.

9.14 am: The Asian Infra Investment Bank approves loan worth $750 million to India for Covid-19, reports CNBC TV.

9.03 am: Nagaland reports two new cases, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 181, says Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom.

8.48 am: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not attend the virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today after her name was reportedly omitted from the list of speakers, reports NDTV.

8.43 am: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern orders the military to oversee the country’s borders, reports AFP.

8.36 am: The World Health Organization welcomes the initial clinical trial results from the United Kingdom that show dexamethasone can be lifesaving for critically-ill patients. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says it is the first treatment to have shown effect in reducing mortality in patients with Covid-19 who require oxygen or ventilator support. He congratulates the UK government, the University of Oxford, and the many hospitals and patients who have contributed to this lifesaving scientific breakthrough.

8.31 am: Beijing reports 31 fresh cases, most from southwestern city of Fengtai.

8.30 am: The Mizoram government tested 821 samples of which 633 tested negative. The state has 121 cases.

8.29 am: Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne has accused China and Russia of spreading disinformation online that added to a climate of fear and division, reports AP

8.26 am: Beijing cancels 1,255 flights over virus fears, reports AFP.

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Coronavirus: Beijing cancels over 1,200 flights, closes schools as new cases emerge

8.25 am: The Punjab government says it has formed District Technical Committees, headed by civil surgeons, to define containment zones with large outbreaks and activities to be done in these areas, reports ANI.

8.18 am: The National Centre for Disease Control has asked house helps living in urban slums to take week-long break from work, reports Hindustan Times. “Any family member working as domestic help in neighbourhood should request exemption from service for a short period of two weeks so as to ensure that neither the employer nor employee acquires and spreads Covid-19,” reads the advisory. “If they are required to go to work, they should practice proper hand washing with soap and water at and after work.”

7.59 am: The second Air India flight takes off from Auckland airport carrying 217 stranded Indians from New Zealand.

7.53 am: The Delhi government is converting the Radha Soami Spiritual Centre in Chhatarpur into world’s largest temporary Covid-19 care facility with 10,000 beds, reports NDTV. South Delhi District Magistrate BM Mishra says the facility will function like 20 mini hospitals with 500 beds each.

The facility will have cardboard beds that need not be sanitised and are recyclable. “These beds need not be sanitised as the virus does not remain stable on cardboard for more than 24 hours; on metal, plastic and wood the virus can stay for up to five days,” Vikram Dhavan, director of Dhavan Box Sheet Containers Pvt Ltd, which is making and supplying the beds, tells NDTV.

The Chhatarpur centre is as large as 22 football fields, with preinstalled fans and CCTV cameras. “The facility was being used to shelter migrant workers until recently,” Vikas Sethi, secretary of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, Bhati Mines, tells NDTV. “Its community kitchens are semi-industrial and can feed thousands of people at a time.

7.48 am: The toll in Bihar is now 39 after a 55-year-old man died on Tuesday, reports PTI. The state’s tally is now 6,810 with 148 fresh cases.

7.46 am: The United States, Canada and Mexico have agreed to keep their shared borders closed for non-essential travel till July 21, reports AP. The restrictions were announced on March 18 and extended in April and May. “This is a decision that will protect people on both sides of the border as we continue to fight Covid-19,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said.

7.40 am: Here are the top updates from Tuesday

• India on Tuesday reported 10,667 new cases and 380 deaths, taking the country’s tally to 3,43,091. The overall toll stood at 9,900. India is currently the fourth-most affected country in the world.
• Tamil Nadu reported 49 deaths in a day, the highest so far, taking the toll in the state to 528. The total cases in the state breached the 48,000-mark after 1,515 new infections. However, Chief Minister K Palaniswami claimed that the overall fatalities in the state were low and that the recovery rate was high. Meanwhile, the count in Maharashtra, the worst-affected state in India, rose to 1,13,445, including 5,537 deaths. Delhi’s tally rose to 44,688, including 1,837 deaths.
• Researchers in the United Kingdom have achieved a breakthrough with the discovery that the drug dexamethasone cuts the risk of death for coronavirus patients on ventilators by 33%. The drug also reduces deaths of patients on oxygen support by 20%, the researchers found. The discovery was made during a major trial to find a treatment for the coronavirus, that examines existing treatments.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that there are signs of green shoots in the economy and that India’s fight to tackle the coronavirus pandemic is a fine example of cooperative federalism. He made the comments while speaking with the chief ministers and lieutenant governors of 21 states and Union Territories to discuss the situation in the country. Modi also said India’s death rate was among the lowest in the world.
• As many as 451 deaths of patients of the coronavirus in Mumbai have not been reported by the city’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, a data reconciliation exercise by the Maharashtra government has shown. The BMC said that over the last week, it had reported another 57 of the 451 deaths in a “staggered manner”. This meant that the reporting of only 371 deaths, and not 451, is pending now, it claimed.
• Authorities in Chinese capital Beijing restricted travel, closed all sports and entertainment sites and ramped up testing after a city official warned that the coronavirus situation is “extremely severe”. Most of the cases were linked to the Xinfadi seafood supermarket in Beijing’s southern Fengtai district. The wholesale market was closed on June 13 after it was identified as being at the centre of a new cluster of cases.
• Globally, the coronavirus has infected over 80.56 lakh people so far, and killed more than 4.37 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University.