Coronavirus: SC directs Centre to cap cost of treatment at private hospitals as cases cross 9 lakh

11.05 pm: Read our top 10 coronavirus updates from Tuesday.

9.49 pm: The Supreme Court tells the Centre that the cost of coronavirus treatment cannot be a deterrent for a patient to receive medical care, Live Law reports. “No patient should be turned away from the doors of healthcare institutions because the cost of treatment is too high,” Chief Justice of India SA Bobde says. The court also directs the Centre to regulate treatment costs at private hospitals in states.

9.43 pm: The Madhya Pradesh government bans religious programmes in public places, ANI reports. The state government adds that not more than five people should gather at a religious place at the same time.

8.46 pm: The number of coronvirus cases in Ahmedabad rise by 167 to reach 23,426 on Tuesday, PTI reports. The city’s toll reaches 1,525 with three new deaths.

8.44 pm: West Bengal extends total lockdown in containment zones till July 19, PTI reports, quoting the state government.

8.41 pm: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directs state officials to provide Rs 15,000 to the families of people who have died of the coronavirus for their funeral, ANI reports.

8.25 pm: Punjab Cabinet minister Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa tests positive for the coronavirus.

8.00 pm: Here are numbers of new cases reported in other states on Tuesday

Gujarat: 915 new cases, tally rises to 43,723; toll at 2,071.

West Bengal: 1,390 new cases, tally rises to 32,838; toll at 980.

Uttar Pradesh: 1,656 new cases, tally rises to 38,741; toll is 983.

7.58 pm: Tamil Nadu’s tally rises to 1,47,324 with 4,526 new cases on Tuesday. Sixty-seven new deaths push the state’s toll to 2,099.

7.56 pm: Delhi, meanwhile, records 1,606 new cases and 35 deaths on Tuesday. The Capital’s tally is now 1,15,346 while the toll stands at 3,446.

7.54 pm: Maharashtra reports 6,741 new coronavirus cases and 213 deaths on Tuesday. The state’s tally rises to 2,67,665 and the toll reaches 10,695.

6.55 pm: Nagaland reports 51 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking its tally to 896.

6.51 pm: The Odisha government will soon start start plasma therapy to treat critically ill coronavirus patients at three hospitals in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, PTI reports.

6.48 pm: American industrial conglomerate 3M Co teams up with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop a rapid antigen test for the coronavirus, Reuters reports. The test would produce results within minutes.

6.23 pm: Nepal’s coronavirus tally crosses 17,000 on Tuesday with the detection of 116 new cases in the last 24 hours, PTI reports, quoting the country’s health ministry. Nepal now has 17,061 cases. The toll stands at 38.

6.13 pm: Kerala records 608 new coronavirus cases and one death on Tuesday, ANI reports, quoting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The state’s tally rises to 8,930 and the toll reaches 34.

6.08 pm: The Ministry of Human Resource Development releases detailed guidelines for online classes. The Centre recommends that the duration for online classes for pre-primary students should not be over 30 minutes. For classes 1 to 8, the Centre suggests online sessions of up to 45 minutes each while for classes 9 to 12, it recommends four sessions of 30-45 minutes each.

6.04 pm: All government offices, except those providing essential services, banks, markets and shops will remain closed in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddha Nagar on the weekends, PTI reports, quoting District Magistrate Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj.

6.00 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra’s Palghar district cross 10,000 on Tuesday, PTI reports. The district now has 10,164 cases. The toll is 134.

5.08 pm: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation says 35,000 passengers have left Bengaluru ahead of the imposition of a lockdown from today, July 14, PTI reports.

5.05 pm: Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij says the state government is considering imposing restrictions in Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar districts, as they border Delhi and account for 80% of the state’s coronavirus cases, ANI reports.

4.58 pm: Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh goes into quarantine after coming into contact with Bharatiya Janata Party’s Jammu and Kashmir President Ravinder Raina, who has tested positive for the coronavirus.

4.54 pm: The ICMR director general says it is important to wear masks amid emerging evidence that the coronavirus may be airborne.

4.51 pm: Dr Balram Bhargava says most countries are fast-tracking their coronavirus vaccine candidates.

4.41 pm: More than 20 people, including four senior office-bearers of the Bharatiya Janata Party, test positive for the coronavirus at the party’s headquarters in Patna, PTI reports, quoting BJP’s Bihar unit chief Sanjay Jaiswal.

4.32 pm: The health ministry says 22 states are currently performing more than 140 coronavirus tests per day per 10 lakh population.

4.29 pm: Arunachal Pradesh records 27 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, PTI reports, quoting the state government. Arunachal’s tally rises to 387.

4.24 pm: Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research Dr Balram Bhargava says India’s two vaccine candidates have undergone successful toxicity studies in rats, mice and rabbits. “Their data was submitted to DCGI [the Director General Controller of India] following which both they got clearance to start early phase human trials early this month.”

4.19 pm: Bihar orders complete lockdown from July 16 to July 31, PTI reports, quoting Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

4.17 pm: A graph showing the coronavirus recovery rate of the states. The health ministry says 20 states and union territories have a higher recovery rate than the national average.

4.15 pm: The Union health ministry releases a graph showing that the daily growth of new coronavirus cases is declining.

4.12 pm: The health ministry says Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu account for 50% of India’s active coronavirus cases.

4.01: The Union health ministry briefs media on the coronavirus.

3.55 pm: The lockdown has been imposed in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka from 8 pm on July 15 to 5 am of July 23, ANI reports, quoting the district deputy commissioner. The region comprises Mangalore, Sullia, Puttur, Belthangady, Moodabidri, Bantwal and Kadaba.

3.47 pm: Senior Congress leader Digambar Kamat criticises the Goa government’s order asking private hospitals to reserve 20% beds for Covid-19 patients, PTI reports. “The government’s decision to reserve 20% beds in every private hospital in Goa has created panic and fear in the minds of people,” he says. “Is the government trying to take Covid-19 to every hospital bed?”

3.39 pm: Bihar reports 1,432 new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, ANI reports quoting the state health department. The total number of infections in the state stands at 18,853.

3.20 pm: A government official in West Bengal dies of the coronavirus, NDTV reports. Debdatta Ray, the deputy magistrate of Chandannagar subdivision in Hooghly district, had reported Covid-like symptoms earlier this month.

3.14 pm: The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation suspends bus services from July 15 to July 21 in view of lockdown enforced Bengaluru amid rising cases of the coronavirus, ANI reports. However, the corporation will be operational for essential services.

3.58 pm: France will soon announce an “exceptional package” for India, including ventilators and expertise, as part of its efforts to jointly combat the Covid-19 pandemic, French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain says, according to PTI.

2.51 pm: Over 80 labourers involved in the metro construction project in Bengaluru, Karnataka, test positive for the coronavirus, ANI reports.

2.47 pm: The Ministry of Human Resource Development issues guidelines to states and Union Territories regarding the education of migrant workers’ children who have returned home during the pandemic, asking them to ensure their names are not struck off school rolls, PTI reports. The states have been asked to prepare a database of children who have left the local area for their homes in other states or other parts of the same state.

2.12 pm: The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation in Maharashtra’s Thane district acquires 80% beds in private hospitals for treatment for Covid-19 patients, PTI reports.

2.11 pm: Andhra Pradesh reports 1,916 new cases of the coronavirus and 43 deaths on Tuesday, ANI reports, quoting the state health department. With this, the total number of infections in the state rises to 33,019 and the toll stands at 408.

1.35 pm: When millions of jobless migrant workers across India started returning to their hometowns in May, Pratima and Rajesh Singh decided against heading back to their village in Ballia district in Easternmost Uttar Pradesh. Rajesh, who had worked as a welder in Kerala’s central Ernakulam district for 17 years, was among the 120 million Indians left unemployed by the Covid-19-induced lockdown.

Read more here:

While everyone was rushing home, many migrants stayed back in Kerala because of a school programme

1.28 pm: Jammu and Kashmir administration opens the Union Territory to visitors on Tuesday once again but in a phased manner. All tourists visiting for a holiday will have to undergo mandatory tests for the coronavirus, according to the guidelines issued by the government.

Read more here:

J&K: Covid-19 test mandatory for all outsiders as authorities resume tourism in phased manner

1.18 pm: The medical superintendent of the Nizamabad Government Hospital in Telangana resigns from his post, days after a photo of a body of a Covid-19 patient being carried in an autorickshaw drew criticism, The Indian Express reports. “It weighed on conscience and I was feeling guilty,” Nageswara Rao tells the newspaper. “I cannot continue as the superintendent in that frame of mind. I will continue to work as a professor in the orthopaedic department.”

1.11 pm: Bollywood actor Sara Ali Khan’s driver tests positive for the coronavirus. However, she and her family have tested negative for the virus, the actor says in an Instagram post.

1.03 pm: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan says India has conducted 1,20,92,503 coronavirus tests, of which 2,86,247 were done on July 13. The country’s number of testing laboratories has increased to 1,206. Out of these, 853 are government-run and 353 are private.

1.02 pm: India’s central government will hold a press briefing on the coronavirus situation in the country at 4 pm.

12.52 pm: Australia tightens restrictions on movement as authorities struggle to contain a fresh outbreak of the coronavirus in the southeast, reports Reuters.

12.35 pm: CBSE results of Class 10 students will be declared on Wednesday, announces Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

“My dear children, parents, and teachers, the results of Class X CBSE board examinations will be announced tomorrow. I wish all the students best of luck,” he tweets.

12.20 pm: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi says India’s coronavirus tally will cross the 10-lakh mark. “This week, our [India’s] coronavirus tally will cross 10,00,000,” he tweets.

12.14 pm: Coronavirus-affected United Kingdom economy shrinks 19% in three months to May, reports AFP.

12.10 pm: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami tests negative for the coronavirus for the second time in about a month, said the state government, according to PTI.

12.02 pm: Punjab exempts mandatory home quarantine for those visiting the state for less than 72 hours, reports ANI, citing the Chief Minister’s Office. The visitors only need to submit a formal undertaking at the border check post.

11.39 am: Odisha records 543 new coronavirus cases and 505 recoveries, according to the state health department, reports ANI. The total number of cases is now at 14,280, including 4,929 active cases, and 74 deaths.

11.36 am: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal says positivity rate and death rate is going down, but people should not be complacent, reports ANI. “You never know, coronavirus may surge again. Use of masks, sanitisers and washing hands is very important. Increased testing and working in unison is to credit for the betterment in situation.”

11.27 am: A government doctor in Madhya Pradesh’s Singrauli district has been charged for impersonation after he sent his wife’s sample for a Covid-19 test in their domestic help’s name, according to The Indian Express.

11.24 am: Patients who recover from the coronavirus may lose their immunity to reinfection within months, says a research by King’s College London, reports AFP. The researchers examined the levels of antibodies in over 90 confirmed patients and how they changed over time.

11.21 am: The Donald Trump-led United States administration is targeting the country’s infectious disease chief Dr Anthony Fauci with increased criticism, reports BBC. A leaked White House memorandum had noted that several officials “are concerned about the number of times Dr Fauci has been wrong on things”.

11.13 am: France has agreed to provide an increase in pay worth €8 billion to health workers, reports BBC.

11.09 am: Bengaluru-based Biocon Limited’s drug Itolizumab has been approved for emergency use for the coronavirus after clinical trials on just 30 patients, News18 reports.

11.07 am: Puducherry’s Health Department records 63 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking the tally to 1,531 including 684 active cases and 18 deaths, reports ANI.

11.02 am: The Odisha government on Monday approved a regular diet allowance of Rs 240 for doctors and paramedical staff who are working at coronavirus hospitals, health centres, and care centres, reports ANI.

10.59 am: United States President Donald Trump on Monday said: “We test more than anybody by far, and when you test, you create cases.

Read more here:

Coronavirus: US has biggest testing programme and lowest mortality rate in the world, claims Trump

10.56 am: World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday said “too many countries are headed in the wrong direction” with the pandemic and some were not taking the proper steps to curb infections.

Read more here:

Covid-19: WHO says no return to normal for foreseeable future, chastises leaders for mixed messages

10.42 am: Singapore has sent back 10 Indian citizens, including students, and prohibited their re-entry in the country for violating the “circuit breaker” rules put in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus, officials said on Monday, reports PTI. The country has also warned that the administration would not hesitate to take “strong action” against those blatantly disregarding the laws.

10.38 am: Rajasthan records 98 new coronavirus cases and three deaths till 10.30 am on Tuesday, reports ANI. The state tally rises to 25,034, including 5,759 active cases and 521 deaths.

10.22 am: People gather at a market in Hubballi ahead of the lockdown.

9.59 am: Below is a graph of 7-day rolling average of confirmed cases.

9.48 am: Police personnel check vehicles in Pune as the Municipal Corporation orders lockdown in two phases from today to July 18.

9.40 am: India tested 2,86,247 samples on Monday, says the Indian Council of Medical Research.

9.37 am: India records 28,498 new coronavirus cases, taking the total to 9,06,752. The toll rises by 553 to 23,727. More than 5.71 lakh people have recovered.

9.18 am: Three families in three Indian cities share their stories of dealing with the loss of loved ones in the midst of a pandemic.

Also read

Coronavirus’ deadliest blow: Complicated grief for the families of those who died

9.12 am: The Goa government makes it compulsory for all private hospitals in the state to reserve 20% of their total beds for Covid-19 patients, reports PTI. If any private hospital does not comply with the order, its license to operate could be suspended or cancelled, says health services director Jose DSa.

8.11 am: Kalaburagi wears a deserted look as the district administration imposes lockdown till July 20.

7.45 am: United States President Donald Trump says his country has the biggest Covid-19 testing programme in the world, better than countries like Russia, China, India and Brazil. He also claims that America has “just about the lowest mortality rate” in the world.

“We test more than anybody by far,” says Trump. “And when you test, you create cases. So we have created cases. I can tell you that some countries, they test when somebody walks into a hospital sick or walks into maybe a doctor’s office, but usually a hospital. That is the testing they do, so they do not have cases, whereas we have all these cases. So, it is a double-edged sword.”

He adds that the US has the best and the biggest testing programme. “If you tested China or Russia or any of the larger countries, if you just tested India, as an example, the way we test, you would see numbers that would be very surprising,” he adds. “Brazil too. You know, Brazil is going through a big problem, but they do not do testing like we do.”

Also read

Coronavirus: US has biggest testing programme and lowest mortality rate in the world, claims Trump

7.21 am: China reports five new infections in the mainland, says the health authority.

7.17 am: Mexico reports 4,685 new cases, taking the tally to 3,04,435, according to Reuters. The toll rises to 35,491.

7.14 am: Hong Kong is set to impose the most stringent physical distancing norms from tonight, reports Reuters. Facemasks will be mandatory for people while on public transport, restaurants can only provide takeaways after 6 pm and 12 types of establishments, including gyms, will be shut for a week.

7.11 am: California again shuts indoor restaurants, bars, movie theaters amid a surge in cases.

7.10 am: Singapore’s economy shrinks 41% in Quarter 2, confirming recession, reports AFP.

7.09 am: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been in quarantine nearly a week after testing positive for Covid-19, says he plans to take another test as he “can’t stand” being in isolation, reports AFP.

7.06 am: Bengaluru will go into a complete lockdown from 8 pm today to 5 am on July 22 amid rising cases.

Also read

Coronavirus: Bengaluru to go into complete lockdown for a week from 8 pm today

Coronavirus: Why are so many places in India locking down again?

7.02 am: World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns that the pandemic is worsening and that “there will be no return to the old normal for the foreseeable future”, reports AP. He adds that many countries “are headed in the wrong direction”. Tedros Adhanom also chastises politicians for “undermining the most critical ingredient of any response: trust” with their “mixed messages”.

“If the basics aren’t followed, there is only one way this pandemic is going to go,” says Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “It’s going to get worse and worse and worse.”

7 am: Here are the top updates from Monday

• India on Monday recorded 28,701 new coronavirus cases, taking the total to 8,78,254. The toll in the country rose by 500 to 23,174. This is the biggest single-day jump in infections so far. More than 5.53 lakh people have recovered. The Union health ministry said India’s recovery rate is now 63.02% while the mortality rate is 2.64%.
• Maharashtra reported 6,497 new coronavirus cases, taking the state’s overall count to 2,60,924 and the toll to 10,482. Tamil Nadu, meanwhile, recorded 4,328 new cases, taking its tally to 1,42,798. The state’s toll rose to 2,032. The state government extended its ban on bus services till July 31. Delhi reported 1,246 new cases, taking its tally to 1,13,740 and the toll to 3,411. Kerala’s coronavirus count reached 8,322 with 449 new cases and the toll rose to 33.
• The Karnataka government directed people who have been tested for the coronavirus to stay in quarantine at home till they get their results.
• The Punjab government issued new restrictions in a bid to control the spread of the coronavirus. The state government said that first information reports will be filed against people who violate the norms. Only 30 people will be allowed at weddings now instead of 50 and social gatherings will be limited to five people.
• The Kerala government set up the first plasma bank in the state. India’s first plasma bank was launched in Delhi last month, followed by the second in West Bengal. Convalescent plasma therapy, an experimental treatment for severe cases of the coronavirus, involves giving the blood plasma of an individual who has recovered from the infection to a patient in a serious condition. The antibodies in the recovered person’s plasma are expected to improve the condition of the patient requiring treatment.
• Pharmaceutical company Glenmark slashed the prices of its antiviral drug Favipiravir for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 symptoms, by 27% to Rs 75 per tablet. The company had launched the drug under the brand name of “FabiFlu” last month, at a price of Rs 103 per tablet.
• Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said a specific deadline or timeline for the coronavirus vaccine cannot be given at the moment. Vardhan once again reiterated that there is no community transmission of the coronavirus in India. “I can say with confidence [that] community transmission has not begun,” he said.
• The global coronavirus count is now over 1.29 crore, while the toll has crossed 5.70 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University. More than 71 lakh people have recovered so far.
• A group of more than 80 millionaires urged governments across the world to substantially increase taxes on them in order to accumulate more funds to fight the escalating coronavirus crisis.