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Covid-19 cases close to 54,000 mark, Kerala and Odisha report no new ones: Top 10 points
Over 70 cases were registered and 2,658 people detained in the national capital on Thursday for violating government orders during the lockdown imposed to control the coronavirus outbreak, police said.
The nationwide tally of Covid-19 cases neared 54,000 on Thursday with more people testing positive for the deadly virus infection in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan among other states, but the number of those having recovered also crossed 15,000.
At least 4,500 new cases have been detected across the country since Wednesday morning, figures announced by different states and union territories showed. The nationwide death toll has now risen to 1,783, while fatalities were also reported from paramilitary forces.
Here are the top developments of the day:
1) Looking at the modelling data and the rise in numbers, AIIMS director Randeep Guleria said the Covid-19 cases will likely peak in June, July.
2) Patients, who have been chosen for clinical trials, can now give their consent electronically through a text message, WhatsApp or other mobile-based applications because of mobility restrictions due to coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) draft guidelines for ethics committees that review biomedical and health research in the country.
3) A coronavirus patient was allegedly molested by two staffers at a private hospital in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, where she was undergoing treatment. The police have arrested two in the case.
4) The Indian Navy said on Thursday that its personal protective equipment (PPE) has been certified by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) for mass production and subsequent usage in clinical Covid-19 situations. The “outstanding” features of the PPE are its “simple, innovative and cost-effective design” and therefore, it can be made by basic gown manufacturing facilities, the Navy added.
5) The Railways said it will deploy over 2,500 doctors and 35,000 paramedics at its coaches-turned-coronavirus care centres that will be parked at 215 railway stations across the country for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. Various zones have been recruiting doctors and other healthcare professionals on a temporary basis, it said in a statement, a day after the government gave its nod for the deployment of 5,231 coaches. The trains will be attached to the nearest Covid-19 hospital.
6) Two Border Security Force personnel and a CISF official succumbed to the Covid-19 infection as active positive cases of the pandemic in various paramilitary forces neared 500, officials said.
7) Over 70 cases were registered and 2,658 people detained in the national capital on Thursday for violating government orders during the lockdown imposed to control the coronavirus outbreak, police said.
8) India Post has entered into a tie-up with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for delivery of its Covid-19 testing kits to 200 additional labs designated for coronavirus testing across the country.
9) Interacting with opposition leaders, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray expressed confidence that the coronavirus pandemic in the state will be curbed by the end of this month. The Union government was cooperating with the state and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was easily available for discussion and guidance, he said in the meeting which he addressed through video conference.
10) Thirteen states and Union Territories - Kerala, Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir - have not reported any new case of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said.
