Coronavirus in India: Death toll nears 200-mark, 30 deaths, 547 new COVID-19 cases in 12 hours

HIGHLIGHTS

• Total number of coronavirus cases rises to 6,412 in India
• Death toll due to novel coronavirus nears the 200-mark
• At present, there are 5,709 active Covid-19 cases in India

Over 650 positive cases of a novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, ending Friday morning, have taken India’s tally over 6,400 while the death toll is about to reach the 200-mark.

According to the Union health ministry, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases in India has climbed to 6,412. These include 5,709 active cases while 504 have been either cured or discharged.

In its updated figures at 9 am, the Union ministry added that India has seen an increase of 547 new COVID-19 cases and 30 deaths in the last 12 hours. On Thursday morning, India’s coronavirus tally stood at 5,734.

At 1,364, Maharashtra has seen the highest number of novel coronavirus cases in India so far. It is followed by Tamil Nadu (834) and Delhi (720). Telangana has reported 442 cases.

In Uttar Pradesh, which has sealed its Coronavirus hotspots, 410 cases have been seen so far. It is followed by Kerala at 357 cases and Andhra Pradesh at 348.

The total tally in Madhya Pradesh has risen to 259 while 241 cases have been reported in Gujarat. Karnataka and Haryana have recorded 181 and 169 cases, respectively. Jammu and Kashmir have 158 cases, West Bengal has 116 and Punjab has 101 confirmed cases so far.

Odisha has reported 44 coronavirus cases. Thirty-nine people are infected in Bihar while Uttarakhand has 35 patients and Assam 29. Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh have 18 cases each while Ladakh has 15 and Jharkhand has 13 positive patients so far. Eleven cases have been reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands while 10 were reported from Chhattisgarh.

Goa has reported seven cases of infections, followed by Puducherry at five cases. Manipur has two while Tripura, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported one case each.

30 deaths in 12 hours

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus in India has climbed to 199. The ministry said at least 30 new deaths have been reported since Thursday evening.

Twenty-five deaths were reported from Maharashtra, three from Delhi and one each from Gujarat and Jharkhand. Maharashtra has reported the most coronavirus deaths at 97, followed by Gujarat at 17, Madhya Pradesh 16 and Delhi 12.

Punjab and Tamil Nadu have reported eight fatalities each while Telengana has reported seven deaths.

West Bengal and Karnataka have registered five deaths each. Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh have reported four deaths each while Haryana and Rajasthan have recorded three deaths each.

Two deaths have been reported from Kerala. Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Jharkhand reported one fatality each, according to the health ministry data. On Thursday evening, the death toll stood at 169.

ICMR suggests containment in 36 districts of 15 states

Following an ICMR study finding that 40 percent of novel coronavirus cases with severe acute respiratory infection did not have any history of contact with a positive patient or international travel, it has recommended 36 districts in 15 states for priority containment measures.

A study conducted from February 15 to April 2 revealed that a total of 104 of the 5,911 patients with severe acute respiratory infections tested positive for COVID-19. Of these, 40 cases did not report any history of contact with a known case or international travel. The chances of getting infected among SARI patients increased from 0 percent before March 14 to 2.6 percent by April 2.

According to the study, a total of (104) 1.8 percent of the 5,911 SARI patients tested were positive for COVID-19. These cases were reported from 52 districts in 20 states and union territories. “In all, 39.2 percent COVID-19 cases did not report any history of contact with a known case or international travel,” the ICMR study said.

The ICMR highlighted that COVID-19 containment activities need to be targeted in districts reporting positive cases among SARI patients and stated that intensifying sentinel surveillance for coronavirus among SARI patients may be an efficient tool to effectively use resources towards containment and mitigation efforts, it said.

During the study, SARI patients were detected from eight districts in Maharashtra, six in West Bengal and five each in Tamil Nadu and Delhi. In 15 states, more than one percent of SARI patients were COVID-19 positive.

About a third of COVID-19 positive SARI cases did not have any history of contact with the laboratory-confirmed cases or international travel, and such cases were reported from 36 districts in 15 states. These districts need to be prioritized to target COVID-19 containment activities, the study stated.

Also, Read Coronavirus: 1783 People Died In 24 Hours In America, 16 Thousand Killed So Far.