As India enters the fourth phase of the post-pandemic ‘unlock’ process, the Indian Railways plans to start more special passenger trains in high-demand sectors, for which it is in discussions with various State governments. These trains will be run in addition to the 230 special trains that are currently operational.
Also read: Govt must focus on preventing deaths from COVID-19: epidemiologists
You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here . A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.
Here are the latest updates:
Punjab govt slashes charges for rapid antigen test
The Punjab Health Department on Wednesday reduced charges for a rapid antigen test for coronavirus by private labs to ₹700.
Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said the government has reduced the charges from ₹1,000 to ₹700, inclusive of the GST and other taxes.
It has been left to the private labs to fix rates for the collection of samples from houses, he said in a statement in Chandigarh.
There are 45 ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) approved private labs conducting COVID tests in the State.
The Minister said the government has fixed a maximum of ₹2,400 for a RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) test.
Punjab’s COVID tally stood at 56,989 cases with 1,618 deaths on September 2. — PTI
Bengal’s COVID-19 discharge rate rises to 83.53%
The COVID-19 discharge rate in West Bengal improved to 83.53% on Wednesday after 3,297 patients recovered from the disease, the state health department said in a bulletin.
On Tuesday, the discharge rate was 83.04%.
The death toll due to COVID-19 went up to 3,339 after 56 more people succumbed to the infection.
The caseload also rose to 1,68,697 as 2,976 more people tested positive for the contagion, the bulletin said.
The state has 24,445 active cases now.
Since Tuesday, 44,120 samples were tested for COVID-19 in West Bengal.
- PTI
Tamil Nadu inches towards 50 lakh RT-PCR tests for COVID-19
Tamil Nadu on Wednesday reported 5,990 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 4,39,959, while 98 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 7,516. As many as 75,829 samples were tested and 49,64,141 specimens have been examined till date, a Health Department bulletin said.
There are 154 COVID-19 labs, 64 in government and 90 in private facilities. Tamil Nadu does not use Rapid Antigen Diagnostic Tests and all tests are RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) based.
Out of the 5,900 plus fresh cases, the State capital’s share was 1,025 and the rest was scattered across Tamil Nadu. Of the over 4.39 lakh infections in the State, Chennai accounted for 1,37,732.
The deceased include two men aged 37 and 93 and in total, 93 had co-morbidities and five no chronic illnesses. With the discharge of 5,891 patients from various hospitals, the cumulative recoveries and active cases stood at 3,80,063 and 52,380 respectively.
Onus on people to contain spread of virus: Puducherry CM
Chief Minister of Puducherry V. Narayanasamy reiterated that cooperation of the people, particularly the youth, was necessary to contain the spread of the pandemic in the Union Territory.
Addressing a virtual press conference in Puducherry, he said, “In spite of repeated appeals not to move about unnecessarily, the youth are going around, and this leads to increase in the pandemic cases.”
There should be adherence to safety protocol to bring the caseload down, he said.
The government has taken several steps to ramp up testing of samples for COVID-19 and additional doctors and nurses posted in the government hospitals to curb the viral infection, the Chief Minister said.
He said he has received complaints from patients and their relatives that some private medical colleges here were allegedly shirking the responsibility of providing medical care for the virus-hit.
Mr. Narayanasamy said that he and Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao would hold talks with representatives from the management of the private medical colleges on September 3 to resolve the issue.
Referring to the financial position of the territorial government, he said it was critical with the Centre showing no response to the plea for grants and compensation for loss arising out of the implementation of GST (goods and services tax).
“There is a 40 per cent shortfall in revenue in the wake of the lull in business activities due to the coronavirus- induced lockdown,” he said while asking the Centre to come to the rescue. — PTI
Maharashtra reports 17,433 new cases, death toll passes 25,000
In its highest single-day spike till date, Maharashtra reported a staggering 17,433 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday as the total case tally rose to 8,25,739 of whom 2,01,703 cases are active.
292 new deaths pushed the total death toll to 25,195. As many as 13,959 patients were discharged today to take the total recoveries till date to 5,98,496. Pune reported more than 3,500 cases to take its total case tally to 1,82,212. The district reported 39 deaths to take its total death toll to 4,160.
Mumbai reported 1,622 cases to take its total case tally to 1,48,569 of whom 20,810 are active. 34 fatalities saw the city's death toll rise to 7,727.
- Shoumojit Banerjee
Bihar’s COVID discharge rate touches 88%
The COVID-19 discharge rate in Bihar reached 88% on Wednesday after 1,803 people have recovered from the disease in the past 24 hours, the health department said in a bulletin.
Out of the total caseload of 1,40,233, the number of people who have been cured of the infection has increased to 1,23,404, it said.
The recovery rate was 87.95% on Tuesday. It has been rising since August 17 in the state.
-PTI
Delayed diagnosis of coronavirus behind high mortality rate: Punjab Minister
On a day Punjab reported a record 106 fatalities due to coronavirus, State Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said Delayed diagnosis was the reason behind high mortality rate.
Sixty-seven per cent of the COVID-19 deaths took place as patients turned up at a health facility after suffering from suffering from severe symptoms, he said on Wednesday.
These cases then become difficult to manage, leading to death, Sidhu said in a statement. Punjab on Wednesday reported a new record 106 fatalities due to COVID-19, pushing the death toll to 1,618. The State had reported its highest single-day death figure of 56 on Tuesday.
The Minister has appealed to people not to risk their lives by delaying testing for coronavirus.
The Minister also asked the State police chief to initiate stern action against people spreading misinformation about testing and treatment of the disease.
Pointing to reports received from districts about resistance to sampling and testing, the Minister said even symptomatic persons with co-morbidities have not been reporting to health care facilities till the disease becomes acute.
This is the cause for maximum coronavirus deaths among patients with co-morbid conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart and kidney problems, he said.
M.P. reports 1424 new cases
Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday recorded 1,424 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 66,914. The number of active cases stands at 14,337.
As many as 27 patients died of the illness on the day, taking the State-wide death toll to 1,453.As for recoveries, 1,132 patients were discharged from hospitals on the day. So far, 51,124 persons have been cured of the illness, says the State Directorate of Health Services.
Goa records highest single-day spike of 636 COVID-19 cases
With 636 persons testing positive for coronavirus infection, Goa on Wednesday reported its highest single-day spike that took the tally to 18,642, an official said.
At least 209 patients were discharged from hospitals, rising the number of recoveries to 14,059 in the coastal state, the official said.
Apart from this, 10 patients died of the deadly infection that took the casualties to 204, he said.
Of the 2,199 swab samples, results of 1,228 came out negative, while 636 tested positive and reports of 335 are still awaited, the official said.
Goa’s COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 18,642, new cases 636, deaths 204, discharged 14,059, active cases 34,379, samples tested till date 2,04,438. — PTI
Karnataka reports 9860 new cases, the highest in a day
Karnataka on Wednesday recorded 9,860 cases, the highest so far on a single day, taking the total number of cases to 3,61,341. With 113 new deaths, the toll touched 5,950. This is apart from 19 non-COVID deaths.
The State saw 6,287 discharges taking the total number of recoveries to 2,60,913. Of the 94,459 active cases, 751 are being monitored in ICUs.
Bengaluru Urban reported 3,420 cases, the highest so far, and 32 deaths. With this the total number of cases in Bengaluru Urban now touched 1,35,512. The death toll in Bengaluru Urban is 2,037 now.
As many as 73,317 tests including 38,735 rapid antigen tests have been conducted in the last 24 hours.
- Karnataka Bureau
11 teams of scientists from India and U.S. to work on COVID-19 research
Eleven teams of Indian and U.S. scientists will soon jointly start scouting for out-of-the-box solutions, ranging from novel early diagnostic tests, antiviral therapy, drug repurposing, ventilator research, and sensor-based symptom tracking for COVID-19, the Department of Science and Technology said on Saturday.
The teams have been selected to take up these initiatives through a rigorous bi-national review process of proposals received under COVID-19 Ignition Grants in April 2020 issued by the U.S.-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund (USISTEF), the DST said in a statement.
The USISTEF announced the awards to eleven bilateral teams proposing out-of-the-box, innovative ideas to address the COVID-19 challenge.
Health Ministry issues SOP for conducting exams
Only asymptomatic staff and students shall be allowed inside the examination hall and only those examination centres which are outside the containment zone shall be allowed to function, noted the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday while issuing SOPs on preventive measures to be followed while conducting examinations to contain the spread of COVID- 19.
The Ministry said that these centres are frequented by a large number of students (as well as their parents) and staff till the entire duration of the exam and it is therefore vital to plan and conduct these examinations while following specific preventive measures.
M.P. Congress leader’s followers booked for holding rally
A case has been registered against 34 supporters of a senior Congress leader in Madhya Pradesh for taking out a rally at Sanver in Indore district during the opening of his election office amid COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.
The election office of Premchand Borasi ‘Guddu’, a former Lok Sabha MP, was opened in view of the upcoming bye-election to Sanver Assembly seat. The leader is keen to contest the bypoll from there as a Congress candidate.
However, dates from the State bypolls are yet to be announced.
A large number of Congress workers on September 1 took out a rally, which also included a convoy of vehicles, at Sanver, about 30 km from Indore, officials said.
These workers also raised slogans and waved party flags, they said.
In-charge of Sanver Police Station, Santosh Kumar Dudhi, said that in view of the coronavirus outbreak, the district administration has banned rallies and processions.
People, who took part in this rally, allegedly violated the guidelines by not wearing masks and not maintaining social distancing, he said.
“Thirty-four people who participated in the rally were booked under IPC sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (unlawful and negligent act which is likely to spread infection of any disease dangerous to life) and other provisions,” the official said.
He said that Mr. Borasi’s name was not included in the FIR as he did not attend the rally and reached the office later.
“Others who took part in the rally are being identified on the basis of video footages,” he said. — PTI
Some government offices shut after staff test COVID-19 positive in Muzaffarnagar
Work at different government offices in Muzaffarnagar was affected as they were closed for a few days after some staff tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Wednesday.
The head post office, municipality office and the regional transport office have been shut for a few days to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The district head post office was closed for Wednesday and Thursday after five employees were found positive for COVID-19, the superintendent of post offices, Vir Singh, said.
The regional transport office was closed for two days after one of a senior officer working there tested positive for coronavirus. According to Regional Transport Officer Vinit Mishra, the office will remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday for sanitisation.
Besides, the municipality office was closed on Wednesday after its executive officer was found COVID-19 positive.
According to Muzaffarnagar Nagar Palika Chairperson Anju Agarwal the municipality office was closed for sanitisation after the executive officer tested coronavirus positive.
Centre announces SOPs for operating Metro rail
Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri addresses a press conference to announce SOP for Metro operations from September 7:
The operations are being resumed in a graded manner. Those Metro systems which have more than one line will open in a graded manner so that all corridors become operational by September 12.
Timings will be staggered to begin with. Frequency of trains will be limited.
Wearing of masks will be mandatory . Only asymptomatic people will be allowed.
We will encourage use of Aarogya Setu app.
Use of Smart Card and cashless/online transactions to be encouraged. Tokens and paper slips/ticket to be used with proper sanitization.
Metro rail corporations can take decision to skip stations.
Based on above guidelines, Delhi, Noida, Chennai, Kochi, Bangalore, Mumbai Line-1, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Maha Metro (Nagpur), Kolkata, Gujarat and UP Metro (Lucknow) have prepared their SOPs.
No Metro in Mumbai in September
The Government of Maharashtra has decided not to resume operation of Metro in September 2020. Hence, Mumbai Line-1, Maha Metro and monorail operations shall commence from October 2020, or as the State Government may decide further.
The emphasis has to be on review and caution. Opening up will have to be reviewed.
If we find that resumption of operations does not result in social distancing, we might have no option but to review.
Resumption of economic activity is imperative. Metro corporations will ensure trains are sanitised, but we need cooperation of the public.
Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra says people should bring their own masks as the masks sold at stations will be costly.
100% of Metro operations will be watched on CCTV cameras. If there are any violations of social distancing, the train will not stop at the station.
No operations at stations in containment zones.
Frequency between trains will be 5-6 minutes so trains can be sanitised when being turned around.
Delhi Metro
Delhi Metro MD Mangu Singh presents DMRC's plan:
All lines will not be opened in one go. The hours of operations will be gradually increased, he says.
Stage 1 of operations will be 7 am to 11 am and 4 pm and 8 pm. Yellow Line from Samaypur Badli to Huda City Centre and Rapid Metro will open on September 7.
On September 9, Blue Line and Pink Line will be started. On September 10, Red Line will start.
From September 11, operation hours will be increased.
We will keep a close watch and if any correction is required, we will take corrective action.
Only select gates will be open at stations.
Health team prevented from taking samples in Haryana, kits burnt
Health officials were allegedly stopped and medical kits burnt when they went to take samples of contacts of a coronavirus patient in Haryana’s Fatehabad district, police said on Wednesday.
The Health Department team had gone to Nakta village on Tuesday to take samples of a family after a member had tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), police said.
They were prevented and the samples were not given. Some more people gathered there and they also did not let the team perform its duty, according to a complaint by the health officials.
Some of the equipments like rapid antigen kits were burnt during the incident, Sadar police station incharge Sukhdev Singh said.
-PTI
2,066 fresh cases push Jharkhand’s COVID-19 tally to 43,835
Jharkhand’s COVID-19 caseload rose to 43,835 on Wednesday as 2,066 more people tested positive for the infection, while five fresh fatalities pushed the State’s coronavirus death toll to 428, a health bulletin said.
Ranchi district reported the highest number of new cases at 951, followed by East Singhbhum (246), Bokaro (203) and Giridih (155), it said. Three fresh fatalities were registered in East Singhbhum and one each in Dhanbad and Sahibganj districts, the bulletin said.
The fresh infections have taken the number of active cases in the State to 15,043, while 28,364 people have recovered from the disease so far, it said. The State has tested 37,715 samples for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the bulletin added.
Maharashtra govt seems occupied with transfer of officials: Fadnavis
Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis alleged the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government was more interested in transferring officials than curbing the COVID-19 outbreak.
He suggested that transfer of officials can be put on hold this year in view of the viral outbreak.
“Presently, the problem with this government is that the entire government is occupied with transfers only.
“Conducting transfers has become the only business of this government now,” the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly told reporters at the airport here.
He is on a two-day tour of flood-affected regions in the Vidarbha region of east Maharashtra.
“Transfers are also necessary, but it won’t make any huge difference if transfers are withheld for a year. Key transfers are fine. I feel transfers can wait in this COVID-19 year,” he said, adding that the government incurs an expenditure of ₹500 crore a year on effecting transfers. — PTI
Journalist dies at COVID-19 facility
A 42-year-old reporter of a Marathi news channel died of COVID-19 infection on Wednesday at a newly-created jumbo care facility at COEP in Pune, Maharashtra, a top civic official said.
Pune Municipal Corporation commissioner Vikram Kumar said an inquiry has been ordered into the incident. District collector Rajesh Deshmukh said Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had given instructions to probe the issue of non-availability of a cardiac ambulance.
Sister of the deceased said her brother would have been alive had the cardiac ambulance been made available in time. She also alleged a gross mismanagement at the 800-bed facility, saying it was managed by trainee doctors.
Khanapur MLA tests positive
Congress MLA Anjali Nimbalkar during an Assembly seesion at Vidhana Soudha, in Bengaluru. File photo
Khanapur MLA Anjali Nimbalkar has tested positive for COVID 19. She and her children had voluntarily taken the test after her personal staff was found COVID-19 positive.
"I wish to inform that today I have tested positive for #COVID19.
I am asymptomatic at present & hence have opted for home isolation. I shall continue to discharge my duties working from home. Those who have come in my contact are advised to take the necessary precautions," she said. - Rishikesh Bahadur Desai
Delhi Ramlila committees begin preparations, await govt nod for performances amid pandemic
Ramlila committees in the national capital have begun preparations for the 10-day celebrations ahead of the Dussehra festival in October, but are unsure whether the government will allow the performances, which draw a large crowd, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Ramlila committees feel that even if at a small scale, they should be allowed to organise the performances this year taking into consideration the beginning of the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, where many believe Lord Ram was born.
Delhi LG directs officers to start testing on demand
Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Wednesday directed officers to augment the city’s testing capacity by taking a few steps, including ‘testing on demand’, testing at the national capital’s border points and at major construction sites to check the spread of COVID-19.
Sources said that during a meeting of Delhi Disaster Management Authority, the lieutenant governor asked officers to prepare detailed SOPs to introduce such testing facilities in the city.
They said that a helpline number will soon be launched, where a person, who has COVID-19 symptoms, can book testing and thereafter, can avail the facility at his or her doorstep.
India’s COVID-19 fatality rate slides to 1.76%, one of the lowest globally: Health Ministry
India has been reporting one of the lowest COVID-19 fatality rates in the world with the figure further declining to 1.76 per cent as on date against a global average of 3.3 per cent, the Union Health Ministry said.
It also said that COVID-19 deaths per million population in India is one of the lowest in the world.
“While the global average is 110 deaths per million population, India is reporting 48 deaths per million population. The comparative figure for Brazil and the UK is 12 and 13 times higher, respectively,” the ministry highlighted.
Women register higher sero-prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Chennai compared to men
Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection has been higher among women in Chennai, with 23.7% of the 6,493 women exposed to the infection, as per a serosurvey conducted in July .
According to the serosurvey, 19.3% of men have been exposed to the infection in the city. Of the 5,785 men who participated in the serosurvey in Chennai, 1,115 were exposed to the infection. Just 12.2% of individuals of the third gender have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Nearly half of the cases in Tamil Nadu have been reported from Chennai. The number of cases have been increasing since May 2020. Following the rising trend of reported cases, an intense lockdown was imposed in the city from June 19, 2020.
50% rise in active COVID-19 cases in Delhi in a month
The number of active COVID-19 cases in Delhi increased by around 50 percent in a month, with the city witnessing a marked uptick in new cases, according to government data.
From 14,040 active COVID-19 cases on August 29, the number increased to 15,870 on September 1.
The national capital on Tuesday recorded 2,312 fresh COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike in around two months. On Monday, the daily cases count was 1,358.
Experts attribute the increase in new cases to increased public movement after easing of lockdown restrictions, non-residents coming to Delhi for treatment and return of migrants from other states.
Calcutta High Court to increase judicial activities from Sept. 8
The Calcutta High Court has decided to increase judicial activities from September 8 and has also directed the district courts to take appropriate measures to take up more pending cases, Registrar General Rai Chattopadhyay said.
Chief Justice T B N Radhakrishnan, upon consideration of the recommendation of the Covid Committee of the High Court comprising senior judges, has ordered that attempt should be made for making provisions for taking up of criminal appeals up to the year 2018, which are ready for hearing.
Civil and criminal revision filed up to 2018 which are ready for hearing, and petitions filed under Section 11 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 up to the year 2019 which are ready for hearing, should also be attempted to be taken up, the order, dated August 31, said.
TN to allow inter-district buses, intra-state trains from September 7
A crowded MTC bus on the second day of Unlock 4, in Chennai on Tuesday.
Tamil Nadu government has allowed government and private buses to ply within the State from September 7, as part of its unlock guidelines. Metro services in Chennai will also restart its operations from the same day.
The government has also allowed intra-state passenger trains.
The government also reiterated the public to follow COVID-19 protocols, including social distancing, usage of face masks and frequent washing of hands.
- Dennis S. Jesudasan
Four more Rajasthan MLAs test positive
Four more MLAs have tested positive for COVID-19 in Rajasthan which recorded five more fatalities due to the novel coronavirus on Wednesday.
A Congress MLA and three BJP legislators had tested positive for the virus last week.
Ashok Lahoti had tested positive last week. The state reported 690 new cases on Wednesday taking the total cases to 83,853.
54% COVID-19 cases in age group 18-44 years
The Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday that 54% of the COVID-19 cases reported in India are in the age group of 18-44 years, while 51% deaths are among people aged 60 and above.
Presenting an analysis of COVID-19 cases and mortality on the basis of age, it also said that 36% of the fatalities reported are in the age group of 45-60 years, 11% in the age group of 26-44 years and 1% each among people aged 18-25 years and those below 17 years.
The health ministry stressed that more than 70% of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.
As far as cases of coronavirus infection are concerned, 54% are in the age group 18-44 years, 26% among those aged 45 to 60 years, eight per cent among those below 17 years and 12 per cent among those 60 years and above, it stated.
Uttarakhand CM quarantines himself after OSD tests positive for COVID-19
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has gone into self-quarantine once again with his OSD testing positive for COVID-19.
A meeting of the state cabinet scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed as a result, the sources said.
Mr. Rawat had earlier gone into self-quarantine for three days as a precaution on August 25 after one of his advisors had tested positive for COVID-19 leading to the postponement of a meeting of the state cabinet scheduled to be held on August 26.
Mizoram issues new unlock guideline
Days after the union home ministry issued a new set of guidelines for Unlock 4.0, allowing significant relaxations, Mizoram has come up with its own set of rules for unlocking till September 30, an official said.
The order issued on Monday night said that the government has decided to relax certain economic activities with emphasis on the precautionary measures, he said.
- Night curfew will be clamped in all district headquarters, including state capital Aizawl from 8:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m., it said.
- All commercial activities in the state will function normally.
- Business shops will be allowed to open with maximum three keepers and six in cases of godowns or big stores subject to the consent of community leaders of the locality where the shops or godowns are located.
- Inter-state border will be opened everyday at only three entry points - Vairengte and Bairabi on the Mizoram- Assam border and Kanhmun on the state border with Tripura for vehicles carrying commodities.
- Inter-state movement of people through the three entry points will be allowed only on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays to facilitate screening and quarantine.
- Though the lone Lengpui airport will be open everyday for cargo flights, passenger flights are allowed to operate only Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
- Educational institutions and religious congregations will continue to be closed.
- Weddings, funeral and anniversary celebrations are allowed with a ceiling of 50 attendees and that of sports practice with 25 attendees.
- PTI
Goa CM Pramod Sawant tests coronavirus positive
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said he has tested positive for coronavirus.
Sawant, 47, said he is asymptomatic and under home isolation.
“I wish to inform that I have been detected COVID-19 positive. I am asymptomatic and hence have opted for home isolation. I shall continue to discharge my duties working from home. Those who have come in my close contact are advised to take the necessary precautions,” he tweeted.
- PTI
COVID-19 serosurvey to be launched
An employee of MTC cleaning and spraying disinfectant into the buses which were parked at parking bay, Pallavan house MTC depot in Chennai on August 31, 2020
The Health Department is preparing to launch a serosurvey across the Union Territory to gain a more accurate and illustrative picture of the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community.
The survey will lift samples from adults (18 years and above) spanning areas and age groups, gender, occupations by risk exposure and economic class in Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam.
Airlines see uptick in demand ahead of festival season
Airlines are seeing an uptick in demand due to a multitude of factors including further relaxation of lockdown rules, the upcoming festive season and the promise of a vaccine, holding a sliver of hope for the sector as resumption of domestic flights in the country turned 100 days on Tuesday.
Highest single-day spike in 59 days with 2,312 cases
The Capital saw its highest single-day spike in 59 days with 2,312 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the past 24 hours, according to a health bulletin released by the Delhi government on Tuesday. The last time a higher number of new cases was reported was on July 4 — 2,505 cases. The total number of cases now stands at 1,77,060.
The young getting infected in greater numbers
Students attending preparatory classes ahead of their final exams, as the teacher wears a PPE kit, at Maharani Science College, in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Contrary to what was earlier projected by experts that the elderly, especially those with comorbidities, are most susceptible to COVID-19, those in the age group of 21-30 seem to be driving the pandemic in the State.
Diversion of staff for COVID-19 duties, transport curbs hobble immunisation programme
Full immunisation for infants had been majorly hit in urban areas of Madhya Pradesh, more remarkably grappling with COVID-19 , in April-July when the lockdown was in force and staff diverted to combat the pandemic, said the National Health Mission (NHM).
