Coronavirus | India sees a sharp spike in infections

Over 370 new cases registered in past 24 hours.

April 01, 2020 11:14 pm | Updated April 02, 2020 08:06 am IST - NEW DELHI

Hunger pangs:  Workers waiting for meals being distributed at the Koyambedu Market in chennai.

Hunger pangs: Workers waiting for meals being distributed at the Koyambedu Market in chennai.

India reported three deaths and over 370 new cases on April 1 — the highest-ever single-day increase in its COVID-19 tally.

This brought the total confirmed cases to 1,637 and took the death toll to 38. One hundred and thirty two persons have been cured/discharged from hospitals after recovery, the Union Health Ministry said at its daily press briefing, which was the shortest in a month as questions were restricted to a couple of media outlets.

Coronavirus|Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India

Reports from the State Health Departments put the number of positive cases at 1,897, with 1,798 active ones. The number of deaths stood at 59.

An official of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said 47,951 tests had been conducted so far, including 861 by private laboratories, and 126 ICMR laboratories were involved in testing.

As for the concerns that Tablighi Jamaat congregants might have exacerbated infections, a Home Ministry official said 2,000 of them had been quarantined in hospitals., and the meeting place was cleared .

Days after the lockdown began on March 24, several migrant workers , were out on the streets of Delhi and other cities, trying to return home to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. The Home Ministry ordered the States to prevent their travel and provide them with food and shelter. “The situation is under control,” a Home Ministry official said. “21,486 relief camps have been set up and 6,75,133 persons are being sheltered.”

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The Health Ministry issued an advisory for proper quarantine and “psycho-social measures” for migrants on Tuesday. Under this, trained counsellors and/or community group leaders of all religions would visit them in relief camps and provide support.

The measure followed a directive from the Supreme Court to deal with the migrants in a “humane manner”.

The Railways are modifying coaches to accommodate 80,000 isolation beds.

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Twenty-four categories of medical devices would be regulated as “drugs”, according to a decision by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority. This would prevent suppliers from hiking rates to more than 10% of their prices.

The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy also recommended measures for self-care in preventive healthcare to boost immunity, especially for respiratory health.

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