India on July 5 recorded the third highest coronavirus caseload in the world, overtaking Russia. The country now has more than 6,83,000 coronavirus cases.
Worldwide, the United States has registered the most number of cases so far, according to a Reuters tally. Brazil is the second worst-hit nation with over 15 lakh cases.
Here is a list of State Helpline numbers . You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here .
Here are the latest updates:
COVID-19 drugs under review after trial results
Drugs Remdesivir, Hydroxychloroquine, Lopinavir/Ritonavir and Favipiravir, currently being used for COVID-19 patients, have come under the Health Ministry’s scanner. Senior officials have confirmed that with both national and international information and trial results coming in for these drugs, “constant monitoring and review for use are essential.”
“We are waiting and watching,” said a senior Health Ministry official. Top on the chart for review is drug Remdesivir which is presently allowed for restricted use in moderate COVID-19 cases.
Guwahati lockdown relaxation revised after biggest single-day spike
The Assam government has revised its day-old order on partial relaxation of total lockdown in Kamrup (Metropolitan) district after the State recorded the biggest single-day spike in COVID-19 positive cases.
Guwahati comprises much of the district under a 14-day lockdown since June 29.
Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna had on July 4 issued an order relaxing certain services. But the window for grocery shops and wholesale dealers was reduced after Guwahati recorded 777 of the 1,202 cases later in the day.
Maharashtra reports 6,555 new cases, 151 deaths
Maharashtra reported its second-highest single-day surge till date on Sunday, adding 6,555 new Covid-19 cases as the State's total case tally reached 2,06,619.
As many as 151 new deaths pushed the total death toll to 8,822. As many as 3,658 patients were discharged today, taking the total number of recoveries till date to 1,11,470.
With 1,287 new cases reported today, Mumbai's total case tally has reached 84,524. The city's death toll has risen to 4,899. As many as 69 of the new deaths today were from Mumbai city, 28 from Pune district and 11 from Aurangabad among other parts of the State.
- Shoumojit Banerjee
Gujarat reports 725 new cases
Gujarat reported 725 new COVID-19 infections and 18 deaths on Sunday, increasing the fatality count to 1945 and infections to 36,123. So far, 25,900 patients have been discharged while there are 8278 active cases in the State.
- Mahesh Langa
T.N. reports 4150 new cases
On Sunday - the last day of the lockdown in Chennai and nearby districts and total lockdown across the State - Tamil Nadu reported 4,150 new cases, 60 deaths and 2186 discharges.
The total positive cases in the State are 1,11,151. The discharges are 62,778 and the death toll is 1510, according to the State health bulletin.
2 slain militants test positive, say J&K police
The J&K police on Sunday claimed that two slain militants, killed in the Kulgam encounter on Saturday, were found to be infected with the novel coronavirus — the first such cases since the police began taking samples from slain militants.
“While carrying out the medico-legal formalities, the samples of the killed terrorists were taken and sent for COVID-19 test. On Sunday, the test reports were received from the Chest Disease Hospital, Srinagar, and both the killed terrorists were confirmed as coronavirus positive,” a Srinagar-based police spokesman said.
Issue compulsory licences for manufacture of an affordable generic version of Remdesivir, CPI(M) tells govt.
The Polit Bureau of the CPI (Marxist) on Sunday said the government should issue compulsory licences for the manufacture of a generic version of Remdesivir , an anti-viral drug being used to treat COVID-19 patients.
In a statement, it said the government should invoke Clause 92 of the Patent Act that allows it to issue compulsory licences so that Indian manufacturers can produce a more affordable generic version.
Recovery rate more than 56% in Pondy, says CM
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Sunday said the Union Territory has recorded a COVID-19 recovery rate of more than 56 percent.
Noting that the fatality rate was 1.4 percent, he said this was indicative of ‘good performance’ of hospitals and healthcare available to the people infected by the virus here.
Urging people to adhere to the norms of lockdown without being lax, Chief Minister said there were demands from several quarters that a total lockdown should be adopted on Sundays in Puducherry.
“This was in practice in neighbouring Chennai. But the incidence of the infection continued to surge in that city.
Unless people adhered to the norms of lockdown, curbing the spread of the infection through such measures would not be feasible, he told reporters virtually rejecting the plea for complete lockdown on Sundays in the Union Territory.
Mr. Narayanasamy said containment zones were established intensively in places where the prevalence of the infection was comparatively higher.
Thiruvananthapuram District “sitting on active volcano”
Thiruvananthapuram district is ‘sitting on an active volcano’ with rising number of COVID-19 cases and there was no guarantee that there would be no community spread, tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said on Sunday.
He also said that the state government has decided to conduct more antigen tests in the district to check the spread of the virus.
“It’s like we are sitting on top of an active volcano which can burst anytime. Just because there has been no community spread till now doesn’t mean it will not occur,” the minister told reporters here.
Mr. Surendran said the restrictions in force in containment zones would be tightened and food delivery boys would be tested.
Recently, a food delivery boy and a policeman in the city tested positive, prompting health department officials to implement a health protocol.
Adding to the concern of rising COVID-19 cases in the capital district, two accused lodged at a quarantine centre at nearby Varkala escaped early on Sunday morning.
ASHAs pillars of COVID-19 response, reached out to 39 cr people: Health ministry
Accredited Social Health Activists have emerged as integral pillars of Rajasthan’s COVID-19 response and reached out to nearly 39 crore people in eight crore households, in collaboration with Auxiliary Nurse Midwives, for active surveillance and information dissemination, the Union health ministry said on Sunday.
While being vigilant about people with symptoms, ASHAs also continued to provide care for pregnant women, newborns and children, and mobilised transport to health facilities in cases when ambulances were not available, it said.
In Rajasthan, the COVID-19 pandemic coincided with the harvest season and families of most ASHAs expected their support in harvesting activities, the ministry said.
Over 300 Indians stranded in Qatar return home
Over 300 Indians stranded in Qatar due to the coronavirus-induced restrictions have returned in two chartered flights to Nagpur and Mumbai.
These flights were not part of the government’s ‘Vande Bharat Mission’, but were arranged by representatives of the Indian Cultural Centre in Doha, an apex body of Indian expatriates there, and the Maharashtra Mandal in Qatar, a community organisation.
One of these flights carrying 172 passengers arrived in Nagpur on Friday and the other with 165 Indians onboard landed in Mumbai on Saturday, Indian Cultural Centre’s vice president Vinod Nair told PTI.
The passengers in the Nagpur-bound flight included 86 from Chhattisgarh, 34 from Madhya Pradesh and 52 from the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. They paid Rs 24,000 each as the ticket fare, he said.
Janardhana Poojary tests positive
Former Union minister and senior Congress leader B. Janardhana Poojary has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been admitted to a private hospital in Mangaluru for treatment.
In a statement to media on Sunday his elder son Santhosh J Poojary said that there is no cause for any worry and the Congress leader is healthy. He has been admitted to the hospital as a precaution.
He said that the Congress leader was asymptomatic to COVID-19 and the samples had been collected on Saturday.
The former Union minister lived in Bantwal in Dakshina Kannada.
AIADMK MLA tests positive for COVID-19
An AIADMK MLA from Coimbatore tested positive for Coronavirus on Sunday, becoming the fifth ruling party legislator to contract the virus.
He has been admitted to the Government ESI Hospital in Coimbatore, a health department official said.
The daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter of the MLA were already undergoing treatment at the ESI hospital after contracting the infection, after their return from Madurai a couple of days ago.
He had undergone the test three days ago.
Earlier, four ruling party MLAs, including Higher Education Minister K P Ambalavanan, had contracted the virus.
Hassan witnesses rise in cases
The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 has been on the rise in Hassan district. With fresh 13 cases, reported on Sunday, the total number of confirmed cases increased to 492. Among them, 255 have been discharged and 229 are undergoing treatment. So far, eight people died.
District Health Officer K.H.Sathish Kumar, on Sunday, informed media that among the fresh cases, seven were reported in Hassan taluk, five in Arasikere and one in Channarayapatna taluk. They are all either primary contacts of the patients, reported earlier or those residing in on containment zones. Source of a couple of cases is yet to be traced.
Lockdown: The lockdown on Sunday was almost total. Shops were closed. There was hardly any movement of vehicles. The public transport was off the road. The district administration has appealed to the public to stay at home and wear masks when they come out. -- G.T. Sathish
COVID-19 War Room to come up in national capital
The Delhi government will set up a ‘COVID-19 War Room’, which will 24x7 monitor the city’s fight against the novel coronavirus, and suggest measures to effectively deal with the prevailing situation, officials said on Sunday.
The ‘COVID-19 War Room’, which is being set up at the Delhi Secretariat, will be manned by around 25 experts. It is expected to become operational in the next few days.
According to the plan, the new strategic facility will cover all aspects such as testing, bed strength, medical equipment, ambulance infrastructure and containment zones.
It will represent a snapshot of the city’s position when it comes to tackling the COVID-19 situation, the officials said, adding that Chief Secretary Vijay Dev has directed officials to set up the same as soon as possible.
Officials said that the ‘COVID-19 War Room’ will also flag discrepancies in those areas wherein authorities can take steps to prepare a robust system.
“The ‘COVID-19 War Room’ will closely monitor measures being taken by the authorities. It will also project the future requirements of medical infrastructure to deal with surging coronavirus cases.
Realtors look at new trends among home buyers
‘Work From Home’ due to COVID-19 enforced lockdown norms is seeing a trend of buyers tightening their purse strings and opting for budget friendly residences rather than luxury offerings, city realtors said.
Those who earlier preferred ‘paying guest’ accommodation were increasingly looking at owning an apartment to suit their budget.
“What has happened is that the pandemic has opened up a lot of opportunities for developers and the people.
Customers have understood the necessity of a home and for developers it has opened up, if not luxury, budget segment residences”, Akshaya Homes Ltd founder T Chitty Babu told PTI.
He said people have accepted that they live in challenging times and that they need to save money.
“Earlier they were stretching their budget for bigger apartments, but are now going in for properties within their budget”, he said.
The younger generation was moving towards urban locations and giving up the ‘paying guest’ concept of sharing living space with others he said.
“They do not want to live with strangers and this has opened up a lot of opportunities for home buyers. They look at k at making purchases of houses if it suits their budget.”
A.P. registers 998 new cases; 14 deaths
Andhra Pradesh, on Sunday, reported 998 new cases taking the tally to 18,697. The State reported 14 new deaths taking the death toll to 232.
About 8,422 persons have been recovered and discharged till Sunday. The active cases stand at 10,043.
Intense lockdown in TN on Sunday as part of efforts to curb spread of COVID-19
An intense lockdown, without any relaxations, was imposed across Tamil Nadu on Sunday as part of the state government’s efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus, with roads remaining deserted and shops downing shutters.
The state government had earlier announced that on all the four Sundays in July, intense lockdown will be in force across Tamil Nadu and only health care services, including pharmacies and hospitals, will be functional.
People remained indoors in different cities in the state, even as no commercial activities were witnessed, reports reaching here said.
Shops, including those selling vegetables and groceries were closed in many parts and there was no movement of vehicular traffic on key roads in different parts of the state.
Police personnel were posted in various junctions as part of total implementation of the lockdown.
Earlier, the government had announced implementing intense lockdown from June 19 to July 5 in Chennai and its neighbouring districts--Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chengalpet.
The said districts will however, see relaxations in the curbs starting Monday, with the government allowing extension of business hours of vegetable shops, provision stores and restaurants, which can only serve takeaways.
Tea shops, closed since June 19, could resume functioning, while barring malls, all kinds of showrooms and others, including textiles and jewellery, can be back in business, Chief Minister K Palaniswami had said on Saturday.
IT firms and private units can also resume activity with various safety precautions in place.
However, curbs would continue in Madurai and nearby areas till July 12.
Noida Chief Medical Officer tests positive
Deepak Ohri, Chief Medical Officer of Gautam Buddh Nagar tested positive for COVID-19 late on July 4, officials said. In his absence, additional CMO Nepal Singh will officiate. According to Health department officials, Dr. Ohri showed influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms after his visit to various containment zones including JJ Cluster colony during the week.
Antigen testing intensified in coastal areas of Thiruvananthapuram
The spurt in COVID-19 cases along the coastal belt in Thiruvananthapuram has prompted the government to intensify rapid antigen detection tests in the region.
At least five people have been reported to have contracted the infection through contact in the span of a few days in the coastal area. They include a Kumarichantha market-based fish merchant who used to frequent Kanyakumari, another worker in the market, a Poonthura-based medical representative and his father with no known travel history.
Coimbatore MLA tests positive for COVID-19
Coimbatore south MLA ‘Amman’ K. Arjunan tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. He was admitted to the Government Medical College and ESI Hospital, Coimbatore.
Swab samples of Mr. Arjunan, his wife, and a few others were collected for testing after his daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter tested positive for the coronavirus last week.
Delhi LG inaugurates world’s ‘largest’ COVID-19 care centre
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal inaugurated the 10,000-bed Sardar Patel COVID care centre, the “largest” of its kind in the world, at the Radha Soami Satsang Beas in New Delhi on Sunday.
The centre has been set up in Chhatarpur for treating mild and asymptomatic coronavirus patients. It will also serve as a treatment centre for those who are asymptomatic but cannot afford home isolation.
Delhi Lt. Governor Anil Baijal along with ITBP DG SS Deswal visits the 10000-bed Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre at Radha Soami Beas, Chhatarpur in New Delhi, Sunday, July 5, 2020.
The centre is 1,700 feet long, 700 feet wide — roughly the size of 20 football fields — and has 200 enclosures with 50 beds each. Authorities say it is the largest of its kind in the world.
While the Delhi government has provided administrative support, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) will be the nodal agency operating the centre. Volunteers from the religious sect of Radha Soami Beas will also help run the centre.
- PTI
Goa Councillor dies of COVID-19
A 72-year-old Councillor of the Mormugao Municipal Council in Goa died due to COVID-19 on July 5, a State Health department official said.
Pascoal D’Souza had tested positive for coronavirus last month following which he was admitted to Margao-based ESI Hospital, a specially designated facility for COVID-19 patients.
Telangana not tracing COVID-19 contacts, PIL petitioner tells HC
Attendants of COVID-19 patients waiting outside Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad District Hospital in Kondapur, Hyderabad, on Saturday.
With inadequate human resources to trace the primary contacts of coronavirus infected persons, the pandemic is spreading like wildfire in the State.
Stating this, a PIL petitioner filed an interim application in Telangana High Court seeking a direction to State government to step up contact tracing to check further spread of COVID-19. The petitioner, Surya Balu Mahendra, an advocate, filed a PIL plea stating that the government is not tracing the asymptomatic primary contacts and symptomatic secondary contacts of coronavirus infected persons.
Man dies at Manjeri, tests positive for COVID-19
An 82-year-old man from Wandoor under observation for COVID-19 at Government Medical College Hospital, Manjeri, died on Saturday night. He was suffering from cancer and respiratory illness. The test results found him positive for Covid-19 on Sunday morning. He will be buried as per the COVID-19 protocol. He was admitted to the hospital on July 1 after his return from Saudi Arabia on June 29.
- Abdul Latheef Naha
Man under isolation dies in Kottayam
A 45 year old man from Kottayam, who had been under home isolation after returning from abroad, collapsed to death on Sunday. The deceased, a native of Poovanthuruth near here, landed from Dubai on June 26.Health officials said the person had been suffering from asthma and epilepsy. The result of his COVID-19 test is awaited.
- Staff Reporter
Pune businessman gets himself ₹2.89 lakh gold mask
Shankar Kurhade, a businessman in Pune district, wears a protective mask made of gold to curb the spread of coronavirus disease.
At a time when wearing face mask is mandatory to contain the spread of coronavirus, a businessman from Maharashtra’s Pune district has got himself a customised gold mask worth ₹2.89 lakh.
Nearly 55 gm of the yellow metal has been used in making the mask, businessman Shankar Kurhade, a resident of Pune’s Pimpri-Chinchwad town, told reporters here while wearing the gold mask.
CM asks officials to prepare COVID-19 plan
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday directed the State’s health and medical education departments to prepare a special work plan for Gautam Buddha Nagar and Ghaziabad in view of the growing number of COVID-19 cases.
In a meeting with senior officials, Mr. Adityanath stressed on more efforts for further improving medical facilities in the two districts to check the spread of infection, an official statement issued here said.
Lockdown curbs will be eased partially in Chennai from Monday
A watchmaker waits for customers in Chennai on June 29, 2020.
While Tamil Nadu will witness a complete lockdown on Sunday, with the closure of all shops and the suspension of all services barring medical services and milk supply, Chennai will see a partial relaxation of curbs from Monday.
The ongoing total lockdown in Madurai city and its surrounding areas will be extended till July 12. The rules governing the functioning of industries have been eased, and the relaxations will come into effect from Monday.
Total shutdown in Cuttack city till July 8
The Odisha government on Saturday declared complete shutdown in Cuttack till July 8 amid rising COVID-19 cases. All non-essential shops will be closed and non- essential travel prohibited, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) said in a notification. Grocery, vegetable and milk shops can remain open from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., while strictly adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols.
Tripura starts free supply of juice with Vitamin C
The Tripura government on Saturday started free distribution of pineapple and lemon juice so as to boost the immunity of people in urban areas with Vitamin C for combating COVID-19.
Called the Chief Minister’s Coronavirus Prevention, the programme was launched by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb ahead of a day’s total lockdown across the State on July 5.
Local transmission evident in Ernakulam
Shifting business: The Ernakulam main retail and wholesale market which was closed after three persons tested positive for SARS-CoV-2
Five persons in the district, with no travel history and no immediately apparent contact with COVID-19 positive patients, tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on Saturday. Health officials said they were still in the process of tracing the sources of infection and contacts of the five persons.
Also read:20 arrested for flouting physical distancing norms at Kochi market
Odisha hospitals turning into hotspots, 38 fresh cases from cancer institute
Hospitals in Odisha are steadily turning into hotspots for novel coronavirus with number of leading health institutions reporting fresh COVID-19 positive cases on Saturday.
As many as 38 positive cases were detected in Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer (AHPGIC), Cuttack taking the hospital tally past 100-mark in past 10 days.
Mumbai Police tweak 2-km rule, permit travel ‘closer to home’
The Mumbai police on Saturday altered its 2-kilometre radius rule imposed to curb needless travel during the lockdown and allowed people to move around in their neighbourhood. In a tweet, the police said people were “permitted shopping closer to home” from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and asked them to carry IDs and other documents while travelling for work.
Assam Raj Bhavan campus sealed
The Raj Bhavan campus and its surrounding areas in Guwahati were sealed and declared a containment zone on Saturday after two persons of the Governor’s Office tested COVID-19 positive, an official said.
Assam Governor Jagadish Mukhi, his wife Prem Mukhi and 176 employees, including security personnel and their family members, were tested on July 1 after two personal security officers had tested positive earlier.
