India reported a spike of 3,525 COVID-19 cases and 122 deaths on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases to 74,281 and deaths to 2,415. The country has 47,480 active cases, the Health Ministry said. According to the State Health Departments, the number of positive cases is more than 77,553 and the death toll is at least 2,528. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu continue to have the most number of confirmed cases.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a major stimulus package for micro, small and medium enterprises.
The Hindu has brought out a multi-language e-book on essential COVID-19 information, in addition to covering the developments related to the coronavirus pandemic as it unfolded. Here is a collection of our daily cartoons on COVID-19 .
Here are answers from experts on your queries about the virus, a list of State Helpline numbers , a State-wise tracker for COVID-19 cases, deaths and testing, and a map of confirmed cases in India.
Here are the latest updates:
Tripura BSF trooper from Tripura tests positive for COVID-19
One more BSF trooper from 138th battalion tested positive in Tripura on Wednesday taking total number of coronavirus cases to154. The State now has 152 active cases, all from two BSF battalions located at Ambassa in Dhalai district.
(Sajjad Agartala)
Seven new COVID-19 cases in Goa
Goa has reported seven COVID-19 positive cases today. All 7 arrived in Goa today by road. Five members of a family came from Mumbai tested positive, their driver also tested positive. Another driver of a goods carrier from Gujarat has also tested positive.
"These are imported cases of COVID-19. All 7 arrived in Goa from across the border. The 6 from Mumbai are asymptomatic and did not make any contact in Goa and hence there is no fear of community transmission. The truck driver from Gujarat is now showing symptoms and all those he came in touch with have also been quarantined. Once results of a retest are available all 7 will be shifted to COVID hospital," Goa Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant.
(Aditya Anand)
Bihar records eight more COVID-19 cases
Eight more COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Bihar taking the total number of cases to 940 in the State. Among those diagnosed with the virus, all were males from Patna, Supaul, East Champaran and Lakhisarai districts.
(Amarnath Tewary)
Passengers unfit to travel on medical grounds will be given full refund, say Railways
Current special trains as well as ones to be notified later will have waiting lists from trains that run May 22 onwards, meaning booking with waiting list for to start on May 15. If a passenger is found unfit to travel due to high temperature or COVID-19 symptoms as found during their screening, the passenger will be given full refund. In case, "on a party ticket if one passenger is found unfit to travel and all other passengers on the same PNR do not want to travel" full refund will be given for all passengers : Railways.
(Yuthika Bhargava)
Rajasthan records 121 COVID-19 deaths in single day
Four deaths - two in Jaipur and one each in Alwar and Pali - reported in Rajasthan today, taking the COVID-19 related death toll in the State to 121. A total of 201 COVID-19 positive cases detected in 23 districts today. The tally of positive cases in Rajasthan is now 4,328. Of them, 2,573 have recovered and 2,344 have been discharged. Additionally, 174 persons among the migrants coming back to Rajasthan tested COVID-19 positive today. As of now, the State has 1,699 active cases: Medical & Health Department.
(Mohammed Iqbal)
Madhya Pradesh records 187 new COVID-19 cases, 7 deaths
Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday recorded 187 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 4,173. Seven deaths owing to the illness were reported on the day. The State-wide death toll climbed to 232. Three patients died in Indore, while one died in Bhopal, Jabalpur, Khandwa and Gwalior each. As many as 144 patients were discharged from hospitals on the day after their recovery. So far, 2,004 patients have been cured of the illness, says the Directorate of Health Services.
(Siddharth Yadav)
Agra with 24 COVID-19 casualties, highest in Uttar Pradesh
Noida records its third death and Moradabad its ninth. Agra still top of death chart with 24 casualties.
(Omar Rashid)
All districts of U.P. reports COVID-19 cases
Death toll in U.P. reaches 86 while total cases are now 3758. Active cases in the State now stand at 1707.
With one case in Chandauli, now all 75 districts of U.P. have reported COVID-19 postive cases.
No new COVID-19 cases in 9 states, UTs in last 24 hrs; rate of doubling of cases 12.6 days: Harsh Vardhan
Nine states and union territories have not reported any new COVID-19 patients in the last 24 hours and the rate of doubling of cases has increased to 12.6 days, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Wednesday, even as the death toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 2,415 and cases climbed to 74,281.
Mr. Vardhan, who also reviewed the preparedness of Punjab for managing COVID-19, said Daman and Diu, Sikkim, Nagaland and Lakshadweep have not reported any cases so far.
While the doubling time of cases in the past 14 days was 11, it has improved to 12.6 in the last three days, he said.
PM CARES Fund to allocate ₹2,000 crore for purchasing ventilators, ₹1,000 crore for migrants
PM CARES (Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) Fund Trust today decided to allocate ₹3,100 crore for fight against COVID-19. Out of ₹,3100 crore, a sum of approximately ₹2,000 crore will be earmarked for the purchase of ventilators, ₹1,000 crores will be used for care of migrant labourers and ₹100 crores will be given to support vaccine development.
The trust formed on March 27 is headed by the prime minister. The other ex-officio members of the trust are the defence minister, the home minister and the finance minister.
Maharashtra records highest single day death toll with 54 deaths
Maharashtra reported a massive surge of 1,495 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday as the cumulative tally breached the 25,000 - mark to reach 25,922. With 54 deaths today, the State recorded the highest single day death toll, taking the total number of fatalities till date to 974. As many as 422 patients were discharged today taking the total number of discharged till date to 5547.
Mumbai's case tally has now soared to 15,474 cases, while it's death toll stood at 596. As many as 40 of the new deaths reported today were from Mumbai city and six from Pune district among other parts of the state.
COVID-19 cases rise to 9268 in Gujarat
Gujarat records 29 deaths and 364 cases due to Covid-19 infection, increasing the tally to 9268 infections and 566 deaths. Today, 316 patients were discharged after recovery. So far, 3562 patients have recovered and discharged from hospitals. The state’s recovery rate has jumped after new guidelines about discharge of a symptomatic patients without retesting.
Assam reports 15 new cases
As many as 15 persons tested COVID-19 positive in Assam's Kamrup Metro district. All are connected to patient from Guwahati's Fancy Bazaar area who tested positive a few days ago. Total cases in the State now stand at 79, while 39 persons have been discharged so far.
Prisoners test positive in U.P.
A total of 22 inmates of permanent and temporary jails have tested positive in Uttar Pradesh so far. 11 prisoners have been found positive in Agra Centra Jail, six in Moradabad Jail (all recovered) and five inmates in temporary jails, says the Uttar Pradesh government.
Bihar reports 24 new cases
As many as 24 more cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Bihar, taking the total number of cases to 932.
Changes in labour laws should be done with trade unions consultation: P. Chidambaram
"Let me first point out that there is nothing in what the FM said today for the lakhs of poor, hungry and devastated migrant workers who have walked — and many thousands are still walking — back to their home states. This is a cruel blow dealt to those who toil every day," says P. Chidambaram.
There is also nothing by way of cash transfer to the bottom half of the population (13 crore families) who have been pushed into destitution. Only yesterday, Prof Thomas Pikketty pleaded for cash transfers to the poor, Mr. Chidambaram adds.
Drastic changes in labour laws should not be done in a crisis statement. This is a wrong time to do it. They should be done with consultation with the trade unions, says the Congress leader.
Except for the modest MSME package, we are disappointed with today’s announcement.This is not the time we should be too worried about fiscal deficity. If the fiscal deficit becomes worrying at some stage, the answer is to monetise a part of the fiscal deficit. The liquidity measures on the supply side. There is nothing in this package to increase on the demand side, Mr. Chidambaram adds.
No response from Bihar, will bear fare for 3 trains ferrying migrants home: Delhi govt.
The Delhi government will bear the cost of sending home stranded migrant workers from Bihar in three Shramik Special trains on Wednesday as the Nitish Kumar-led government hasn’t yet responded to its request to pay for their tickets, an official said.
Each special train will carry around 1,200 migrant workers, according to the official.
This comes days after a war of words broke out between Delhi and Bihar governments over expenses incurred by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led dispensation to send around 1,200 migrant workers to Muzaffarpur on a Shramik Special train.
“The Delhi government will bear the cost of ferrying migrant workers as the Bihar government is yet to respond on the payment [for train tickets],” the official said.
The three special trains will leave for Bhagalpur, Barauni and Darbhanga in Bihar.
Last week, the AAP had said it bore the cost of ferrying migrant workers from Delhi to Bihar.
COVID-19 cases cross 1000 in Dharavi
Dharavi crossed the 1000 mark on Wednesday after it reported 66 new cases. Total number of cases now stands at 1028. Besides, nine more deaths have been added to Dharavi's tally, now touching 40.
58-year-old COVID-19 positive woman dies in Mangaluru
A 58-year-old positive woman from Boloor, who was critical and under ventilator support in the Government Wenlock Hospital, died In Mangalur on May 13. She is the fourth positive woman from the coast to succumb to COVID-19.
The 58-year-old woman (P-536) had infection related to brain. She had undergone treatment at the First Neuro Hospital in the city between April 10 and April 17. Her throat and nasal swabs were among the 210 samples that were tested following death of 75-year-old COVID-19 positive woman (P-432), who had undergone treatment in the First Neuro Hospital, on April 23.
The deceased P-536 was tested positive on April 28 while her husband, her son-in-law, her daughter and granddaughter were tested positive subsequently.
6 new cases push Gautam Buddh Nagar’s COVID-19 tally to 236
Six more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddh Nagar, taking the total number of cases to 236 in the district, officials said on Wednesday. Also, two patients were discharged from hospital after getting cured, they said.
Gautam Buddh Nagar, adjoining Delhi, in western U.P. has recorded three deaths due to coronavirus so far, according to officials.
Maharashtra sanctions ₹54.75 cr. to pay for migrant workers’ travel
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said his government has provided ₹54.75 crore to pay for the travel of migrant workers to their respective states by special trains.
The amount was sanctioned from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and transfered to District Collectors for booking tickets for migrant workers on special trains, he said in a statement.
Mr. Thackeray had said earlier that the government will pay for travel expenses of migrant workers who wanted to leave as well as for bringing back workers from Maharashtra who are stuck elsewhere.
Of the ₹54,75,47,070 sanctioned from the CM’s Relief Fund, ₹12.96 crore are earmarked for Mumbai city and ₹10 crore for Mumbai suburbs.
Government ‘diluting’ COVID-19 testing guidelines: Congress
The Congress on Wednesday accused the government of “diluting” testing guidelines and said its revised rules which allow a patient to be discharged without undergoing final tests for coronavirus will prove disastrous for the country.
Congress spokesperson Sushmita Dev demanded a reversal of the new discharge policy, saying else India could be in the same situation as the United States and Europe, which have seen a spurt in COVID-19 cases.
CISF reports 41 new cases
The Central Industrial Security Force has reported 41 fresh coronavirus infection cases on Wednesday, with the maximum reported from its Kolkata-based GRSEL unit, a strategic warship building facility on the banks of Hooghly River in West Bengal.
A 55-year-old Assistant Sub Inspector rank official of the force posted in this defence PSU ‘mini ratna’ unit had succumbed to the disease on Monday.
64 fresh COVID-19 cases reported in U.P., tally rises to 3,728
With 64 new COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh, the infection tally rose to 3,728 in the state on Wednesday, officials said here.
There are 1,744 active cases in the state, while 1,902 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovery, Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said here.
The number of fatalities due to the virus stood at 82, he said.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held a press conference.
She stressed about Atmanirbhar Bharat, a self-reliant India "that will be resting on 5 important pillars — economy, infrastructure, technology, demographics and demand." The Minister listed a number of reforms.
29 more COVID-19 positive cases in Bihar take the total number to 908. All from Bhagalpur, Nawada, Buxar and other districts.
(Amarnath Tewary)
Pinarayi Vijayan to take a call on allowing takeaways from bars
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is reportedly considering a proposal to allow bar hotels and beer and wine parlours to sell liquor as takeaways.
People queuing up in tight lines to buy liquor is a social distancing nightmare the government wants to avoid at all costs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It does not want a replay of huge crowds in front of liquor shops as witnessed in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra as it takes tentative steps to resume the sale of legal liquor in lockstep with the phased easing of lockdown restrictions.
(G. Anand)
CISF unit guarding Kolkata-based warship building facility registers max 38 cases
The Central Industrial Security Force has reported 41 fresh coronavirus infection cases on Wednesday, with the maximum recorded at its Kolkata-based GRSEL unit, a strategic warship building facility on the banks of Hooghly river. - PTI
3 migrant labourers, an infant returning home killed in road accidents in UP
Three migrant labourers and an infant girl were killed and 46 others suffered injuries in two road accidents when they were returning home in Uttar Pradesh from other states during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, officials said on Wednesday.
A truck carrying a group of 54 migrant labourers and their families from Ahmedabad in Gujarat to Balrampur in Uttar Pradesh rammed into a stationary truck near Lalpur police post on Kanpur-Jhansi highway, killing three people and injuring 43 others.
According to Superintendent of Police (Kanpur Dehat) Anurag Vats, “The deceased persons have been identified as Rohit (25), Hiraman (50) and Sumaiyya (2), all residents of Balrampur.”
The injured have been admitted to the district hospital, the police officer said, adding that eight of them were critical and referred to the Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) Hospital in Kanpur.
In Chitrakoot, a migrant labourer returning home in Uttar Pradesh from Chhattisgarh on bicycle was killed after being hit by a truck.
Forty-year-old Mohan, a resident of Saharanpur, was returning home along with three others on Tuesday evening when the accident took place, they said.
The labourers had stopped on the roadside near Kalchiha village here to take rest when they were hit by a speeding truck, the police said.
All the four suffered injuries in the accident and taken to a community health centre in Mau village, where Mohan died.
Mau community health centre superintendent Shekhar Vaishya said condition of the three other workers was stable.
The truck has been seized and its driver arrested, the police said.
The workers, hailing from Saharanpur and Muzaffarnagar districts, were working at a jaggery factory in Raipur in Chhattisgarh.
The factory was closed due to the ongoing lockdown enforced to check the spread of the novel coronavirus. - PTI
Karnataka RTC employees donate ₹9.85 cr to CM relief fund
After the State government released the amount for paying salaries of employees of the state-owned road transport corporations, Deputy Chief Minister Laxman S. Savadi, who also holds the Transport portfolio, on Wednesday handed over a cheque of ₹9.85 crore to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa towards the CM COVID Relief Fund.
The amount is one-day salary contributed by employees of the four State road transport corporations of Karnataka (KSRTC, BMTC, NEKRTC, NWKRTC).
(Nagesh Prabhu)
18 security personnel in Nashik test positive
At least 18 security personnel from Nashik district have tested positive for COVID-19 as the spike in new cases continued unabated across Maharashtra, including Nashik, Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur districts.
Meanwhile, 24 new cases and two more deaths — that of a 94-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman — were reported from Aurangabad city since the evening of May 12. The new cases include that of an eight-month-old baby.
(Shoumojit Banerjee)
One death, 48 fresh cases in AP
The State has witnessed one more death due to COVID-19, and 48 fresh positive cases during the past 24 hours. Eight of the fresh cases are of migrant workers who returned from Odisha and seven from Chittoor and East Godavari are of persons who had been to the Koyembedu market In Tamil Nadu.
(Tharun Boda)
Bihar death toll is 7
7th death due to COVID-19 in Bihar was a lady from Patna's Alamganj area. She was admitted to Nalanda Medical College and Hospital on May 8. She was also suffering from gall bladder cancer and renal infection. Her sample test for COVID-19 came positive after her death.
(Amarnath Tewary)
Delhi cases close to 8,000, total deaths 106
20 deaths and 359 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Delhi in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of deaths to 106 and cases to 7,998, according to the health bulletin released by the Delhi government.
(Nikhil M. Babu)
Maharashtra Government seeks 20 companies of Central Armed Police Forces to be deployed in the state in order to give rest to the state police which is working tirelessly for past 2 months during lockdown.
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh says that demand has been sent to the central government. "The state police is working tirelessly for over two months now. The festival of Eid is coming soon. It is important that the state police forces are given rest for some time. Therefore we have sought 20 companies, that is 2000 personnel of central armed police forces."
(Alok Deshpande)
"30,000 Indians will return from 31 countries on 149 flights under phase 2 of Vande Bharat Mission"
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Wednesday that 30,000 Indians will return from 31 countries on 149 flights between May 16 and 22, the duration for the second phase of the Vande Bharat Mission.
During the first phase of the Vande Bharat mission, Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express are scheduled to operate a total 64 flights between May 7 and May 14 to bring 14,800 Indians from 12 countries on a payment basis.
India has been under lockdown since March 25 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 74,200 people and killed around 2,400 people in the country till now.
All scheduled commercial passenger flights have been suspended for the lockdown period. - PTI
26 new cases in Karnataka
One more death has been reported in the State taking the total toll to 32. Meanwhile, 26 new cases have been reported in the State taking the total cases to 951.
(Afshan Yasmeen)
Nagaland to give ₹10,000 to stranded persons opting not to return at present
One-time assistance of ₹10,000 to be given each to migrants stranded in others states if they choose not to return at the moment, a senior official said.
States bringing back stranded persons from different parts of the country during a nationwide lockdown have witnessed a rise in COVID-19 cases, Chief Secretary Temjen Toy said, adding that over 18,000 stranded people from Nagaland have registered themselves with the state government’s portal to return to their homes.
“The government has decided to give ₹10,000 to citizens of the state, presently staying outside, who opt to stay back where they are at present,” Mr. Toy said.
On Tuesday, the chief secretary had said that the state government had made detailed plans to facilitate the return of the migrants in a staggered manner due to insufficient quarantine facilities and other resources but the Centre starting special train services to ferry stranded people to their native places has “thrown these plans out of gear".
Considering the circumstances, the state government has decided to prioritise the return of stranded elderly persons and patients who had gone outside the state for treatment, he said.
Additional Chief Secretary Sentiynager Imchen, convener of Empowered Group on COVID-19, said it has been decided that those returning from red zones will be screened at Dimapur or Kohima and placed under 14 days institutional quarantine.
People returning from orange and green zones, if found asymptomatic during screening, will be placed under three days institutional quarantine and then 12 days home isolation after necessary documentation and mandatory downloading of mobile application nCOVID-19 Nagaland, he said.
The decisions in this regard were taken at a meeting of the Empowered Group on Tuesday, Mr. Imchen said.
The state Health Department had on Tuesday said protocols have been completed to set up the state’s first COVID-19 testing laboratory at the Naga Hospital Authority Kohima and the ICMR’s approval for it is awaited.
No COVID-19 case has been reported in Nagaland so far and the samples are sent for testing to facilities in Assam and Manipur. - PTI
4 active cases in Puducherry
One more person has tested positive for COVID-19 in Puducherry, taking the tally of active cases in the Union Territory to four.
(M. Dinesh Varma)
Eighty-seven new COVID-19 positive cases were detected in Rajasthan today, taking the State's tally to 4,213. No death reported so far today.
Of the total number of patients, 2,455 have recovered and 2,159 have been discharged.
As of now, Rajasthan has 1,641 active cases: Medical & Health Department.
(Mohammed Iqbal)
Odisha records 101 new cases, tally goes up to 538
Odisha registered a three-digit jump in a single day by adding 101 new COVID-19 positive cases on Wednesday, taking its total to 538, the State Health & Family Welfare Department said.
The number of cases in the State has increased by more than two times in less than one week with many Odia people who returned from Gujarat and other States testing positive for the pandemic.
Heightened immune responses found in patients with severe COVID-19 infection
Studying the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid taken from six patients with severe COVID-19 infection and three with moderate disease, researchers characterised the underlying immune responses to novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in the two patient categories in comparison with controls (health individuals). The nine patients studied had a median age of 57 and included six men and three women.
China reports 15 new COVID-19 cases
China has reported 15 new coronavirus cases, including eight asymptomatic ones, while the epicentre of the deadly virus Wuhan city, which announced plans to test all of its over 11 million people, has confirmed no new COVID-19 infection, health authorities said on Wednesday.
Odisha registers single day a three-digit jump by adding 101 new cases on Wednesday taking its total to 538 cases.
Of the total, 419 were under treatment, while 116 had recovered and three had died.
(Prafulla Das)
5 plagues have come out of China in last 20 years, says U.S. National Security Advisor
As many as five plagues have come out of China in the last 20 years and at some point it has to stop, US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien has said, holding the country responsible for the origin of the coronavirus pandemic which has killed over 2,50,000 people globally.
49 more COVID-19 positive cases were reported from Bihar taking the total number of infected people to 879.
The cases were reported from Patna, Nalanda, Nawada, Jehanabad and Samastipur districts.
(Amarnath Tewary)
Mexico sees 353 deaths in most lethal coronavirus day
Mexico's health ministry confirmed 1,997 new cases of coronavirus infections on Tuesday, along with 353 additional deaths, the most deadly day since the pandemic began.
Jammu and Kashmir launches web portal, helpline to facilitate movement of stranded people
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has launched a web portal to help its residents stranded in other parts of the country due to the novel coronavirus-induced lockdown, an official spokesman said.
The portal jkmonitoring.nic.in gives updates to those registered and also allows a person to check his application status for facilitating journey back home, he said.
