The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic has spread across 185 countries and territories. Today is the thirtieth day of India’s nationwide lockdown, which has been extended till May 3. Confirmed COVID-19 cases in India stand at 21,393. The death toll from the outbreak in India is at 681. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi have reported the highest number of cases.
Globally, there have been over 26.2 lakh confirmed cases of COVID-19. At least 1.8 lakh people have died so far. The United States, Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the UK are the most-affected countries. The outbreak continues to have a major impact on the global economy. Catch the latest updates here:
Coronavirus in Delhi LIVE Updates | BM Mishra, DM South Delhi, to ANI:
A vegetable hawker in Ward-3, Mehrauli found to be COVID-19 positive. From the investigation, it seems he had stopped setting up his cart after he developed symptoms. He was not a part of the shifted mandi that has been set up at DTC Terminal. Close contacts of the vegetable hawker have been checked and are presently at Terapanth Bhawan. Results are awaited. We are screening all vendors but vigil by everyone will deter someone who is sick and still running such shop or 'thela'. Kindly in this process do not abuse or misbehave with vendors
Coronavirus in Bihar LIVE Updates | State Health Department:
9 more COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Bihar; taking the total number of positive cases to 162. Contact tracing is being done. (ANI)
Coronavirus in Delhi LIVE Updates | Dr JC Passey, Medical Superintendent of LNJP Hospital:
At least 56 people have been sent to quarantine after a dietician associated with Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital mess tested positive for COVID-19. The kitchen of LNJP Hospital has been temporarily shut down till the test reports of the persons sent to quarantine become available. At present, food facility is being provided by two of our in-house canteen facilities. (ANI)
Coronavirus in Karnataka LIVE Updates | State Health Department:
A 75-year-old woman who had tested positive for COVID-19 from Bantwal with history of hypertension, stroke and pneumonia passed away at Wenlok District Hospital in Dakshina Kannada, today. (ANI)
Coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh LIVE Updates | State Health Department:
61 more COVID-19 cases reported in Uttar Pradesh today, as of 7 pm. Total coronavirus cases in the state now at 1510, including 1280 active cases, 206 discharged, and 24 deaths. (ANI)
Coronavirus in Chandigarh LIVE Updates:
A 6-month-old baby who was admitted to PGIMER on April 9 andwas tested positive for COVID-19 on April 21 passed away today. The cause of death was reported to be refractory shock, pulmonary artery hypertension and COVID-19.
Coronavirus in Maharashtra LIVE Updates:
778 new COVID-19 cases and14 deaths reported in Maharashtra today, as of 6 pm. Total coronavirus cases in the state now at 6427, including 840 discharged after recovery.
Coronavirus in Odisha LIVE updates:
Government has announced a 60-hour complete shut down in Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts from 10 pm today till April 26, in view of rise in COVID-19 cases.
Coronavirus in India LIVE updates | MHA:
Apprehensions, based on wrong interpretation of lockdown guidelines, raised by some companies, media.
No lockdown clause mandates legal action, including imprisonment of CEO, in case a COVID-19 positive employee found in factory.
No clause in lockdown guidelines about sealing of factory in case of an employee testing positive for COVID-19.
– PTI
Coronavirus in Delhi LIVE updates:
Passengers using Delhi Metro, post resumption of operations, will have to take out any metallic item on their body before frisking, use face masks, have 'Aarogya Setu' app;but those with flu-like symptoms won’t be allowed, as per proposal prepared by CISF.
Thermal screening of all entrants to be conducted at entry point of Delhi Metro stations and those found with abnormal temperatures will not be allowed to enter, according to plan prepared by CISF.
Coronavirus in India LIVE updates:
COVID-19 detection test method developed by IIT-Delhi gets ICMR nod. (PTI)
Coronavirus in India LIVE updates | MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava:
In the last 2 weeks, 2 dozen flights have arrived with medical supplies from different towns of China. We expect 20 more such flights in the coming weeks. This is likely to be stepped up.
Our Mission has also signed a contract on behalf of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) with another South Korean company to procure and supply 5 lakh Corona Testing Kits
Coronavirus in West Bengal LIVE Updates | Chief Secy Rajiva Sinha:
We have always responded to ICMR, Home Secretary, Ministry of Health or any place we are getting queries from. Tomorrow if I say that Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has to come here physically to find out an answer from me, what is the logic of this?
With the whole technology where we can talk to each other at 5 minutes notice, we can talk to each other over phone, they can see what is happening through satellite, direct and indirect indicators. Why should they come here and expect us to cooperate? (ANI)
First Lady Savita Kovind stitches masks, to be distributed in Delhi's shelters
Joining the fight against COVID-19, India’s First Lady Savita Kovind stitched face masks at Shakti Haat in the President’s Estate.
The masks will be distributed to various shelter homes in the capital city under the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB).
The First Lady was seen covering her face with a red-coloured mask and stitching on a conventional sewing machine.
Read the full story here
Coronavirus LIVE updates | BREAKING:
4.4 million U.S. workers seek jobless aid, raising total layoffs since virus hit to more than 26 million. (Associated Press)
Coronavirus in India LIVE updates | Health Ministry:
1229 new COVID-19 cases and34 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. Total number of cases rises to 21700, including 16689 active cases, 4325 cured and686 deaths.
Coronavirus in Maharashtra LIVE updates:
92-year-old woman recovers from coronavirus infection despite having suffered a stroke seven months ago which left one side of her body paralysed and even affected her ability to recognise faces,doctors at a Pune hospital told PTI.
2 cats in New York become first US pets to test positive for coronavirus
Two pet cats in New York state have tested positive for the coronavirus, marking the first confirmed cases in companion animals in the United States.
The cats, which had mild respiratory illnesses and are expected to recover, are thought to have contracted the virus from people in their households or neighborhoods, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The finding, which comes after positive tests in some tigers and lions at the Bronx Zoo, adds to a small number of confirmed cases of the virus in animals worldwide.
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Coronavirus in India LIVE updates | Health Ministry:
Post lockdown, testing increased 24 times while number of new positive cases grew 16 times. In the last month, the number of dedicated COVID-19 hospitals rose by 3.5 times while isolation beds increased by 3.6 times.
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | ICMR:
It is difficult to say when the peak will arrive, or if it will arrive till May 3 or not. But, the graph has been more or less linear, with a stable positivity of 4.5 percent. One can say that we have been able to flatten the curve.
Coronavirus in India LIVE updates | AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria:
At various centres, we've started using convalescent plasma, that is the blood of COVID-19 patients who have recovered. A large number of patients who have become alright have come forward andvolunteered to donate their blood.
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | Environment Secy and Empowered Group-2 Chairman CK Mishra:
We have been able to cut transmission, minimise spread and increase doubling rate. We have utilized this time to prepare ourselves for the future. Growth has been more or less linear, not exponential.
On March 23 we've done 14,915 tests across the country and on April 22 we have done more than 5 lakh tests. If a rough calculation is done it is about 33 times in 30 days.This is not enough and we need to ramp up testing in this country. (ANI)
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | Health Ministry Joint Secy Lav Agarwal:
As on today, we have 12 districts that did not have a fresh case in the last 28 days or more. There are now 78 districts (in 23 states/UTs) that has not reported any fresh cases during the last 14 days.
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | Health Ministry Joint Secy Lav Agarwal:
In last 24 hours, 1409 positive cases have been reported, which takes our total confirmed cases to 21,393.
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | Home Ministry Joint Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava:
Home Ministry has clarified to states that in-house care-givers of senior citizens, prepaid mobile recharge utilities and food processing units in urban areas are exempted from lockdown restrictions.
Coronavirus News LIVE Updates | Countries with the highest confirmed cases
> United States: 8,42,624 confirmed cases (includes recoveries and deaths)
> Spain: 2,08,389cases
> Italy: 1,87,327 cases
> France: 1,57,135 cases
> Germany: 1,50,729 cases
> United Kingdom: 1,34,639 cases
> Turkey: 98,674 cases
> Iran: 85,996 cases
> China: 83,876 cases
> Russia: 62,773 cases
(Source: Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, as of 3.50 pm IST on April 23)
Tips to stay safe
(Image: News18 Creative)
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates |
The Indian Railways has offered to supply 2.6 lakh meals daily from its kitchens across the country to districts which are willing to pick up cooked meals for distribution among the needy.
A meal will be available at the cost of Rs 15.
Coronavirus in Rajasthan LIVE Updates | Health Department:
49 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Rajasthan today, taking total number of cases to 1,937. Out of the total cases, 27 patients have died, 407 have recovered and 134 have been discharged from hospitals.
Coronavirus in Singapore LIVE Updates | Over 1,000 more foreign workers test positive for COVID-19
Battling the second-wave of coronavirus infections, Singapore today reported 1,037 new COVID-19 cases, more than 1,000 of which were foreign workers, including Indian nationals, mostly working in labour intensive industries and living in packed dormitories.
This is the fourth day in a row that Singapore has reported a daily increase of over 1,000 cases.
The city-state has recorded a total of 11,178 COVID-19 infections so far. Twelve people have died of COVID-19 related illness. (Input from PTI)
Lockdown impact | Ramayana, Mahabharat are luring TV viewers, as well as advertisers
The repeat telecast of Ramayana and Mahabharat on TV is not only keeping the audience entertained, but these shows are also attracting attention from the advertisers.
For advertisers, it is all about viewership and since their re-launch on TV, both serieshave kept viewers glued to TV sets.
Coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh LIVE Updates | 80 new COVID-19 cases, three deaths reported in Andhra Pradesh
Eighty new cases, three more deaths and 21 fresh recoveries took the overall COVID-19 tally in Andhra Pradesh to 893, 27 and 141 respectively in the last 24 hours ending 9.00 am today.
This is thus far the largest spurt in the number of COVID-19 cases in the state in a single day.
No pay cut in April for employees, says IndiGo CEO Dutta
IndiGo, the country's largest airline, has assured its employees of no cut in their April pay.
"In deference to our Government’s wishes of not reducing pay during the lockdown, we have decided not to implement the previously announced pay cuts during the month of April," CEO Ronojoy Dutta told employees in an email on April 23.
"However, your Excom members and SVPs have volunteered to take pay cuts this month. For everyone else, you can expect your April salaries to be paid without the pay cuts," he added.
Coronavirus in India LIVE updates |
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today inaugurated a mobile lab named Mobile Virology Research and Diagnostics Laboratory developed by DRDO for conducting COVID-19 screening and R&D activities. This mobile lab has the screening capacity of more than 1000 samples daily. (Input from ANI)
Coronavirus in India LIVE updates |
IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta rolls back pay cut in April salary of employees; says decision taken in deference to govt wishes.
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | Government to call citizens for feedback
The Centre will be conducting a telephonic survey by calling up citizens on their mobile phones across the country to get their feedback on the prevalence and distribution of COVID-19 symptoms.
As per an official notification by the Union Health Ministry, the survey is to be carried out by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). Citizens will get a call from the number 1921 on their mobile phones.
Coronavirus News LIVE Updates | Confirmed cases in ASEAN countries
> Brunei: 136 cases (including recoveries and deaths)
> Cambodia: 122 cases
> Indonesia: 7,418 cases
> Laos: 19 cases
> Malaysia: 5,532 cases
> Myanmar: 127 cases
> Philippines: 6,710 cases
> Singapore: 10,141 cases
> Thailand: 2,839 cases
> Vietnam: 268 cases
(Source: News reports and Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, as of 1.40 pm IST on April 23)
Coronavirus in Gujarat LIVE Updates | Gujarat conducting 3,000 COVID-19 tests everyday: Official
As many as 3,000 coronavirus tests are being conducted in Gujarat everyday and there is no plan to reduce it, state Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi has said.
The official dismissed rumours that the state government has reduced COVID-19 testing. (Input from PTI)
Key developments from across the country:
> Inter-Ministerial Central Team is visiting quarantine centres near Kolkata, West Bengal.
> Srinagar administration draws up a care package for 6,330 women expecting babies in four months.
> With 47 new cases, Rajasthan’s COVID-19 tally rises to 1,953.
Coronavirus impact |
Union Ministry of Finance has said that additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) payable to central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to central govt pensioners, due from January 1, 2020 will not be paid.
Additional instalments of DA and DR from July 1, 2020 and January 1, 2020 will also not be paid.
However, DA and DR at current rates will continue to be paid.
Coronavirus in UK LIVE Updates | UK PM Johnson sure to be back at work soon, says minister
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is recovering well from COVID-19 complications and will be back at work soon, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has said. (Input from Reuters)
Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates |
The Union Ministry of Finance has said that over 33 crore people have received financial assistance of Rs 31,235 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan scheme.
The ministry has also said that Rs 10,025 crore have been disbursed to 20.05 crore Women Jan Dhan account holders.
Coronavirus in Karnataka LIVE Updates | Lockdown norms partially relaxed in Karnataka from today
The Karnataka government has partially relaxed COVID-19 lockdown norms in the state allowing IT and IT-enabled services to operate with essential minimum staff and also certain construction activities, manufacturing of packaging materials, courier services, among others from today.
The activities will be permitted only outside the COVID-19 containment zones identified by the government.
There were reports of some large-scale traffic movement in some parts of Bengaluru this morning as lockdown curbs were relaxed. (Input from PTI)
Coronavirus impact |
The Centre has allowed relief from insolvency for the next six months via an amendment to Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016, CNBC-TV18 has reported citing government sources who did not wish to be named.
The government is awaiting a nod from the President to allow new clause as Section 10A to suspend sections 7, 9 and 10 for six months or until further orders. The amendment says that the clause shall not be extending over one year. The Union Cabinet had cleared the proposal moved by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
Read more here
Summer lockdown eats into sales, industries expect Rs 30,000 crore hit
Sales of summer products such as air conditioners, refrigerators, soft drinks and ice cream have been hit hard as the lockdown has restricted consumer spending during usual peak business months of March to May.
Sales in the summer account for close to 50 percent of the total annual sales for these goods and companies are facing Rs 30,000 crore in sales losses.
Coronavirus in Karnataka LIVE Updates |
16 new COVID-19 cases (including nine from Bengaluru Urban) have been reported in Karnataka between 5.00 pm yesterday and 12.00 pm today.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state have risen to 443. While 17 have died, 141 have been discharged.
Australia says all WHO members should support a proposed inquiry
All member nations of the WHO should support a proposed independent review into the pandemic, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said today, further threatening strained ties with China.
Australia has become as one of Beijing's most forceful critics over the handling of the spread of the coronavirus, with Morrison urging several world leaders to support an international inquiry into its origins and spread. China has fiercely rejected calls for an inquiry, describing the efforts as US-led propaganda. (Input from Reuters)
Read more here
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said he hoped that the Trump administration would reconsider its suspension of funding, but that his main focus was on ending the pandemic and saving lives.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said there were "worrying upward trends" in early epidemics in parts of Africa and Central and South America.
Read | ‘Instead of coronavirus, hunger will kill us’: A global food crisis looms
The world has never faced a hunger emergency like this, experts say. It could double the number of people facing acute hunger to 265 million by the end of this year.
Coronavirus in UK LIVE Updates |
People of Indian origin in the UK have emerged as the worst-affected ethnic group from the coronavirus pandemic, according to an official data on COVID-19 deaths in hospitals across England.
Figures released this week by the National Health Service (NHS) England show that of the 13,918 patients who died in hospitals till April 17 after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, 16.2 percent were of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) background and those identifying with Indian ethnicity made up 3 percent of that.
