The overall number of global coronavirus cases has topped 22.8 million, while the deaths have increased to over 797,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University. As of Saturday morning, the total number of cases stood at 22,864,873 and the fatalities rose to 797,787, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.
India's COVID-19 tally neared the three million mark after 69,878 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, informed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.
With this latest spike, India's coronavirus cases stand at 29,75,702. The total cases are inclusive of 6,97,330 active cases, 22,22,578 patients who have been cured/discharged or have migrated. 945 deaths due to COVID-19 have been reported in the last 24 hours across the country, taking the death toll 55,794.
The COVID-19 tally in Maharashtra's Pune district rose to 1,42,461 with addition of 3,280 new cases in the last 24 hours, a health official said on Saturday. The cumulative toll mounted to 3,495 with 69 deaths, he said.
On an average 1,500 people are tested daily for COVID-19 across Noida and Greater and so far 1,66,894 samples have been collected in Gautam Buddh Nagar district, officials said on Saturday. The district, adjoining Delhi in western Uttar Pradesh, has so far recorded 6,901 cases, including 43 deaths.
Single-day recoveries outnumbered new COVID-19 cases in Nagaland for the eighth consecutive day as 92 people were cured of the disease and 16 tested positive for the infection on Saturday, a health official said. One more patient has succumbed to the infection, taking the state's coronavirus death toll to nine, he said. The recovery rate among the COVID-19 patients in the northeastern state has increased to 59. 58 per cent from 36 per cent last week, the official said.
Three more coronavirus patients died in Uttarakhand on Saturday, taking the toll to 195 while the state's infection tally rose to 14,566 with 483 more cases. Two COVID patients died at AIIMS, Rishikesh and one at Haldwani's Sushila Tiwari Government Hospital, a state health department bulletin here said.
Gujarat on Saturday recorded its highest single-day spike of 1,212 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total count of infections to 85,678, state health department said. The number of fatalities rose by 14, including six in Surat, which is the highest in the state, to 2,883, it said.
India has the "best" COVID-19 recovery rate of about 75 per cent, which is improving every day, and the "lowest" mortality rate of 1. 87 per cent in the world, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday.
Himachal Pradesh recorded 61 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday, raising the infection tally to 4,790 while the state's death toll from the disease climbed to 27 with three more fatalities. The total number of active COVID-19 cases in the state now stands at 1,434, an official said.
Sikkim recorded 45 COVID-19 positive cases in the past 24 hours taking its coronavirus caseload to 1,381, a health department official said on Saturday. All the fresh positive cases have come from East Sikkim district, of which state capital Gangtok is a part.
While the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is conducting a sero survey across seven UP districts, state Health and Family Welfare Department would cover a dozen districts as soon after the completion of ICMR survey. (READ MORE)
The Punjab government had announced weekend lockdown in all cities and towns on Thursday, while authorities in Haryana and Chandigarh ordered the closure of all shops except those providing essential services on Friday to check the spread of COVID-19. (READ MORE)
BJD's Bhadrak MP Manjulata Mandal was among 2819 new COVID-19 cases detected in Odisha in last 24 hours pushing the total number of cases go beyond 75,000. (READ MORE)
Centre writes to states; says there shall be no restrictions on inter-state, intra-state movement of persons and goods: Officials (PTI)
A low-cost saliva test that will enable people to collect their own samples with minimal discomfort, without invasive nasal or throat swabs, could well be the way forward to detect the novel coronavirus, say scientists. (READ MORE)
Former Jharkhand CM and JMM president Shibu Soren and his wife Roopi tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, reports PTI.
Doctors said attending to the 84-year-old said he is being treated for respiratory infection and continues to be on ventilatory support.
He was admitted to the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi on August 10 and was operated for removal of a clot in the brain. (READ MORE)
COVID warrior Dr. AK Das of Rourkela Govt Hospital died at the COVID-19 hospital. His mortal remains consigned to flame at Vedvyas after guard of honour.
Biden said, “I will be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives because we cannot get the country moving until we control the virus.” He addedthat if scientists recommended shutting down the country, “I would shut it down.” Biden made the comment in an interview with ABC.
With 520 new cases and eight deaths in the last 24 hours, the total cases has risen to 10,112, active cases to 3654 and death toll at 151. (READ MORE)
More than 34.1 million tests for COVID-19 have been performed in Russia, with over 220,000 people being monitored, the country's consumer rights and human welfare watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said on Saturday.
Small shopkeepers and vendors in Himachal Pradesh have reported a significant drop in sales due to the outbreak of coronavirus. Even during the festive season, not too many people are stepping outdoors to buy products from the market. According to the Union Health Ministry, at present, there are 1,430 cases of COVID-19 in the state.
A 32-year-old COVID-19 positive patient allegedly died by suicide at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) trauma centre in Jharkhand's Ranchi on Saturday morning, police said. "The patient used his 'gamcha' to hang himself by the railing of the stairs outside the COVID-19 ward. He was from the Garhwa district and was undergoing treatment at RIMS," the Ranchi Police said.
The overall number of global coronavirus cases has topped 22.8 million, while the deaths have increased to over 797,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University. As of Saturday morning, the total number of cases stood at 22,864,873 and the fatalities rose to 797,787, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.
The Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations will be a low-key affair this year here as authorities have banned processions due to the rising Covid-19 infection graph. In the last 24 hours, Mathura reported 46 fresh cases of Covid-19 while Agra reported 24, Mainpuri 32, Etah 23, Firozabad 33 and Kasganj 13.
In a letter issued yesterday, Jawaid Akhtar, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, said there is an "unprecedented surge in the demand of oxygen" to treat COVID-19 patients. The clinical expert committee has conducted an analysis of the usage of oxygen, according to the letter, which reveals that there is a non-judicious and excessive use of oxygen therapy without proper monitoring.
The state government has decided to increase the number of coronavirus hospitals from 138 to 287 to deal with the rising number of coronavirus cases. A decision to this effect was taken during a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday.
People in China's capital Beijing are no longer required to wear masks outdoors, health authorities said on Friday, a second such announcement since May when it was reversed after a recurrence of coronavirus cases in the city. According to official data, Beijing had 935 cases of coronavirus since February this year of which 924 have recovered.
The total number of cases now stands at 50,640 including 10,928 active cases, 38,527 recoveries and 1,185 deaths. Indore reported 181 new coronavirus cases, taking the district tally to 10,967. With three new deaths, the cumulative toll reached 356.
Assam reported 1,856 new coronavirus cases on Friday, according to state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. 36,180 samples were tested in the last 24 hours and the positivity rate is at 5.12 per cent, he informed.
The court, which started hearing matters through video conferencing from March 24, one day before the national lockdown was imposed to restrict the spread of coronavirus, took several pioneering administrative steps like cancellation of summer holidays to cope up with time lost during the lockdown.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described COVID-19 as a "once-in-a-century health crisis" and said that while globalisation had allowed the virus to spread quicker than the flu did in 1918, there was also now the technology to stop it that hadn't been available a century ago.