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COVID-19 HIGHLIGHTS | PM Modi likely to hold review meeting with Chief Ministers next week

The prime minister has been regularly holding meetings to review the pandemic situation across the country with a focus on states/UTs where the situation is more serious.
PM Modi. (Photo | Twitter)
PM Modi. (Photo | Twitter)
Online Desk

India's COVID-19 case tally crossed 53-lakh mark with a spike of 93,337 new cases and 1,247 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.

The total case tally stands at 53,08,015 including 10,13,964 active cases, 42,08,432 cured/discharged/migrated and 85,619 deaths, as per the Ministry.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the cumulative total samples tested up to September 18 are 6,24,54,254. The number of samples tested on September 18 is 8,81,911.

As far as the active cases are concerned in the states, as per the Health Ministry, Maharashtra has 301273 active cases, Karnataka 101148, Andhra Pradesh 84423, Uttar Pradesh 67825 and Tamil Nadu 46506.

Minister Bachchu Kadu among 243 new COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra's Amravati

  • The COVID-19 count in Amravati in Maharashtra increased by 243 on Saturday to reach 10,590, among them being state minister Bachchu Kadu who tweeted that he had been detected with the infection.

  • Incidentally, Kadu had distributed cheques to contract employees of MSEDCL at the circuit house here in the afternoon and was detected with the infection in the evening.

  • Five deaths, including that of an 80-year-old man, in the district took the toll to 228, an official said.

  • "The other four who died were women. The day also saw 187 people getting discharged, which took the number of such cases to 8,096. The active cases are 2,266," he added.

    • 2,011 prisoners and 416 jail staff infected in Maharashtra

    2,011 prisoners and 416 jail staff tested positive for COVID-19 in prisons across Maharashtra. 6 prisoners and 4 jail staff died of the disease so far: State Prison Department.

    Sikkim to reopen for tourists from October 10

  • The Sikkim government has allowed hotels, homestays and other tourism-related services to restart operations from October 10, officials said on Saturday. The Himalayan state has also decided to open its border with West Bengal for unrestricted movement of vehicles from October 1, they said.

  • A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the hotels and the tourism sector is expected soon, they added.

  • Bookings for hotels and homestays will start from September 27, officials said.

  • While the odd-even road rationing rule for public vehicles will be lifted from October 1, it may continue for private vehicles, they said.

  • The odd-even rule, which was first implemented in Delhi to tackle air pollution by limiting the number of cars as per the last digit of their registration number, was also imposed in Sikkim to reduce movement amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

  • However, a complete lockdown will be imposed in the Gangtok Municipal Corporation area from September 21 to 27 as part of "special measures" to contain the spread of COVID-19.

  • Vehicles will not be allowed to ply except those authorised or engaged in essential services, as per a state Home Department order.

  • State government offices will operate with 30 per cent staff, and all shops, except those selling essential items, will remain closed, it said.

    • PM Modi likely to hold COVID-19 review meeting with chief ministers

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to chair a meeting of the chief ministers of seven states next week to review the coronavirus situation.

  • Sources said the meeting is likely to be held on September 23. Chief ministers of Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh among others are expected to attend the meeting, they said.

  • The prime minister has been regularly holding meetings to review the pandemic situation across the country with a focus on states/UTs where the situation is more serious.

  • His last COVID-19 review meeting was on August 11 with chief ministers and representatives of 10 most-affected states, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.

    • West Bengal's COVID-19 death toll climbs to 4,298 with 56 fatalities

  • West Bengal reported 56 more COVID-19 fatalities on Saturday, pushing the death toll to 4,298, a bulletin issued by the health department said.

  • The state also registered 3,188 fresh coronavirus cases, which took the tally to 2,21,960, it said. According to the bulletin, 2,993 people were cured of the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 1,93,014.

  • The discharge rate currently stands at 86. 96 per cent in the state, it said. Out of the 56 deaths, 47 were due to comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental, the bulletin said.

  • Fifteen deaths each were reported from the city and North 24 Parganas district, five from South 24 Parganas, four from Hooghly, three from East Medinipur and two each from Howrah and Bankura districts, it said. One death each was registered in West Medinipur, Purulia, Nadia, Malda, South Dinajpur, North Dinajpur, Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar districts, it added.

  • Kolkata reported the maximum number of new cases at 543, followed by North 24 Parganas at 501 new cases, South 24 Parganas at 216 and West Medinipur at 202, the bulletin said. West Bengal now has 24,648 active cases.

  • The state has so far tested 27,44,862 samples for COVID-19, including 45,563 in the last 24 hours, it said.

    • COVID-19: Ladakh records 73 new cases, one more death

  • The Union Territory of Ladakh reported 73 new coronavirus cases and one more death on Saturday, taking the cumulative figures to 3,708 infections and 49 fatalities, according to an official bulletin.

  • There are 993 active coronavirus cases in the union territory now, out of which 549 are in Leh and 444 in Kargil, it said, adding 2,666 patients have recovered till date.

  • With the death of one more patient from COVID-19 in Leh district, the total number of deaths in the Union Territory has gone up to 49 -- 28 in Kargil and 21 in Leh.

  • The bulletin released by the directorate of health services said that out of 73 new cases, 64 were detected in Leh and nine in Kargil.

  • It said 49 patients in Leh and Kargil were discharged on Saturday after they recovered from the infection.

    • 38 deaths, 4,071 fresh virus cases in Delhi

  • Thirty-eight more people died from coronavirus in Delhi on Saturday as 4,071 fresh infections surfaced, pushing the number of cases to over 2. 42 lakh in the city, according to a Health Department bulletin. So far, the city has reported 4,945 deaths and 2,42,899 infections, the bulletin said, adding that the authorities conducted more than 61,000 tests the previous day.

  • The Saturday bulletin said the active cases tally on Saturday stood at 32,064. The number of containment zones in Delhi jumped to 1,820 from 1,751 the previous day. The number of tests conducted and corresponding fresh cases reported ranged from 24,198 (2312) on September 1 to 61,037 (4,071) on September 18.

  • The number of rapid antigen tests stood at 51,292 while the RT-PCR, CBNAAT and True NAAT tests figures were 10,681 in all, according to the Saturday bulletin. The total number of tests stood at over 24. 92 lakh. The positivity rate stood at 6. 57 per cent while the recovery rate was over 84 per cent, the bulletin said, adding that the fatality rate was 2. 04 per cent.

  • Meanwhile, Health Minister Satyendar Jain took a meeting with medical directors and medical superintendents of all Delhi government hospitals to review the status of testing. Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev held a review meeting on public health response to COVID-19, the bulletin said.

  • Since August 18, cases again started coming in four figures in the city. According to the bulletin, out of the total number of beds in COVID hospitals, 7,953 are vacant.

  • Also, 2,183 beds in COVID care centres are occupied by persons under quarantine, including travellers who have returned by Vande Bharat Mission and bubble flights, it said.

  • According to the bulletin, 2,05,890 patients have recovered, been discharged or migrated so far. The number of people in home isolation stands at 18,648.

    • Lockdown in Raipur district, some other urban areas

  • Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in Chhattisgarh's Raipur, the local administration on Saturday announced lockdown in the district between September 21-28. Raipur Collector S Bharathi Dasan issued an order declaring Raipur district as a containment zone and restricted several activities from 9 pm on September 21 till midnight of September 28, a state public relations department official said.

  • "Raipur district has so far reported over 26,000 COVID-19 cases and 900-1000 cases are being recorded daily. To break the chain of transmission, it has become necessary to declare the entire district a containment zone. Inter-district borders in Raipur will remain sealed during this duration," the order said.

  • All Central, state and semi government as well as private offices will remain closed while no public meeting or rally will be allowed, though government staff engaged in prevention and control of COVID-19 will continue to work as earlier, it said.

  • "All shops and commercial establishments, including grocery shops will be closed during the period. Medical shops will be allowed to remain open while home deliveries of medicines will be given priority. Milk shops will be open from 6am to 8am and then 5pm to 6:30pm," an official said.

  • Petrol pumps will provide fuel only to government vehicles, private vehicles engaged in medical emergency and ambulances.

  • LPG cylinder distributors are allowed to take orders only via telephone and provide home delivery, while liquor shops will remain closed. The order said industrial houses and construction units will have to make on-site residential arrangements for their labourers.

  • Essential services, like health, electricity and water supply, sanitation works and emergency services have been kept out of the purview of restrictions, and those needing to move out of the district will need an e-pass, an official said.

  • Lockdown has also been imposed in seven urban bodies in Bilaspur from September 22 morning till September 28 midnight, while it will be between September 20-30 in six areas, including Durg and Bhilai.

  • Moreover, Ambikapur municipal corporation area in Surguja district has also been declared as a containment zone from 9 pm on September 21 till September 28 midnight, he added.

    • 2595 new cases in Assam

    Some respite for Delhi

    COVID-19: Ahead of session, five Gujarat Assembly staff test positive

  • Five out of 506 people who were tested for novel coronavirus ahead of the five-day session of the Gujarat Assembly starting on Monday have been detected with the infection, officials said on Saturday.

  • COVID-19 tests were conducted on Speaker Rajendra Trivedi and 505 staff members of the Assembly over the past two days, and five had been found to be infected, a release said.

  • It added that Trivedi had tested negative, while those whose reports returned positive comprised two staff members and three security personnel.

  • "As per direction of Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi, on September 18 and 19, all Vidhan Sabha officers, employees, security branch personnel, Class III employees, sweepers, police, totaling 506 people, were tested for COVID- 19 through rapid antigen test," it said.

  • COVID-19 tests will also be conducted on all 172 legislators on Sunday before they are allowed entry into the Assembly building to attend the session, Health Minister Nitin Patel said.

  • Media personnel covering Assembly proceedings will also have to get COVID-19 negative certificates to gain access to the building, Patel said on Saturday.

    • Congress MLA Priyank Kharge tests positive for COVID-19

  • Congress MLA and former Minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday said he has tested positive for COVID-19.

  • "I have been tested positive for #Covid19 today. I have no symptoms," Kharge tweeted.

  • He has also requested all those who had come in contact with him in the last couple of days to get themselves tested as a precautionary measure.

  • Kharge, who represents Chittapur assembly constituency, is the son of veteran Congress leader and Member of Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.

    • Close to 1200 new cases in Karnataka

    Close to 2700 new cases in Haryana

    Over 21,000 new cases in Maharashtra

    Karnataka schools to remain closed till September 30

    WATCH | Kerala Bulletin

    Former Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh tests positive

  • Former Chhattisgarh chief minister and senior BJP leader Raman Singh on Saturday tweeted that he had been detected with COVID-19.

  • He said he got himself tested after exhibiting symptoms and appealed to those who came in contact with him over the past few days to check if they too were infected.

  • As on Friday, the state has 81,617 COVID-19 cases, of which 36,580 are active ones. The infection has caused the deaths of 645 people in the state so far.

    • Another COVID test kit launched

    India’s first CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) COVID-19 test, developed by the Tata Group and CSIR-IGIB, approved for use in India: Ministry of Science and Technology.

    Over 3100 new cases in Bengal

    Over 1800 new cases in Rajasthan

    Close to 1500 new cases in J&K

    117 new cases in Manipur

    Update from Indian Embassy in Riyadh

    Over 2000 new cases in Uttarakhand

    Close to 2700 new cases in Punjab

    Over 8000 new cases in Karnataka

    Over 5,500 cases in Tamil Nadu

    Madhya Pradesh reports 2,607 new COVID-19 cases

    Social distancing norms flouted at Srirangam temple

    Punjab Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan asked Oxygen manufacturers in the state to ramp up production

    MPs of many political parties express willingness to curtail the ongoing Parliament session

    Kerala reports highest single-day spike with 4644 new cases

    Andhra completes testing of over 50 lakh samples; 8218 new cases in last 24 hours

    WATCH | First COVID-19 vaccine will be distributed within 24 hours in USA: Donald Trump

    COVID-19: London lockdown 'likely' amid fears of second wave

    Another lockdown in London looks "increasingly likely" amid fears that the UK is heading towards a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. After a meeting with local council leaders and government officials, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Friday that there was concern that the infection was spreading across the UK capital at an accelerating speed, which would make tougher measures necessary. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

    Govt contemplating to curtail ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament

    Maharashtra police record 153 new COVID-19 cases; five more cops succumb

    At least 153 personnel of Maharashtra police tested positive for coronavirus, while five died of the infection in the last 24 hours, an official said on Saturday.

    With the addition of the latest infections, the police force's COVID-19 tally has reached 20,954, the official said.

    The fresh casualties have taken the toll in the department to 217, which includes 22 officers, he said.

    (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

    Udupi Sri Krishna Mutt will be opened for devotees from September 28

    SFI members protest against conducting exams in polytechnic colleges in Vishakhapatnam

    Karnataka Deputy CM CN Ashwath Narayan tests positive

    Downward trend in Delhi's COVID-19 positivity rate in last few days, says Health Minister Jain

    "The positivity rate was 6.76 per cent on Friday. It has remained below 7 per cent in the last two-three days. Last week, it was around 8 per cent," Jain said.

    The cumulative positivity rate has also dropped below 10 per cent for the first time, he said.

    (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

    Downward trend in Delhi's COVID-19 positivity rate in last few days, says Health Minister Jain

    "The positivity rate was 6.76 per cent on Friday. It has remained below 7 per cent in the last two-three days. Last week, it was around 8 per cent," Jain said.

    The cumulative positivity rate has also dropped below 10 per cent for the first time, he said.

    (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

    Rajya Sabha passes Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill

    Will facemasks be enough to escape #COVID?

    27 new cases in Andaman

  • The COVID-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 3,631 on Saturday as 27 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said.

  • Twenty-three infections were detected during contact tracing, while four new patients have travel history, he said.

  • Thirty-six more people have been cured of the disease, the official said.

  • The Union territory now has 165 active coronavirus cases, while 3,414 people have recovered from the disease and 52 patients have succumbed to the infection so far, he said.

    • Sikkim ministers test positive

  • Three ministers of the Prem Singh Tamang government and two BJP MLAs have tested positive for COVID-19, an official said on Saturday.

  • All legislators and staff of the state legislative assembly were tested for COVID-19 on Friday as a precautionary measure ahead of the proposed one-day assembly session on Monday.

  • Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang has tested negative for COVID-19, the official said.

  • Information and Public Relations (IPR) minister Lok Nath Sharma, Forest and Environment minister Karma Loday Bhutia and Power minister Mingma Norbu Sherpa have tested COVID-19 positive, the official said.

  • Two BJP MLAs Farwanti Tamang and T T Bhutia have also tested positive, he said The COVID-19 positive ministers and MLAs have been advised home isolation, the official added.

    • Bus services resume in Vijayawada

    Congress MP gives adjournment motion

    Himani Shivpuri discharged

    The 59-year-old actor was receiving treatment for the novel disease at Holy Spirit hospital after getting admitted on September 12. Shivpuri said the doctors have advised her to quarantine at home as there was an improvement in her health.

    Staff members test positive

    Seven members of Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender's team tested positive for Coronavirus on Saturday. The Minister has tested negative, informed an official from the office. (READ HERE)

    11 deaths take Puducherry toll to 448

    Puducherry reported 543 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday taking the overall tally in the union territory to 22,456. Eleven more people succumbed to the infection as the death toll rose to 448, Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said. The fatality rate was two per cent while the recovery rate was 76.63 per cent, he added.

    Arunachal tally crosses 7,000-mark

  • Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 tally crossed the 7,000-mark on Saturday as 183 more people, including 28 security personnel, tested positive for the infection, a senior health official said.

  • The fresh infections have taken the northeastern state's caseload to 7,005, he said.

  • The Capital Complex region reported the highest number of new cases at 93, followed by Papumpare (32) and Lower Dibang Valley (10), State Surveillance Officer, Dr Lobsang Jampa, said.

  • "Sixteen Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel, eight Army men and four Assam Rifles jawans were among the new patients," he said.

    • Around the globe

  • Nepal tally tops 61k with record high daily spike

  • Istanbul adopts alternate working hours to curb spread

  • Guatemalan President tests positive

  • Level 3 pandemic response declared in Irish capital

  • Brazil's death toll tops 1,35,000

    • COVID-19 likely to become seasonal disease

    COVID-19, the illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, will likely become seasonal in countries with temperate climates, but only when herd immunity is attained, suggests a new review published in Frontiers in Public Health. (READ HERE)

    4,209 new cases in Odisha

    Jharkhand reports 1,478 new cases

  • Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally rose to 68,578 on Saturday as 1,478 more people tested positive for the infection, while 12 fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 602, a health official said.

  • The fresh infections have taken the number of active cases in the state to 13,924, while 54,052 people have been cured of the disease so far, he said.

  • The state has tested 25,962 samples for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the official added.

    • Jharkhand reports 1,478 new COVID-19 cases, 12 fresh fatalities

    Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally rose to 68,578 on Saturday as 1,478 more people tested positive for the infection, while 12 fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 602, a health official said. The fresh infections have taken the number of active cases in the state to 13,924, while 54,052 people have been cured of the disease so far, he said.

    WATCH | City buses resumed their operations in Vijayawada

    Testing update

    Rajasthan tally

    Pune tally rises by 4,093

    The coronavirus infection count in Pune district of Maharashtra reached 2,44,516 with the single-day spike of 4,093 cases, a health official said. The death toll in the district mounted to 5,536 as 85 patients succumbed to the infection during the day, he said.

    India records highest recoveries

    India has overtaken the United States to register the highest number of COVID-19 recoveries in the world, informed Union Health Ministry on Saturday. The total recoveries in the country crossed 42 lakh.

    Telangana tally reaches 1,69,169

    Continuing its stint with less testing, the state detected these new cases with only 54,459 tests done. While the positivity rate is only 3%, the test per million were 65,570. (READ HERE)

    National tally crosses 53-lakh mark

    Pandemic turns school principal into tea seller

    The former principal of Cattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy Residential School lost his job due to the Covid-19 crisis, and believing in the dignity of labour, he held his head high and started a tea stall on NH 44 near Krishna Nagar in Kurnool city. (READ HERE)

    Delhi's 60% ICU beds with ventilators occupied

    Out of 1,247 total beds with ventilators, 756 were occupied and only 491 remained available till Friday evening. Among ICU beds without ventilators, 489 remained available out of a total 1,539 while 1,050 were occupied. (READ HERE)

    Karnataka Speaker, others undergo test

  • Karnataka Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri along with other political leaders underwent a COVID-19 test on Friday.

  • This comes ahead of the upcoming monsoon session of the Assembly, which is scheduled to begin from September 21.

  • Earlier, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy had said that all MLAs will be tested for COVID-19 on every fifth day of the functioning of the monsoon session.

  • The Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council sessions are expected to be held from September 21 and 30.

    • Dasara celebrations update

    IIIT students come up with 'bubble helmet'

    Andhra CM wants kits for home isolated patients

  • Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday held a review meeting on the ongoing COVID-19 situation in the state, wherein he asked officials to provide home isolation kits to patients who are in home isolation.

  • During the meeting, the Chief Minister asked officials to improve the standards in hospitals and good grading must be given. He said that plasma therapy should be available in COVID hospitals.

  • "Proper standards should be maintained in medical facilities in the hospitals, along with the availability of doctors, food and sanitation, and ambience are well. Private hospitals should also have the same standards," Reddy said

    • Patient 'beaten to death' at Rajkot facility?

    All safety measures being taken: Patna airport

    With guidelines issued for air travellers in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities at Patna's Jay Prakash Narayan Airport are making efforts to ensure that all passengers are screened and social distancing norms being adhered to. "We are committed to delivering a safe flying experience to passengers. All safety measures are being taken to reduce the risk of infection," Airport Director Bhupesh CH Negi said.

    Indore records highest single-day spike

  • Indore on Friday witnessed the highest single-day spike with 408 new COVID-19 cases detected, according to the office of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO).

  • The total number of COVID-19 cases in the district has crossed the 19,000-mark.

  • "There are 19,125 confirmed cases of the virus and the death toll stands at 492," the bulletin said.

    • Global virus cases top 30 million

    The worldwide count of known COVID-19 infections climbed past 30 million on Thursday, with more than half of them from just three countries: the US, India and Brazil, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins researchers. The number increased by 10 million in just over a month; global cases passed 20 million on August 12.

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