Coronavirus Outbreak Updates: 3,254 new COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra today; state home minister inaugurates care centre for cops in Navi Mumbai

LIVE NEWS and UPDATES

23:48 (IST)

Coronavirus in Delhi Latest Updates Delhi govt says 15,000 beds to be arranged by 20 June Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said the government will arrange 15,000 beds for COVID-19 patients by 20 June, India Today reported.  "He said the Delhi government is preparing for the "foreseeable situation of June 30", and for that, preparations are being made for Covid-19 infrastructure in stadiums, banquet halls, and hotels," the report added.

  

23:22 (IST)

Coronavirus in India Latest Updates Report says India Lifts Ban on Export of Hydroxychloroquine "Department of Pharmaceuticals has approved the lifting of ban on Export of Hydroxychloroquine API as well as formulations. Manufacturers except SEZ/EOU Units have to supply 20% production in the domestic market. DGFT has been asked to issue formal notification in this regard: Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Sadananda Gowda," News18 reported.

  

23:00 (IST)

Coronavirus in India Latest Updates Modi, Netanyahu discuss areas of cooperation on COVID-19   Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday discussed with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu the potential areas in which the two countries can expand cooperation in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, including research and development efforts in the field of vaccines. During their telephonic conversation, Modi also congratulated Netanyahu on assuming the prime ministerial office for a record fifth time. "Had an excellent conversation with my friend PM @netanyahu about how India-Israel can collaborate in the post-COVID world," Modi tweeted. "India-Israel partnership will grow ever stronger in the days to come," he said. An official statement later said the leaders discussed the potential areas in which India and Israel could expand their cooperation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, including research and development efforts in the fields of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. (PTI)

  

22:52 (IST)

Coronavirus in Maharashtra Latest Updates 1,567 new COVID-19 cases, 97 deaths reported in Mumbai today The BMC said that 1,567 more coronavirus cases and 97 deaths reported in Mumbai on Wednesday. Total number of cases in the city is now at 52,445, including 23,693 recovered/discharged, 26,897 active cases and 1855 deaths.

  

22:42 (IST)

Coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh Latest Updates COVID-19 cases in MP cross 10,000 200 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Madhya Pradesh today, taking the case count to 10,049. Seven more casualties were also reported, taking the state's toll to 427.

  

State-wise updates

Many states and Union Territories continued to show a spurt in cases through the day.

Odisha's COVID-19 case count crossed  3,000 as 146 more people tested positive for the infection. These new cases include 49 NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) personnel and 12 ODRAF (Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force) personnel, who tested positive after returning to the state from West Bengal, where they had gone for restoration work in the wake of  Cyclone Amphan.

The Meghalaya government withdrew its earlier order that allowed religious places to reopen doors to devotees from 14 June, and said congregations of any kind would have to be avoided for the time being, given the unrelenting rise in COVID-19 cases. Four new coronavirus cases have been detected in the state since Monday, increasing the tally to 40 — three times of what it was during the second week of May.

Andhra Pradesh saw its case count cross 5,000 with 216 fresh cases, while its death toll rose to 77.

Uttar Pradesh reported its highest single-day spike of 18 COVID-19 deaths, taking the toll to 301, while 388 new cases detected today pushed the case count to 11,335.

Kerala continued to reel under the impact of returnees testing positive for COVID-19 as 91 fresh cases were reported in the state on Tuesday, taking the total number of people under treatment to 1,231. Of the fresh cases, as many as 53 came from abroad while 27 from other states. Ten people contracted the disease through contact, the state government said. The total COVID-19 cases in the state rose to 2,095 and the toll remained unchanged at 16.

The virus also reached the Union Territory of Daman— which was a green zone till now—as two persons recently returned from Mumbai tested positive.

Tamil Nadu registered a single-day record increase of 1,685 cases, taking the number of coronavirus infections to 34,914, while 21 more people died to take the toll to 307. Chennai's own tally rose to 24,545 with 1,242 new cases.

Maharashtra, the worst-hit state, reported 2,259 new cases to take its tally to 90,787, while its death toll rose by 120 to 3,289. More than 1,000 new cases were reported in Mumbai alone, pushing its tally past 50,000, while the death toll rose by 58 to 1,758.

 A 55-year-old deputy commissioner of the city's municipal corporation diedon Tuesday, a day after testing positive for the novel coronavirus. However, according to PTI, BMC sources said the exact cause of death was not known yet, and the official was not involved in any fieldwork related to the pandemic.

Gujarat, another badly hit state, reported 470 new cases, including 331 in Ahmedabad. The state's tally has now risen to 21,044, while its death toll has mounted to 1,313. Ahmedabad alone now has 14,962 cases, while Surat has 2,207 and Vadodara 1,360.

The Himachal Pradesh Police Headquarters was sealed while Director General of Police Sanjay Kundu and about 30 other police officials home-quarantined themselves on Tuesday as a man who had met the police chief died of coronavirus, an official told PTI.

Delhi case count may reach 5.5 lakh by 31 July, says Dy CM

In Delhi, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the National Capital may see its own case count reach 5.5 lakh by 31 July at the current rate of doubling of cases of 12.6 days, from nearly 30,000 at present.

He, however, said that central government officials have maintained there was no community transmission of the novel coronavirus virus in Delhi.

Meanwhile, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said the source of infection is "not known" in nearly half of the fresh cases being reported but assured that the Kejriwal government is making all the preparations to handle the huge rush of patients estimated by June end.

A Delhi government panel has suggested using Pragati Maidan and various stadiums in the city as makeshift COVID-19 facility to deal with the surge in the number of cases, an official said.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had gone into self-quarantine on Sunday after he developed a sore throat and fever, has tested negative for COVID-19. He was tested on Tuesday morning. The fever has subsided and he is now feeling well, an official said.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia has, however, tested positive for COVID-19 and has been admitted to a private hospital in the National Capital. His mother Madhavi Raje Scindia has also tested positive.

Disinvestment secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey has also tested positive for COVID-19 and is under home quarantine, sources told PTI. He got himself tested after developing mild fever and was found to be infected by the dreaded coronavirus.

Consequently, some other officers of the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) have also gone for home quarantine, while its office has been sealed for sanitisation. This is the third case in the department.