NEW DELHI, Apr 10: The nationwide tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases crossed 7,500 today with more than 250 deaths as several places including Delhi and Mumbai reported further spread of the deadly virus.
The Health Ministry in the meantime maintained that no community transmission is taking place as yet in India, while the World Health Organisation also put the country in a category named ‘cluster of cases’ — a notch below the community transmission stage and a classification used by the global body for cases “clustered in time, geographic location and/or by common exposures”.
Later in the evening, WHO said that a hasty lifting of restrictions imposed to control the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a fatal resurgence of the deadly virus, which has infected over 16 lakh people globally since its emergence in China last December while the worldwide death toll is fast approaching 1,00,000.
While several states including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh reported rising number of cases, the Union Health Ministry said the rate of people testing positive was only 0.2 per cent on Thursday when more than 16,000 samples were tested. Cumulatively close to 1.5 lakh samples have been tested so far across India.
A PTI tally of numbers reported by various states as on 9.30 pm showed a total of 7,510 having been affected by the virus nationwide so far with at least 251 deaths. More than 700 have been cured and discharged.
However, the evening update from the Union Health Ministry put the number of confirmed infections at 6,761 and the death toll at 206.
Maharashtra has reported the maximum 1,574 cases, including close to 1,000 in Mumbai itself, while over 100 have died in the state. Tamil Nadu and Delhi have crossed the 900-mark in terms of positive cases, Rajasthan has over 500 now, while Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have reported more than 400 positive cases each. Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat are also fast approaching the 400-mark, while Kerala has also reported over 300 cases already.
More than 200 cases have been reported by Karnataka, while the 100-mark has been breached already by West Bengal, Haryana and Punjab.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said most of the 27 positive cases reported in his state on Thursday — the maximum daily increase for the state — were those of secondary transmission and expressed apprehension that the State may be entering the community transmission stage of the outbreak. (PTI)
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