New Delhi, Apr 9:
From making masks mandatory to restricting movement of people in areas identified as COVID-19 hotspots, authorities across several States today beefed up surveillance and enforcement measures to contain the deadly virus outbreak as the nationwide tally of confirmed cases crossed 6,600 with at least 227 dead.
The Centre also announced a Rs 15,000 crore “India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package”.
Fresh cases were reported from Gujarat, Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and West Bengal, among other places, while Maharashtra saw its tally of confirmed infections crossing 1,300 with at least 97 deaths.
A PTI tally of numbers reported by various States and Union Territories at 10 PM showed as many as 6,640 people having contracted the virus and at least 227 losing their lives so far. Nearly 600 have so far been cured and discharged.
However, the Union Home Ministry’s evening update said 169 people have died across the country with 5,865 total cases so far. The Ministry said 591 new cases and 20 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours.
According to ICMR, nearly 1.3 lakh samples have been tested for Coronavirus so far in the country and the rate of those confirming positive has ranged between 3-5 per cent in the last one and half months without showing any substantial increase.
Of the 20 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, in the Health Ministry tally, eight were from Maharashtra, three each from Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, and one each from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, as per the Ministry.
Maharashtra has reported the highest number of COVID-19 deaths at 97, followed by 30 in Madhya Pradesh. Gujarat, Delhi and Telangana have so far reported their death tolls in low double digits, while Jharkhand reported its first COVID-19 death today.
The Union Health Ministry also stressed on the rational use of personal protective equipments (PPEs) by healthcare workers treating coronavirus patients amid concerns over their dwindling numbers in the country.
Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said there is no need to panic as India has sufficient stocks of PPEs and the Government is making all efforts to augment their supply further.
At his daily briefing on the COVID-19 situation, he said orders for 1.7 crore PPEs have already been placed with domestic manufacturers and supply has already begun. He also said PPEs should be used rationally on the basis of risk profile. Orders for 49,000 ventilators have been placed too, Agarwal said.
Speaking about various initiatives taken by the government, Agarwal said the Health Ministry has formed 10 high-level multi-disciplinary central teams and they have been sent to nine states to support them with the containment plans, hospital management and ventilator management. These are Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telengana and Uttar Pradesh.
According to ICMR, India is also in the final stages of finalising protocol for conducting clinical trial on convalescent plasma therapy — a process in which blood plasma from a patient who has recovered from COVID-19 is infused into a critically ill patient so that the specific antibodies present in the blood of the recovered person can help fight the infection.
Amid rising numbers across states, authorities announced strict measures to enforce the lockdown and further restrictions including complete sealing of areas identified as hotspots of the virus spread. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
