Coronavirus LIVE: Death toll due to COVID-19 rises to 686 in India, cases climb to 21,700

Death toll due to COVID-19 rises to 686 in India, cases climb to 21,700, says Health Ministry

Complete shutdown, akin to curfew, in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur districts from 10 pm Thursday for COVID-19 surveillance: Odisha chief secy

Till date, 37 real-time PCR kits have been validated by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) validation centres which includes the PCR kits of these 17 companies that have been mentioned in the list.

West Bengal Govt directs the private hospitals, which have been requisitioned by the govt for treatment, to provide free treatment to COVID-19 patients. "Govt has decided to reimburse charges to the hospitals for treatment of patients," the notification reads.

46 COVID-19 positive cases reported from 3 lanes of H Block, Jahangirpuri, Delhi, says District Magistrate (North).

Number of COVID-19 patients in Mumbai's Dharavi rises to 214 with 25 new cases; death toll now 13: BMC official

26 persons have been tested positive for COVID-19 in Punjab today. Total positive cases in the state stand at 283: Health Department, Punjab.

10 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Kerala. Total positive cases in the state stand at 447 of which 129 are active cases: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

54 more COVID-19 cases reported in Tamil Nadu today. Total number of cases in the state is at 1683, including 908 active cases & 20 deaths: State Health Department.

n India, close to 70% cases are asymptomatic and doctors are also worried as to how to identify them. If lockdown opens on May 4th then this will be a big challenge: West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha

The crime branch of Thane police on Thursday arrested 25 persons including 21 foreign nationals who had allegedly attended a gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi in March.

They were arrested after their quarantine period was over. A court later granted them bail, an official said.

The congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area turned out be a major coronavirus hotspot, following which police in every state began to track down those who had attended it.

Senior inspector Nitin Thakre said those arrested included 13 Bangladeshis and eight Malaysian nationals while four persons are local residents.

The foreign nationals violated the rules under their tourist visas and attended the Tablighi meet and later returned here, he said.

20 new cases reported today, 1 from Jammu Division and 19 from Kashmir. Total cases now at 427, including 57 in Jammu and 370 in Kashmir: Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary (Planning), J&K Government

92-year-old woman recovers from coronavirus infection despite having suffered stroke seven months ago which left one side of her body paralysed and even affected her ability to recognise faces: Doctors at Pune hospital

4 more persons tested positive in Ranchi. Total positive cases in the state rises to 53: Nitin Madan Kulkarni, Health Secretary,

18 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Karnataka in last 24 hours. Total positive cases in the state stand at 445 which includes 17 deaths and 145 discharges: Health Department, Karnataka Govt

58 new positive cases have been reported in last 24 hours. There are 334 active cases in the state now: West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha

It is very difficult to tell that peak will arrive by 3rd May or when it will come. But it is very stable. Positivity rate has been 4.5% throughout, one can say we have been able to flatten the curve. However, difficult to predict it(peak): Dr Balram Bhargava, DG, ICMR

At various centres, we've started using convalescent plasma that is the blood of COVID-19 patients who have recovered. A large number of patients who have become alright have come forward & volunteered to donate their blood: Delhi AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria

On March 23 we've done 14,915 tests across the country&on April 22 we have done more than 5 lakh tests. If a rough calculation is done it is about 33 times in 30 days.This is not enough&we need to ramp testing in this country:CK Mishra,Environment Secy&Chairman,Empowered Group-2

In last 30 days of lockdown, we have been able to cut transmission, minimise spread, consistently ramp up our testing & utilize this time to prepare ourselves for future: CK Mishra,Environment Secretary&Chairman,Empowered Group-2

We have been able to cut transmission, minimise spread and increase doubling rate. We have utilized this time to prepare ourselves for future. Growth has been more or less linear, not exponential: CK Mishra, Environment Secy&Chairman,Empowered Group-2

As on today, we have 12 districts that did not have a fresh case in the last 28 days or more. There are now 78 districts (23 States/UT) that has not reported any fresh cases during the last 14 Days: Health Ministry

In last 24 hours 1409 positive cases have been reported, which takes our total confirmed cases to 21,393: Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry

Home Ministry has clarified to states that in-house care-givers of senior citizens, prepaid mobile recharge utilities and food processing units in urban areas are exempted from lockdown restrictions: Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs

We are felicitating doctors, nurses, sanitation workers, police, bank and govt employees for their hard work duringCOVID-19. Attack on them will not be tolerated and that is why we have brought an ordinance against such acts: Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar

Kanpur district reported 12 more coronavirus cases on Thursday, taking the district's tally to 91, a senior official said.

"The new cases are from Colonelganj, Coolie Bazar Kidwai Nagar, all hotspot zones," Chief Medical Officer (Kanpur), Dr Ashok Shukla.

Meanwhile, samples taken from a 72-year-old man, who died on Tuesday at his house in Coolie Bazar, have come out positive for coronavirus, the CMO said.

The virus has so far claimed three lives in the city while seven people have recovered.

The district has now 81 active cases, the CMO added.

SpiceJet’s air ambulance will fly Asian Games Boxing Gold Medallist Dingko Singh from Imphal to Delhi to help him resume his treatment for liver cancer. The air ambulance service will be provided free of charge to the Padma awardee: SpiceJet

49 new cases found in Rajasthan today, taking total number of cases to 1937. Out of the total cases, 27 patients have died, 407 recovered & 134 patients have been discharged from hospitals: Rajasthan Health Department

Operate special trains from Mumbai, Pune to ferry migrant workers after lockdown ends: Ajit Pawar to Piyush Goyal

LG Anil Baijal directs authorities to create a dedicated COVID-19 health facility for Delhi Police personnel: Officials

A total of 5,00,542 samples have been tested by 9 a.m. on Thursday, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India's leading medical research lab.

The tests have been done from 4,85,172 individuals. Meanwhile, out of them, just 21,797 samples have been confirmed positive as Thursday morning, said the ICMR.

Meanwhile, rapid testing was paused after the ICMR asked states to do so following concerns that the Chinese kits may be faulty.

India has witnessed 681 COVID deaths so far, according to the health ministry. There have been 1,400 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours.

80 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Andhra Pradesh, taking the total number of cases to 893. Out of the total cases, 141 patients have recovered & 27 others succumbed to the infection: Andhra Pradesh Health Department

Eleven members of a family have tested positive for coronavirus in the densely populated Chudiwalan area of Jama Masjid, health officials said on Thursday.

Soon after the confirmation, the entire area including all nearby lanes have been sealed by the authorities.

Among the infected are a two-month-old child and a six-year-old boy. Delhi's health minister Satyendar Jain confirmed this to IANS. "We have completely sealed the area," he said.

All the family members had got tested at a private clinic.

Doctors and staff of LNJP hospital allege that a group of COVID-19 patients who were brought to the hospital through CATS ambulance today, threatened and manhandled them when the staff asked them to wait for a while.

The number of COVID-19 infected patients continues to rise in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district. Samples of 30 patients were reported positive on Thursday taking the tally to 945.

Indore Chief Medical and Health Officer Praveen Jadia said on Thursday that the report of samples from 30 patients had come positive raising the total number of patients to 945 in the district. At the same time, the death toll of a patient has increased the toll to 53.

Delhi govt orders for strict compliance of its earlier order for landlords to not demand rent from labourers & students for one month. "District Magistrates shall undertake awareness campaign on the issues in areas having high density of labourers/students," the order reads.

Compassion key to fight COVID-19, not hostility towards victims of coronavirus: Priyanka Gandhi at CWC meet

Ministry of Civil Aviation has designated Delhi International Airport as major hub for import and distribution of COVID-19 related medical essentials. A 3800 sq mt dedicated distribution facility has been made operational at the airport: GMR

More than 33 crore poor people received financial assistance of Rs 31,235 crore under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package. Rs 10,025 crore disbursed to 20.05 crore to Women Jan Dhan account holders: Ministry of Finance

4 new COVID19 positive cases reported in Munger in the State; their contact tracing is being done. The total number of positive cases in the State is now 147: Bihar Principal Health Secretary Sanjay Kumar

16 new positive cases (including 9 from Bengaluru Urban) reported from 22th April, 5:00 PM to 23th April, 12:00 noon. Till now, there are 443 COVID-19 positive cases in the State including 17 deaths & 141 discharges: Government of Karnataka

The total cases of COVID-19 in the country, including 77 foreign nationals mounted to 21393, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.

Of the total cases at least 16,454 are active,, while 257 people have recovered and 681 people have lost their lives.

Maharashtra reported 5,652 cases and 269 fatalities so far, followed by Gujarat with 2,407 cases and 103 deaths and Delhi with 2,248 cases and 48 deaths.

Number of people who recovered in Maharashtra stands at 789. In the national capital, it is 724 and in Gujarat 179 people have recovered so far.

In Andman Nicobar Islands, the number of reported cases is 18 while 11 have been discharged upon recovery. There has been no death in the archipelago.

Thermal screening being conducted at the Delhi-Noida expressway , reported News18

Railways is working 24x7 to maintain a seamless supply chain to transport essential goods during COVID-19 lockdown. 42 wagons of paddy are being transported to Korukkupet from Nidamangalam in Tamil Nadu: Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal

It is our responsibility to act as watchdogs and ensure course correction. Large number of NRIs abroad must be permitted to return home after due testing & in consultation with State Govts by arranging special aircrafts. Why isn’t India doing so?: AK Antony at CWC meet, reported News18

Success of lockdown is to be judged finally on our ability to tackle COVID-19. Cooperation between the Centre & states is key to the success of our fight against COVID: Former PM Dr Manmohan Singh at CWC meeting

Four tigers and three lions have tested COVID-19 positive at the Bronx Zoo in New York, authorities announced, weeks after a Malayan tiger at the facility was confirmed positive and six other big cats were said to be exhibiting similar symptoms.

On April 5, the Wildlife Conservation Society that runs the New York zoo, reported that one tiger had tested positive for the new coronavirus, the first known COVID-19 infection found in a big cat, reports Efe news.

The UK is "at the peak" of its coronavirus pandemic, Health Minister Matt Hancock said, but warned that it was too early to lift social distancing measures.

On Wednesday, Hancock addressed the House of Commons in its first-ever virtual session after Parliament was suspended on March 25 due to the pandemic, reports Efe news.

The session was also attended in person by several ministers, including Keir Starmer who made his first appearance as leader of the opposition Labour party.

There have been fluctuations in the number of COVID-19 deaths in the country, with the rate rising on Tuesday after a previous drop.

The UK currently has 134,638 coronavirus cases, with 18,100 deaths.

When we should be tackling coronavirus unitedly, BJP continues to spread virus of communal prejudice and hatred: Sonia Gandhi at CWC meet

We have repeatedly urged PM there is no alternative to testing, tracing and quarantine; unfortunately, testing still is low: Sonia Gandhi

MSMEs employ close to 11 cr people and account for one-third of GDP; special package be announced for their survival: Sonia at CWC meet

Two pet cats in New York have been infected with the novel coronavirus, becoming the first pets in the United States to test positive for the virus, federal agencies said.

The two cats, which live in separate areas of New York state, have shown mild symptoms and are expected to make a full recovery, according to a statement released by the US Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratories and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday, reported Xinhua news agency.

In the household of the first cat, no individual has tested positive for COVID-19, and experts believe the cat may have contracted the virus from an infected person outside its home, or from mildly ill or asymptomatic household members.

Coronavirus has increased disturbingly both in spread and speed since past three weeks: Sonia Gandhi at CWC meet

Sections of our society, especially farmers, labourers, migrant workers, face acute hardship due to lockdown: Sonia Gandhi at CWC

The National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) in Lucknow has developed an alcohol-based herbal sanitizer.

The product has been developed under Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR - Aroma Mission as per the World Health Organization's guidelines.

The herbal sanitizer contains Tulsi essential oil as herbal constituent which is strong and natural anti-microbial agent and 60 per cent of isopropyl alcohol for killing germs.

Director of NBRI, Dr S.K. Barik said, the herbal hand sanitizer has been clinically tested and found to be highly-effective against surface microbes.

4 more patients in the state recovered from COVID-19. Total number of cured patients here jumps to 8: Health department, Jharkhand

The US has airlifted 4,000 Americans from India, while 6,000 were waiting, according to the State Department's top consular official.

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Ian Brownlee said on Wednesday that India was "more challenging at the moment" in the repatriation efforts because of the lockdown.

Of the about 17,000 Americans waiting to return to the US, 6,000 are in India, he said.

"We've already coordinated the repatriation of more than 4,000 US citizens. We have four more flights scheduled in the coming days."

It "is no small feat in the midst of a nationwide lockdown" to get people to New Delhi and Mumbai from where the flights to the US leave, he said.

The Bangladesh government has decided to further extend the ongoing shutdown as the COVID-19 situation has worsened in the country.

"We've decided to extend the nationwide shutdown of offices and workplaces to May 5," State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain said on Wednesday.

He said his Ministry will soon issue a circular in this regard, report bdnews24.

Bangladesh on April 10 extended the lockdown to April 25.

To combat the spread of the COVID-19, Bangladesh had earlier declared a 10-day lockdown effective from March 26 to April 4.

Later, the government extended it to April 14

A total of 500542 samples from 485172 individuals have been tested as on 23 April 2020, 9am. 21797 samples have been confirmed positive: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

Even though Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh has been declared Corona-free, the district administration is taking no chances regarding the deadly virus.

The Bareilly health department has deployed a mobile medical unit in crowded localities of the city to collect "pool" samples for random Covid-19 testing of vegetable and fruit vendors, hawkers, chemists, etc.

In Bareilly, six members of a family had tested positive for Corona but they have recovered after treatment and have been discharged from hospital, leaving the district with no active Corona case as of now.

However, the neighbouring Badayun district still has 13 Corona positive cases who are presently in hospital.

A six-month girl with congestive heart failure was diagnosed with coronavirus in the PGI Hospital here, doctors said on Thursday.

47 COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Rajasthan today so far - 20 in Jodhpur, 12 in Jaipur, 10 in Nagaur, 2 each in Hanumangarh & Kota, 1 in Ajmer. Total number of positive cases in the state rises to 1935, including 27 deaths and 344 recovered: Rajasthan Health dept

India's total number of Coronavirus positive cases rise to 21393 (including 16454 active cases, 4257 cured/discharged/migrated and 681 deaths): Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Campa Cola street and F-313 & F-274 Lado Sarai under South district have been added to the list of COVID19 containment zones; the total number of containment zones in the city is 89

President Ram Nath Kovind has approved to promulgate The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 which provides stricter punishments for attacks against health workers.

The confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Turkey climbed to 98,674 on Wednesday and the death toll reached 2,376. Meanwhile, Iran confirmed 1,194 new cases, bringing the total number to 85,996.

China has reported 27 new asymptomatic coronavirus cases, taking their total to 984, while a high-level committee headed by Premier Li Keqiang asked health officials to remain focussed on the targeted containment of the deadly virus.

The United States on Wednesday recorded 1,738 deaths from coronavirus in the last 24 hours, a lower toll than the day before, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The new deaths bring the total number of COVID-19 fatalities in the US to 46,583 since the outbreak began there, by far the highest figures recorded by any country caught in the global pandemic