Coronavirus: India has been reporting the biggest number of COVID-19 cases globally for the last 15 days
New Delhi, August 19:
India reported over 64,500 coronavirus cases and 1,092 deaths in the last 24 hours, government data shows this morning. The country has been reporting biggest number of cases globally for the last 15 days. With the latest figures, the total cases in India have risen to 27,67,273 and fatalities are 52,889. Government data shows 20,37,870 have recovered, showing a recovery rate of 73.64 per cent, while the positivity rate is 8.05 per cent. The death rate is 1.91 per cent. India reported the biggest one-day spike in fatalities on Tuesday with 876 deaths, followed by the US (654) and Brazil (620).
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Coronavirus cases in Mumbai’s Dharavi – Asia’s biggest slum – rose to 2,676 on Tuesday with four new cases. On August 3, Dharavi reported 12 COVID-19 cases, but thereafter the daily rise has been in single digit.
Among leaders who have just tested positive is Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Minister Mohan Yadav. “My corona test comes out to be positive so I have admitted to Aurobindo Hospital. By the grace of Baba Mahakal I am healthy,” Mr Yadav tweeted.
In an encouraging milestone for Delhi, the number of recoveries in the national capital was more than double the fresh cases of COVID-19 on August 16. The recovery rate in Delhi improved to more than 90 per cent.
It took about 200 days for India to cross 26 lakh cases; the first patient was reported by Kerala on January 30. One lakh patients were recorded by May 19. In July, the tally rose from six lakh cases at the beginning of the month to roughly 16 lakh cases by July 31.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, during his address to the nation on 74th Independence Day, said that three coronavirus vaccines are at different stages of testing in India and the government has a plan to ensure that a vaccine, when approved, reaches every Indian.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Uttar Pradesh government has once again deferred the date for signing a key pact for the ₹ 29,650-crore Jewar airport project with its developer.
Russia said last week that it has developed the first Covid vaccine – Sputnik 5. Critics, however, claimed, the vaccine was cleared before the result of third phase of trial were out.
Testing for COVID-19 and tracing the prior contacts of those found to be infected are crucial measures for slowing the disease’s spread, but inadequate unless combined with other measures, researchers said on Wednesday, news agency AFP reported
By itself, the test-and-trace approach can reduce the virus’ reproduction rate, or R number, by 26 per cent, they reported in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, using mathematical models to examine data from previously published studies.
World Health Organisation emergencies director Michael Ryan said on Tuesday that the planet was “nowhere close to the levels of immunity required to stop this disease”. People should “not live in hope of herd immunity being our salvation. Right now, that is not a solution,” he added.
