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Coronavirus outbreak LATEST updates: The total number of new cases of coronavirus in India increased more than 20,000 on Wednesday. At least 1,486 new cases emerged in the last 24 hours, bringing the COVID-19 count in the country to 20,471, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
With 49 deaths recorded since Tuesday, the number is now 652, he said.
The nationwide COVID-19 figure rose to 652, while the number of cases rose to 20,471 on Wednesday, an increase of 49 deaths and 1,486 cases since Tuesday night, according to the Union Ministry of Health.
The number of active COVID-19 cases was 15,859, while 3,959 people were cured and released, the ministry said, adding that one patient has migrated.
Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet approved Rs 15 billion for the “Indian Health and Emergency Response Preparedness Package COVID-19” to establish dedicated treatment facilities and laboratories as part of an urgent response to contain the pandemic.
The Cabinet also passed an ordinance aimed at preventing violence against health workers after several cases of assaults on doctors were reported during the coronavirus outbreak.
Maharashtra and Gujarat report most deaths
Of the 49 deaths reported since Tuesday night, 19 were from Maharashtra, 18 from Gujarat, four from Madhya Pradesh, three from West Bengal, two from Andhra Pradesh and one from Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, the ministry said.
Representative image. AP
Of the total 652 deaths, Maharashtra tops the count with 251, followed by Gujarat at 95, Madhya Pradesh at 80, Delhi at 47, Rajasthan at 25, Andhra Pradesh at 24, according to the ministry.
The death toll reached 21 in Uttar Pradesh, 18 in Tamil Nadu, while Karantaka has reported 17 cases.
Punjab has recorded 16 deaths, while West Bengal has reported 15 deaths due to coronavirus infection so far.
The disease has claimed five lives in Jammu and Kashmir, while Kerala, Jharkhand and Haryana have reported three deaths from COVID-19 each.
Bihar has reported two deaths, while Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Assam have each reported one death, according to ministry data.
According to data from the Ministry of Health updated in the afternoon, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra with 5,221, followed by Gujarat with 2,272, Delhi with 2,156, Rajasthan with 1,801, Tamil Nadu with 1,596 and Madhya Pradesh at 1,592 .
The number of COVID-19 cases has increased to 1,412 in Uttar Pradesh, 945 in Telangana, and 813 in Andhra Pradesh.
The number of cases increased to 427 in Kerala, 425 in Karnataka, 423 in West Bengal, 380 in Jammu and Kashmir, 254 in Haryana and 251 in Punjab.
Bihar has reported 126 cases of coronavirus, while Odisha has 82.
Forty-six people have been infected with the virus in Uttarakhand, while Jharkhand has 45 cases.
Himachal Pradesh has 39 cases, Chhattisgarh has 36, while Assam has registered 35 infections so far.
Chandigarh has 27 COVID-19 cases, Ladakh 18, while 17 cases have been reported from the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
Meghalaya has reported 12 cases, while Goa and Puducherry have seven patients with COVID-19 each. Manipur and Tripura each have two cases, while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have each reported one case.
“Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR,” the ministry said on its website.
Furthermore, he said that a case from Jharkhand has been reassigned to Bihar after reconciliation.
The cabinet approves the ordinance that attacks doctors as a crime without bail
The Union government proposed that the attacks on health workers not be rescued with a maximum punishment of seven years in prison and a fine of Rs 5 lakh.
Javadekar said a person can be sentenced to between three months and five years in prison, in addition to a fine of between Rs 50,000 and Rs 2 lakh, for crimes against health workers under the new provision. In cases where the injuries are severe, the punishment will range from six months to seven years, and will be fined between Rs 1-5 lakhs, the minister told reporters.
“Our government has zero tolerance for violence and harassment against ASHA doctors, nurses, paramedics and workers when they are doing everything possible to combat the pandemic,” said Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar after a meeting of the Union Cabinet.
It was not clear if these provisions would continue even after the COVID-19 crisis.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) suspended the proposed “white alert” and “black day” protests scheduled for April 22 and 23 after a meeting with Interior Minister Amit Shah via video conference on Wednesday . The corps of doctors has been demanding that the Center enact a law to protect healthcare workers from mounting attacks as they fight COVID-19.
The Union Ministry of Health also advised the chief secretaries of all Union states and territories to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of health workers involved in COVID-19 services.
In a letter, the Union’s health secretary, Preeti Sudan, said that among all professionals, the skills and services of these health workers place them in a unique position to save lives.
Meanwhile, official sources said PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with senior ministers via video conference on the morning of April 27 on the road ahead in the fight against the coronavirus. This will be the third videoconference of this type.
In the last interaction on April 11, several chief ministers recommended the extension of the 21-day blockade for two weeks, which was due to end on April 14 earlier. Modi then extended it to May 3.
Center, West Bengal government still disagrees
A political clash continued between the BJP-led Central Government and the Trinamool-led government in West Bengal, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the Center had sent defective test kits to her state.
“Every day canards are released that only a few are tested at COBID-19 in Bengal. This is absolutely untrue. Defective kits were shipped to Bengal and have now been recalled. We did not even get the proper test kits.” he said at a press conference.
However, the state government assured that it will comply with all central government orders regarding the national closure and said “it is not a fact” that it was not cooperating with the designated central team to assess the situation of COVID-19 in West Bengal.
The guarantee followed the Center’s assertion that the West Bengal government was obstructing the work of the core team.
West Bengal has so far reported 15 deaths and 385 confirmed cases, although at least 79 people have been cured of COVID-19 in the state.
Rahul Gandhi seeks suggestions for MSME stimulus package
On Wednesday, the Congress party sought suggestions from the public on what an economic stimulus package for MSMEs should cover. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “COVID-19 has devastated our micro, small, and medium-sized businesses.”
# COVID-19 it has devastated our micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The Congress party needs your help. Send us suggestions and ideas on what an MSME economic stimulus package should cover at: https://t.co/kP2NZ6TNUK
or our social media platforms. #HelpSaveSmallBusinesses pic.twitter.com/UwLEPrnWdB
– Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 22, 2020
With contributions from agencies
Update date: April 23, 2020 08:23:00 IST
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