Coronavirus in India: The country now has 9.68 lakh active cases of coronavirus. (File)
New Delhi:
India reported 83,527 new Covid cases in the past 24 hours taking its coronavirus tally past the 56-lakh mark, shows the Health Ministry’s COVID-19 data; the country reported 1,085 deaths in this period.
With 89,746 people having beaten COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the number of total recoveries remained more than the number of new infections for the fifth consecutive day, the data shows. The total coronavirus recoveries now stands at 45,87,613. The overall recovery rate in the country has crossed 81 per cent.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized the need to increase focus on “effective testing, tracing, treatment and surveillance” to bring the coronavirus outbreak in the country under control. In his virtual review meet with Chief Ministers of seven states with the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country this evening, he also spoke of the need for clear messaging to dispel rumours about testing.
“Effective messaging is also necessary because most COVID19 infections are without symptoms,” PM Modi said. “In such a situation, rumours may rise. It might raise doubts in the minds of the people that testing is bad. Some people also make mistake of underestimating the severity of infection,” he added.
Here are the live updates on Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases:
Tamil Nadu on Wednesday reported 5,325 fresh COVID-19 cases taking the tally to 5,57,999 while the death count mounted to 9,010 with 63 more fatalities.
With 5,363 patients getting discharged from various hospitals, the cumulative number of cured people breached the five lakh mark.
The state has tested (RT-PCR) 67,25,037 samples, including 84,979 on Wednesday, and Chief Minister K Palaniswami urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a virtual meet on the pandemic situation to fund at least 50 per cent of the cost of the tests, an official release said.
The positivity rate in the state has come down from a high of 10.47 per cent in July to 6.2 per cent currently, he said.
West Bengal’s COVID-19 death count surged past the 4,500-mark on Wednesday after 61 more patients died due to the virus, even as the coronavirus tally went up to 2,34,673 with 3,189 fresh cases, the health department said in a bulletin.
The state has so far reported 4,544 COVID-19 fatalities.
Twelve deaths were reported from the metropolis, while North 24 Parganas accounted for 11 fatalities, it said, adding, 49 people died due comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental.
Four private hospitals were issued notices on Wednesday for alleged non-adherence to COVID protocols after the recent deaths of 48 coronavirus patients, an official said.
“In some hospitals, cases have been detected where, prime facie, the protocols (for treating patients) were not followed. And, when they went to COVID hospital after being referred, they died,” an official of the Lucknow district administration said.
A notice has been issued to the hospitals under the Epidemic Diseases Act and they have to send details, according to the official.
“The protocol for the non-COVID hospital is that if any patient in serious condition arrives there, then he/she should be put in the holding/trial area and the treatment should begin,” an official said.
At that point of time, a COVID-19 test is done and if the result is negative, then full-fledged treatment of the patient begins. Else, the person is shifted to a COVID hospital, the official said.
Medical examination of things will also be done and case history of patients will also be looked into, the official said.
