Coronavirus update: India records 31,787 Covid-19 cases, death toll rises to 1,008. State-wise tally
Currently, there are 22,982 active Covid-19 patients in the country, while 7,796 people have been discharged or curedMaharashtra continued to be the most affected state with a total number of positive coronavirus cases at 9,318 while the death stands at 400
PremiumWith 1,813 fresh novel coronavirus cases reported in the last 24 hours in the country, India's Covid-19 count increased to 31,787, according to the latest Ministry of Health and Welfare data. The death toll in the country also rose to 1,008 after 71 more patients died due to the highly contagious disease since yesterday.
Currently, there are 22,982 active Covid-19 patients in the country, while 7,796 people have been discharged or cured. One patient has migrated from the country. Apart from that, the total number of confirmed cases also include 111 foreign nationals.
On Tuesday, the health ministry warned against the use of plasma therapy for treatment of coronavirus. The ministry went on to say that the therapy is still in the experimental stage and not yet approved.
“Plasma therapy is an experimental therapy that can be used for research and trial only. Studies are on to gain a better understanding and until it is approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), no one should use it for treatment. It would be illegal and could even risk the patient’s life," said Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the health ministry.
Moreover, the Indian Coucil of Medical Research (ICMR) has also started a nationwide study on the efficacy of plasma therapy for Covid-19 patients. Many scientific and medical institutions have been allowed to have clinical trials where all such trials need to adhere to guidelines and protocols laid down by ICMR and approved by Institutional Ethics Committee, with the subsequent approval of the Drug Controller General of India.
Meanwhile, according to evening data released by the health ministry, Maharashtra continued to be the most affected state in the country with a total number of positive coronavirus cases at 9,318 while the death toll stood at 400. Mumbai alone recorded more than 5,900 cases yesterday. The death toll in the city rose to 244.
In terms of the cases reported, Maharashtra was followed by Gujarat at 3,774 cases, Delhi at 3,314 cases and Madhya Pradesh at 2,561 cases. Telangana was the latest state to cross more than 1,000 confirmed coronavirus cases.
The most-affected states according to the deaths recorded are Maharashtra (400), Delhi (54), Gujarat (181), Madhya Pradesh (119), Telangana (26), Andhra Pradesh (31), Uttar Pradesh (36), Punjab (19), Karnataka (20), Tamil Nadu (25), Rajasthan (51), West Bengal (22), Jammu and Kashmir (8), Kerala (4), Jharkhand (3), Haryana (3) and Bihar (2). Meghalaya, Odisha, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and have reported one death each.
India is currently in the last week of the 40-day nationwide locdown, which is scheduled to end on 3 May. However, most of the states are proposing to extend the lockdown. Punjab government today announced extension of lockdwon in the state by two weeks after May 3, while unveiling steps for limited lifting of the lockdown restrictions from Thursday in the non-containment and non-red zones with strict adherence to Covid-19 safety protocols. Earlier, Telangana had announced that it was extending the lockdown in the state till 7 May.
Here is the total number of coronavirus cases in India, state-wise:
Andaman and Nicobar Islands - 33
Andhra Pradesh - 1,332
Arunachal Pradesh - 1
Assam - 38
Bihar - 383
Chandigarh - 56
Chhattisgarh - 38
Delhi - 3,314
Goa - 7
Gujarat - 3,744
Haryana - 310
Himachal Pradesh - 40
Jammu and Kashmir - 565
Jharkhand -105
Karnataka - 532
Kerala - 486
Ladakh - 22
Madhya Pradesh - 2,561
Maharashtra - 9,318
Manipur - 2
Meghalaya - 12
Mizoram - 1
Odisha - 119
Puducherry - 8
Punjab - 322
Rajasthan - 2,364
Tamil Nadu - 2,058
Telangana - 1,012
Tripura - 2
Uttarakhand - 54
Uttar Pradesh - 2,115
West Bengal - 725
Moreover, several experts say that after lockdown, steps have to be taken to curb air pollution, which also include dust, as high pollution levels would make people vulnerable to coronavirus infection, which manifests itself in the respiratory tract.
Globally, the number of novel coronavirus cases have surpassed 3.1 million along with reporting more than 200,000 deaths across the world. The number of infected people due to Covid-19 in the United States crossed one million and the fatalities jumped to nearly 59,000, but several states initiated the process to reopen their economies amidst signs of decline in both new cases and deaths.
"Exciting news! Mint is now on WhatsApp Channels 🚀 Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest financial insights!" Click here!
