Coronavirus roundup: Developments in India and rest of world

NEW DELHI: Humanity will surely overcome the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday as he hailed the efforts put in by various ministries to help people during the lockdown, and in the fight against COVID-19. Meanwhile, the death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 88 and the number of cases climbed to 14,792 in the country, registering an increase of 36 deaths and 957 cases since Friday evening, according to the Union health ministry.

Here are the top developments:

Of the 14,378 coronavirus infections reported in the country so far, 4,291 cases in 23 states and Union territories are linked to the Markaz event held in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area in March, the Union health ministry said.

All states and Union territories have activated ’emergency operation centres’ across districts to address issues faced by people due to the ongoing lockdown, the MHA said. Single emergency response number 112 is operational in all states and UTs.

The government made its prior approval mandatory for foreign investments from countries that share land border with India to curb “opportunistic takeovers” of domestic firms following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting of a Gorup of Ministers with a focus on finding ways to mitigate the hardships being faced by people across the country.

Air India on Saturday announced it has opened bookings on select domestic and international routes from May 4 and June 1, respectively.

At least 26 Indian Navy personnel have tested positive for coronavirus at the Western Naval Command in Mumbai, in first case of a major outbreak of the deadly disease in the Indian armed forces.

Uttar Pradesh: Uttar Pradesh reported 20 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 869.

Gujarat: The total number of coronavirus positive cases in Gujarat rose to 1,272 after 176 more people were found to be infected.

Delhi: A many as 1,767 coronavirus cases have been reported in Delhi so far, out of which 67 were reported yesterday. There have been 42 deaths in the national capital so far.

Maharashtra: 328 persons have tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra, taking the total in the state to 3,648.

Karnataka: Twelve more coronavirus positive cases, including a teenage boy, were confirmed in Karnataka, taking the count to 371.

Haryana: With four new cases of COVID-19, the total number of cases in Haryana mounted to 227, including 14 Italian nationals.

Uttarakhand: Two more people including a woman have tested positive for coronavirus in Haridwar, taking the total number of cases in the state to 42.

Meghalaya: Meghalaya reported two more positive COVID-19 cases, taking the state count to 10.

Madhya Pradesh: A total of 1,355 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh so far, inlcuding 69 deaths.

Rajasthan: A total of 41 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Rajasthan in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the state to 1,270.

Himachal Pradesh: One more person tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in Himachal Pradesh to 40.

West Bengal: Two more persons died of coronavirus in West Bengal in the last 24 hours, taking the toll in the state to 12. The total number of coronavirus cases stands at 233.

Andhra Pradesh: Coronavirus cases surged past the 600 mark in Andhra Pradesh, touching 603 as 31 more tested positive to the infection in the last 24. hours.

Odisha: One more COVID-19 case has been reported in Bhubaneswar, taking the total number of cases to 61 in Odisha.

Tamil Nadu: Forty-nine positive cases were reported in the state, taking the total number of positive cases to 1372.

Jharkhand: A 35-year-old man in Jharkhand tested positive for the novel coronavirus, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 33.

Assam: Two more COVID-19 patients were discharged from a hospital, taking the total number of persons cured of the disease to 11 in Assam, out of 34 people who have tested positive for novel coronavirus in the state.

Punjab: The total number of coronavirus positive cases in Punjab stands at 219, including 31 people who have been cured. A total of 16 deaths have been reported in the state, so far.