COVID-19: Cases in India mount to 29,974, no fresh case in 17 districts in 28 days

20:44 April 28

Updates of the day

The number of coronavirus cases in India surged to 29,974 on Tuesday evening after 1594 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.

Addressing a press conference here, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary MoHFW, said that no new COVID-19 cases have been reported from 17 districts of the country in the last 28 days but added that we still need to maintain a constant vigil.

According to officials, there are 22,010 active COVID-19 cases in the country, while 7,026 people have been cured or discharged, one person has migrated and 937 people have lost their lives due to the infection.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan held a video-conference with directors of the Department of Biotechnology, its 18 autonomous bodies, and PSUs and asked them to fast-track the activities pertaining to the development of a vaccine for COVID-19, Agarwal said.

Maharashtra still remains the worst-affected state in the country with over 8,500 cases, followed by Gujarat and Delhi.

The Ministry of Health and Family Affairs said that a total of 6,869 people have been cured of coronavirus in India so far, taking the recovery rate to 23.3 per cent.

The ministry also said that it has issued guidelines for home isolation of very mild/pre-symptomatic COVID-19 cases.

Let's take a quick look at the important developments related to COVID-19 across the country:

1. Indian Council of Medical Research has said that currently there is no approved therapy for COVID-19 but added that Plasma therapy is one of the therapies which is being experimented with. However, it said that there is no evidence to support that it can be used in treatment.

2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today had a telephonic conversation with Indonesian President Joko Widodo regarding coronavirus pandemic during which the latter appreciated the Indian government for facilitating supplies of pharmaceutical products to Indonesia.

3. More than seventy-five buses ferrying students stranded in Rajasthan's Kota reached Raipur in Chhattisgarh today amid the nationwide lockdown.

4. India has sent a consignment of medical supplies, including Hydroxychloroquine, under the Coronavirus Emergency Fund to Bhutan to assist the country in its fight against coronavirus.

5. Fitch Ratings has again revised down its economic growth forecast for India to 0.8 per cent in the fiscal year ending March 2021, reflecting the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and official efforts to contain it.

6. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday said that the country will be able to produce indigenous coronavirus-testing kits by May.

7. Yoshiro Mori, President Olympics Organising Committee, has said that the postponed 2020 Tokyo Games will be cancelled if the coronavirus is not brought under control by next year.

8. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday said that around 200 healthcare personnel have been infected with COVID-19 in the national capital.

9. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath chaired a meeting with 'COVID-19 management Team-11' regarding the prevailing coronavirus situation in the state.

10. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will join his counterparts from Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa on Tuesday, as the foreign ministers of BRICS member countries will hold an extraordinary video conference to discuss ways to jointly combat the coronavirus pandemic. 

20:42 April 28

After four of his staff members tested positive for COVID-19 two days ago, Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan on Tuesday tested negative for the virus, Special Chief Secretary (Health) K S Jawahar Reddy said.

19:53 April 28

West Bengal on Tuesday reported 28 COVID-19 cases, pushing the total to 663, while the number of fatalities rose to 22 in the state with two new deaths, an official said.

19:53 April 28

1 person tested positive for COVID-19 in Dehradun today; the total number of positive cases in the state is now 52 including 18 active cases and 34 recovered: Uttarakhand Health Department

19:52 April 28

Till now, there are a total of 56 COVID-19 positive cases in Chandigarh: Health Department, UT-Chandigarh

19:52 April 28

4 deaths and 42 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Dharavi area today.

Total positive cases in the area stand at 330 & death toll rises to 18: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)

19:52 April 28

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh today announced compulsory 21-day state quarantine for all those returning to the state from other places to check further spread of COVID-19: Punjab Chief Minister's Office

19:51 April 28

No new COVID-19 cases reported in 32 districts of the state today. The 121 new COVID-19 positive cases reported today are from Chengalpattu (12), Chennai(103), Kallakurichi(3), Kancheepuram(1), Namakkal (2) districts: Tamil Nadu Health Department 

19:51 April 28

The death toll due to COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir has risen to eight after an 80-year-old woman died of the disease at a hospital here on Tuesday, even as the union territory reported 19 fresh coronavirus cases in a day, taking its tally to 565, officials said.

19:46 April 28

A 68-year-old man died here of COVID-19 and 121 people tested positive for the contagion on Tuesday, taking the aggregate number of those infected in Tamil Nadu so far to 2,058, authorities said.

19:45 April 28

Currently, there are no approved, definitive therapies for COVID-19. Convalescent plasma is one of the several emerging therapies. However, there's no robust evidence to support it for routine therapy. US Food and Drug Admn has also viewed it as an experimental therapy: ICMR

19:45 April 28

Five more people, including two teenagers, tested positive for coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar on Tuesday, taking the district's tally to 134, officials said.

On the brighter side, eight patients were discharged from hospitals following their treatment for COVID-19, leaving 55 active cases, the officials said.

19:45 April 28

A person from Goalpara district, secondary contact of a Markaz attendee, has tested #COVID positive. The number of COVID-19 patients in Assam now stands at 37. Active hospital cases 9: Assam Minister Himanata Biswa Sarma

19:45 April 28

In Ahmedabad, 33 more SRP jawans tested corona positive total number of corona positive SRP jawan is now 50

19:44 April 28

28 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in last 24 hours; total active cases in the state stand at 522: Rajiva Sinha, Chief Secretary, West Bengal

19:44 April 28

Banks of GB Nagar doing door step delivery of cash in hotspots through 232 'Bank Mitras'. India post, through Aadhaar enabled payment services, is serving in 19 locations: District Magistrate Gautam Budh Nagar

18:06 April 28

A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan who had tested positive for coronavirus and was admitted to a hospital in Delhi last week, has passed away: CRPF

18:05 April 28

COVID-19: 3 doctors of Ahmedabad's SVP Hospital test positive

Three doctors of civic-run SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad in Gujarat tested positive for novel coronavirus two days ago, officials said on Tuesday.

Precautionary measures like quarantine and close monitoring were in place in this connection, said Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra.

"Doctors working in COVID hospitals have more exposure to the virus and it is expected that some of them may get infected. Samples of other doctors of SVP Hospital have been collected as a precautionary measure," Nehra added.

18:05 April 28

All personnel above 55 years of age have been asked to stay at home, all personnel above 52 years of age with previous medical conditions like Diabetes, Hypertension etc. have also been asked to stay at home: Public Relation Officer (PRO) of Mumbai Police

18:04 April 28

As of 5 PM of 28th April 2020, cumulatively 523 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, it includes 20 Deaths & 207 Discharges. +1 death due to non–Covid cause: Government of Karnataka, Department of Health and Family Welfare

18:04 April 28

15 containment zones have been made in Ranchi including previous Hindpiri area, the hotspot. Hindpiri is put under large containment zone category while remaining 14 are in micro zone category. One or two positive cases reported from micro zones: Ranchi District Administration

18:04 April 28

Rajasthan: Election process in Municipal Corporations of  Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota have been postponed till the end of August, in wake of coronavirus outbreak.

18:03 April 28

Four more persons have tested positive for COVID-19; taking the total positive cases to 485 which includes 123 active cases: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

18:03 April 28

19 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Jammu and Kashmir in last 24 hours; all are from Kashmir division. Total positive cases in the Union Territory stand at 565 which includes 381 active cases: Govt of Jammu and Kashmir

17:09 April 28

The total number of coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday crossed the 2,000-mark, with 57 fresh cases reported in the state, officials said. 

17:07 April 28

Health & Family Welfare Ministry has issued guidelines for home isolation of people who either have very mild COVID-19 symptoms or are in the pre-symptomatic phase. Such patients with requisite self-isolation facility at their residence will now have the option for home isolation

17:06 April 28

Plasma therapy is being experimented, however no evidence that this can be used as a treatment. National level study launched by ICMR to study efficacy," said Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health

Plasma therapy isn't a proven therapy. It's still in experimental stage, right now ICMR is doing it as an experiment to identify & do additional understanding of this therapy. Till it's approved no one should use it,it'll be harmful to patient&illegal, he added.

Aggarwal further added, "Until ICMR concludes its study & a robust scientific proof is available, Plasma therapy should be used only for research or trial purpose. If plasma therapy is not used in proper manner under proper guideline then it can also cause life threatening complications."

17:05 April 28

With 1543 new cases in the last 24 hours,the total COVID-19 positive cases in the country are now 29,435. 684 patients have been found cured, in the last 24 hours; our recovery rate is now 23.3%. This is a progressive increase in recovery rate:Lav Agarawal, Joint Secretary,Health Ministry

17:05 April 28

Till now, there are 2328 COVID-19 positive cases in the state.

There has been progress in COVID-19 recoveries in the state. We are also increasing our capacity to do COVID-19 tests. In one week's time, we will be able to do 10,000 tests per day: Rajasthan Health Minister

16:08 April 28

$1.5 billion loan approved to Govt of India to help fund its response to COVID-19 pandemic, incl support for immediate priorities such as disease containment & prevention, as well as social protection for poor&economically vulnerable sections of the society: Asian Development Bank

16:08 April 28

Rs 50 lakh compensation declared for the port employees/workers in case of loss of life due to COVID-19: Ministry of Shipping

16:08 April 28

One more patient has tested positive for COVID-19 today from Hindpiri in Ranchi. Total positive cases in Jharkhand touch 104.

16:07 April 28

7 new cases have been reported — 6 from Jaipur and 1 from Jodhpur. Taking the total positive cases for the day to 73 in Rajasthan. Cumulative positive cases in the state stand at 2335.

16:07 April 28

In Delhi, 4.11% health workers (incl 13 paramedics, 26 nurses, 24 field workers, 33 doctors) are COVID-19 affected.

"This is worrying; Currently, there are around 100 hotspots in Delhi, this number should go down," said Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan.

15:53 April 28

Five women get discharged, get gift of fruit baskets

Five women were discharged from a government hospital in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday following recovery from coronavirus and they were gifted baskets of fruits, officials said.

15:53 April 28

13 more COVID-19 positive cases reported in Bihar today, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 359: Sanjay Kumar, Principal Secretary (Health)

15:52 April 28

Two city police personnel and a flower vendor at the Koyambedu market in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said.

14:44 April 28

19 inmates of Indore Central Jail who are currently lodged at a temporary jail have tested positive for coronavirus: Chief Medical and Health Officer Indore Praveen Jadia

14:43 April 28

Total number of positive COVID-19 cases in Haryana, including 14 Italian Nationals, stands at 304 now, of which 218 have been discharged. Total 3 deaths reported till now.

14:40 April 28

Elderly patient admitted for brain stroke tests positive at AIIMS Rishikesh

One 56-year-old woman, who had suffered a brain stroke and who is undergoing treatment at AIIMS Rishikesh, has now tested positive for COVID19: Harish Thapliyal, PRO AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Science), Rishikesh

14:39 April 28

A 26-year-old woman has tested positive for COVID-19 in Bihar's Nalanda district, taking the total number of cases in the state to 346, a top official said here on Tuesday.

13:06 April 28

A 16-year-old girl from Salmara Bongaigaon, a secondary contact of a Markaz attendee, has tested COVID-19 positive.

Number of positive patients in Assam now stands at 36.

13:06 April 28

Delhi: Shops selling electronic products have been allowed to open following government's revised lockdown guidelines.

13:05 April 28

Around 75 buses carrying over 2,000 students who were stranded in Kota, Rajasthan reached Chhattisgarh today.

13:05 April 28

RPF personnel in Delhi test positive for Delhi

Two personnel of Delhi's Railway Protection Force have tested positive for coronavirus infection.

They have been admitted to AIIMS Delhi for quarantine and treatment. 16 other people who had come in contact with the personnel have also been put under quarantine.

12:34 April 28

Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan to review the current status of COVID-19 surveillance in Delhi with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Health Minister Satyendra Jain and top officials of concerned departments, today through video conferencing.

12:34 April 28

8 new COVID-19 positive cases reported in Karnataka from 27th April 2020, 5:00 PM to 28th April 2020, 12:00 noon, taking the total number of cases to 520.

12:32 April 28

2 more patients discharged from AIIMS Raipur, only 3 active cases remain in Chhattisgarh

Total number of active COVID-19 cases in Chhattisgarh stands at 3 now; total 34 patients have been cured and discharged till date: AIIMS Raipur

12:31 April 28

NITI Aayog officer tested positive for COVID-19

One officer in NITI Aayog has tested positive for COVID-19.

The necessary protocol is being followed, including sealing of the building for two days for thorough disinfection and sanitisation: Ajit Kumar, Deputy Secretary (Administration), NITI Aayog.

12:31 April 28

No fresh case reported in 80 districts since last 7 days. In 47 districts, no case has been reported in last 14 days, while 39 districts have not reported a case since last 21 days. 17 districts have not reported a case for last 28 days: Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister

12:30 April 28

For the last 14 days, our doubling rate is 8.7, while for the last 7 days, it is 10.2 days. In last 3 days, it is 10.9 days roughly: Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health while interacting with autonomous Institute of Department of Biotechnology, through video conferencing

12:29 April 28

522 news cases and 27 deaths reported in Maharashtra

Total 8590 positive COVID-19 cases and 369 deaths have been reported in the state till date. Mortality Rate stands at 4.30%: Maharashtra Health Department

12:29 April 28

82 new COVID-19 cases reported in Andhra Pradesh in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 1259. The death toll stands at 31.

12:29 April 28

Over 100 policemen, who were attacked by an angry mob when they had gone to a minority dominated area in the city to quarantine some people, have tested negative for coronavirus, a top police official said on Tuesday.

12:28 April 28

Two people tested positive for coronavirus in Sankabirnagar, Uttar Pradesh, taking the total number of virus cases in the district to 23.

11:27 April 28

8 more persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Agra, taking the total number of cases to 389 including 54 cured/discharged. We are tracing the contacts of positive cases: District Magistrate Prabhu N Singh

11:26 April 28

The total number of positive cases in Delhi stands at 3,108 now, of which 190 cases were reported yesterday. 877 patients have been cured, while 11 are on ventilator. Death toll stands at 54.

The doubling rate of COVID-19 in Delhi is 13 days.

11:26 April 28

Kerala: With no COVID-19 positive case in Thiruvananthapuram currently, the city has been removed from the list of hotspots.

11:25 April 28

One more positive COVID-19 case reported today in Mohali, taking the total number of cases to 64, of which 27 are cured. 2 deaths reported till date in Mohali: Girish Dayalan, DC Mohali, Punjab.

11:22 April 28

Hyderabad: Khairatabad and Lakdi ka Pul declared as COVID-19 containment zones

09:54 April 28

As 5 asymptomatic persons returning from Hazur Sahib in Nanded, Maharashtra have tested positive for COVID-19 in Tarn Taran, it has been decided that all returnees coming from Hazur Sahib are to be put in quarantine facilities. They'll be tested for COVID-19: Dept of Health,Punjab

09:53 April 28

66 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Rajasthan; 13 from Jodhpur, 11 from Ajmer, 17 from Jaipur and 19 from Kota. Cumulative positive cases in the state stand at 2328 now. 51 deaths reported till date: Rajasthan Health Department

09:50 April 28

COVID-19 patient found in the ward of doctor treating Lalu Yadav

A coronavirus patient has been found in the ward of the doctor who was treating former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Both- the RIMS doctor and Lalu Yadav are yet to be tested for COVID-19.

09:34 April 28

A 69-year-old infected doctor in West Bengal passed away with COVID-19 on Tuesday. West Bengal Orthopaedic Association has demanded state honour for him.

09:34 April 28

Seven new COVID-19 positive cases reported in the state, taking the total number of cases to 118. Total 37 patients have been cured/recovered. 1 death reported till date: Odisha Health Department

09:33 April 28

Delhi Government yesterday lifted the bar on veterinarians, plumbers,& electricians after reviewing COVID-19 situation in the national capital. In the order, Delhi Disaster Management Authority(DDMA) also allowed inter-state travel of health workers, lab technicians & scientists.

09:29 April 28

Guidelines for self isolation

Health & Family Welfare Ministry has issued guidelines for home isolation of people who either have very mild COVID-19 symptoms or are in the pre-symptomatic phase. Such patients with requisite self-isolation facility at their residence will now have the option for home isolation

09:22 April 28

India reports sharpest spike in death cases with 62 deaths in a day

New Delhi:With 62 deaths and 1,543 new cases reported in last 24 hours, the total tally in India has risen to 29,435, including 21,632 active cases, 6,868 cured/discharged and 934 total deaths.

This is the sharpest ever increase in death cases in India.

According to the ministry, Maharashtra has the most number of cases at 8,590 of which 1,282 have been cured/discharged with 369 fatalities.

Gujarat has the second-highest number of positive COVID-19 cases with 3,548 cases of which 394 patients have been cured/discharged while 162 patients have died due to the deadly virus.

Delhi's tally has also crossed the 3,000 mark with 3,108 cases with 877 patients cured and 54 patients who died due to the highly contagious virus.

Meanwhile, Goa (seven cases and all seven patients recovered), Tripura and Manipur (two cases and both cases recovered) and Arunachal Pradesh (with one case who has recovered now) have reported no new cases, as of Tuesday.