Corona Updates You Must Track: India Tally Nears 5-Lakh Mark, Over 17,000 Fresh Cases In 24 Hours

India’s fight with the coronavirus infection continues as the daily caseload is increasing at a steady rate with no signs of a let-up. The country has reported 4,90,401 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far with Delhi and Mumbai emerging as the worst-hit cities. Both the cities have each reported more than 70,000 cases of coronavirus infection. Neighbour China’s coronavirus tally stands at 83,462 cases.

Track all the key updates related to coronavirus tally, vaccine and new health measures here:     

India cases and toll: India’s coronavirus tally has surged to 4,90,401 confirmed cases on Friday. In yet another record single-day surge, 17,296 new cases of coronavirus infection were reported in the last 24 hours. The number of deaths continues to be over 400—407 people succumbed to the infection on Thursday. India has 1,89,463 active cases as against 2,85,636 recoveries with the death toll at 15301, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. On Thursday, 2,15,446 tests for COVID-19 were conducted across the country.

Spike in Maharashtra cases: After managing to bring down the number of daily fresh cases to under 4,000, Maharashtra once again recorded a surge on Thursday with 4,841 new cases of coronavirus. The state has reported 1,47,741 confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far with 63,357 active cases and 77,453 recoveries. The death toll has climbed to 6,931, the highest in the country.

After Delhi, Mumbai became the second city to cross the 70,000-mark with its tally touching 70,878 cases on Thursday. The Maximum City reported 1,350 fresh cases of coronavirus infection in the last 24 hours. The Centre will send a team of experts to Maharashtra, Gujarat and Telangana to assess the situation and assist in working out a strategy to check the spread of the coronavirus infection.

COVID-19 Tracker. Source: Twitter/@COVIDNewsByMIB

Where Delhi stands: The national capital’s coronavirus tally continues to surge with 3,390 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. With this, Delhi’s confirmed case count stands at 73,780, the highest among all Indian cities. Delhi has 26,586 active cases even as recoveries are going up. In the capital, 44,765 people have recovered from the illness so far. The death toll stands at 2,429 cases with 64 people losing the battle against COVID-19 on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Thursday withdrew his order that had made it mandatory for coronavirus patients (including asymptomatic) to visit a quarantine centre for evaluation.

A cure for coronavirus: Even as Oxford University’s experimental vaccine against COVID-19 enters the final stages of clinical trials, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Thursday recommended Remdesivir to treat the infection in patients. According to a Reuters report, the European healthcare regulator has recommended Gilead Sciences’ anti-viral treatment for patients above the age of 12 years with pneumonia who require oxygen support.

In India, pharmaceutical company Hetero, which has got the nod to manufacture and market the generic version of Remdesivir, has sent 20,000 vials to five states, including Delhi and Maharashtra, reported NDTV. The drug is marketed under the brand name ‘COVIFOR’.

Global corona update: After slowing down the rate of infection for a few weeks, the US is once again recording a surge in coronavirus cases, this time in states like Texas, Alabama and Missouri. On Thursday, Washington Post reported the US added 39,327 new cases of coronavirus disease, its highest single-day surge so far. The US has reported over 25 lakh confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to worldometer, a website that is tracking the spread of the disease globally. More than 1.26 lakh people have died in the US due to COVID-19.

Globally, the coronavirus count has climbed to 97,11,314 lakh cases with 52,47,174 recoveries and 4,91,797 deaths. The number of active cases stands at 39,72,343.