Corona Updates You Must Track: India Tally Nears 70-Lakh Mark, Delhi Warned Against Daily 15,000 Cases In Winters

India cases and toll: India reported 70,496 fresh cases of coronavirus and 964 deaths in the last 24 hours, between 8 am Thursday and 8 am Friday. With this, India’s COVID-19 count has climbed to 69,06,151, as per the data shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The active caseload touched the under-9-lakh mark after a long time. There are currently 8,93,592 active cases of COVID-19 while the recoveries have gone up to 59,06,069. The fatalities stand at 1,06,490. On Thursday, 11,68,705 tests for COVID-19 were conducted across the country.

Health Ministry issues SOP for entertainment parks: The Health Ministry on Thursday issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) on preventive measures that must be followed at entertainment parks to contain the spread of coronavirus. Under Unlock 5.0, the government has allowed reopening of entertainment parks from 15 October.

The guidelines include mandatory use of face masks, physical distancing of at least 6 feet and frequent handwashing. Above-65 and under-10 age groups as well as pregnant women and those with co-morbidities have been advised to stay at home. Swimming pools will remain closed and use of small enclosed places should be discouraged.

COVID-19 tracker for 9 October. Source: Twitter/@COVIDNewsByMIB

Expert panel warns Delhi against 15,000 daily cases in winters: A report prepared by the National Centre for Disease Control or NCDC has warned the national capital against a surge in fresh infections during the festive and winter months. The report, which has been prepared under the supervision of Niti Aayog member Dr V.K. Paul, has asked Delhi to prepare for 15,000 COVID-19 cases daily in the upcoming months, reported The Times of India. Aggravated respiratory ailments, an increase in patients from outside Delhi and the upcoming festive season have been listed as the reasons that could trigger the surge.

Global corona update: The global coronavirus tally has climbed to 3,67,55,449, which includes 80,17,146 active cases, 2,76,71,442 recoveries and 10,66,861 deaths, as per Worldometer. Of the active cases, 67,945 are serious or critical. The US leads the tally with a total caseload of 78,33,763, which includes 2,17,738 fatalities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) forecast, the US’ COVID-19 death toll could climb to 2,24,000 to 2,33,000 by the last week of October.

Meanwhile, China has now officially joined the World Health Organization (WHO)-led COVAX facility, reported Al Jazeera. COVAX or the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility aims to ensure vaccine access to low-income countries. The US and Russia have not joined this initiative yet.