Corona Updates You Must Track: No Lockdown In Delhi But Chennai Gets Ready For Another Round

With big cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai showing a relentless surge in coronavirus cases, there have been rumours about yet another lockdown. Delhi, which has 25,002 active cases of coronavirus, will see no such lockdown, said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. However, in south, four districts of Tamil Nadu including Chennai will be under intense lockdown for 12 days. India’s COVID-19 count has climbed to 3.43 lakh cases.

Track all the key updates related to coronavirus and lockdown measures here:   

India cases and toll: India’s confirmed coronavirus count reached 3.43 lakh cases on Tuesday morning with 1.53 lakh active cases, 1.80 lakh recoveries and 9,900 deaths. India added 10,667 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours while 380 people succumbed to the disease during the same time. Besides Delhi, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, states like West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have a large number of active cases.

Source: Twitter/@COVIDNewsByMIB

Antigen-based testing kit gets nod: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Monday approved a rapid antigen-based detection test for COVID-19. The antigen-based test gives quicker results compared to RT-PCR. The presence of the virus can be detected from the swabbed nose samples. In India, the ICMR has approved the testing kit by South Korean company, SD Biosensor, which has a manufacturing plant in Manesar, Haryana.

No lockdown in Delhi: Scotching rumours suggesting another phase of lockdown in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday tweeted “there are no such plans”. The capital, which has been under intense scrutiny over the rising number of coronavirus cases, will ramp up tests over the next few days.Delhi has 25,002 active cases, 16,427 recoveries and 1,400 deaths so far. With this, Delhi’s total coronavirus count stands at 42,829. Delhi reported 1,647 fresh COVID-19 cases and 73 deaths on Monday.

Many people are speculating whether another lockdown in Delhi in being planned. There are no such plans.

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 15, 2020

12-day lockdown in Chennai: As number of coronavirus cases continues to spiral in Chennai, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to enforce a 12-day intense lockdown in the district, starting 19 June. Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts will also be under lockdown. With 46,504 confirmed cases so far, Tamil Nadu is second to Maharashtra in total tally. A Mint report said these four districts together account for 39,000 cases in the state. On Tuesday, the state had 20,681 active cases. 

Where Maharashtra stands: The western state’s fight with coronavirus continues as it reported 178 deaths on Monday, its highest single-day toll. The state’s COVID-19 toll stands at 4,128. The state has reported more than 1.10 lakh confirmed cases; of these, 50,567 are active cases and 56,049 recoveries. The state recorded 2,786 new cases in the last 24 hours. On the bright side, the state’s recovery rate has been improving slowly and now stands at more than 50 per cent.

Corona global update: The global coranavirus count has crossed the 80-lakh mark—more than 81.18 lakh confirmed cases have been reported till Tuesday morning, according to worldometer, a website that tracks COVID-19 cases. While 42.16 lakh people have recovered, 4.39 people lost their lives to the virus or co-morbidities.Brazil continues to witness a rapid growth in fresh cases, with the country’s tally now inching close to the 9-lakh mark with 44,118 deaths.

Countries like Mexico and Pakistan are climbing the global ladder with nearly 1.50 lakh and 1.49 lakh confirmed coronavirus cases, respectively. In Mexico, the death toll is at 17,580 while Pakistan’s at 2,839. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed a fresh outbreak of COVID-19 in China after 100 new cases were reported recently.