Corona Updates You Must Track: Biggest Surge In COVID-19 Cases, Graded Exit Plan In The Works

India reported its highest single-day jump in COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a long e-meeting with chief ministers on Monday to discuss a phased plan for opening up the economy. On the eighth day of lockdown 3.0, India’s coronavirus count stands at 67,152 cases with recoveries hitting the 20,000-mark.

Follow all the important developments related to COVID-19 and lockdown 3.0 here 

India cases and toll: There is no let-up in the number of COVID-19 cases in India, with the total confirmed count climbing to 67,152 on Monday morning, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). The country recorded its highest single-day jump in confirmed coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours with 4,213 new cases. Close to 100 deaths were also reported during the same time, taking the toll to 2,206. While the number of active COVID-19 cases is at 44,029, close to 21,000 people have recovered from the illness.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs has released a set of revised guidelines for home isolation of very mild or pre-symptomatic COVID-19 cases. The period of home isolation for such patients will end after 17 days of onset of symptoms and 10 days of no fever.

COVID-19 tracker/Photo: @MIB_India/Twitter

Train services to resume: In a move aimed at resuming mass transport in a phased manner, limited passenger trains will run from 12 May (Tuesday). Tickets can be booked on the IRCTC website from 4 pm Monday—tickets won’t be sold at the railway station counters and there will be no tatkal reservation. The fare will be similar to what you pay for a Rajdhani Express ticket. 

These passenger trains will be in addition to the Shramik trains running for migrant workers.

Maharashtra leads, Tamil Nadu shows big spike: Maharashtra continues to report an unrelenting surge in the number of COVID-19 cases, with the state adding close to 2,000 new cases in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra’s confirmed coronavirus tally is now at 22,171 with 4,199 recoveries and 832 deaths.

Tamil Nadu, which has been witnessing a massive surge in cases since the last week, reported 669 fresh cases till Sunday night, taking the state’s total tally to 7,204 cases with 1,959 recoveries and 47 deaths.    

Gujarat (8,194 cases) and Delhi (6923) are reporting a daily surge in COVID-19 cases even as states like West Bengal, Odisha and Bihar are reporting more cases with migrant workers returning to their home states.

Vaccine for coronavirus: The Indian Council of Medical Research or ICMR is partnering with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to develop an indigenous vaccine for COVID-19. “ICMR and BBIL will seek fast-track approvals to expedite vaccine development, subsequent animal studies and clinical evaluation of the candidate vaccine,” ICMR statement said.

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Virology in Pune has developed the first indigenous test kit for antibody detection for COVID-19. Antibody tests, said Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, will play a “critical role in surveillance” of the population exposed to the coronavirus infection. 

This kit was validated at 2 sites in Mumbai & has high sensitivity & accuracy. Besides,it has the advantage of testing 90 samples together in a single run of 2.5 hours, so that healthcare professionals can proceed quickly with necessary next steps on their patients’ triage paths. pic.twitter.com/J0uKCUPa5h

— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) May 10, 2020

Global corona update: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has crossed the 40-lakh mark, with total cases at 41,80,922 on Monday morning, according to worldometer, a website that tracks coronavirus cases real-time. While the virus has claimed 2,83,868 lives so far, 14,93,401 have also recovered from the illness.

The US, which has reported 13,67,638 COVID-19 cases and 80,787 deaths, has recorded its maximum job losses since the Great Depression, reported the AFP.  A total of 2.05 crore job losses were reported in the US in April with the unemployment rate shooting up to 14.7 per cent. 

Russia, another major economy, is also reeling under the effects of the pandemic. The country’s total COVID-19 count is now at 2,09,688 cases with 1,915 deaths.  

Story of hope: Besides health professionals, people from various other walks of life have come forward to raise awareness about the deadly virus. But did you expect a five-year-old to do that? If not, meet Noorpreet Kaur or Noor, a TikTok sensation from Punjab’s Moga district, who is working with local authorities to tell people about personal hygiene and social distancing norms. When needed, she also scolds elders for flouting norms and even complains to the chief minister. Read more on this sweet and inspirational story here.