The testing capacity for Covid-19 has been scaled up to around 95,000 tests per day and a total of 15,25,631 tests have been conducted so far across 332 government and 121 private laboratories, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday.
The minister, who reviewed the status of Covid-19 in the northeastern states along with the measures taken for its containment and management, also stressed on the need to take concrete action to check the use of non-smoking tobacco and prohibit spitting in public places which shall help in preventing the spread of the infection, according to a statement.
During the high-level meeting with Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim, Vardhan appreciated the dedication of all the states in combating Covid-19.
'It is a huge relief and very encouraging to see green zones in most northeastern states. As of date, only Assam and Tripura have active COVID-19 cases. Other states are all in the green zone. Let us focus and work together by converting the orange zones to green zones and maintain the protective status across the states,' Vardhan was quoted as saying in the statement.
He flagged the large prevalence of non-smoking tobacco usage in some of the states and the problem of spitting in public places.
'Strong reforms are needed in this direction,' Vardhan said while appreciating the effort of states that have banned the use of chewing tobacco and ordered imposition of fine for spitting in public places.
During the detailed interaction, the states highlighted various issues related to testing facilities, health infrastructure, surveillance, contact tracing etc. and also shared their best practices, the statement stated.
Vardhan said, The testing capacity has increased in the country and it is 95,000 tests per day with 332 government laboratories and 121 private laboratories. Cumulatively, 15,25,631 tests have been done so far for Covid-19.
Tripura has reported 118 cases, Assam 59, Meghalaya 12 cases, Manipur two while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported a case each till Saturday morning 8 AM.
Meghalaya and Assam have also reported one fatality each so far.
To maintain the positive status of Covid-19 management in the Northeast, the Union Minister advised them to ensure that the returning migrant labourers, students and those from abroad are screened and quarantined as per the guidelines and protocol laid down by the by ministries of Health and External Affairs, the statement said.
For the states that have international borders, the minister stated that they need to take adequate measures in the border areas to prevent exposure by conducting screening of all individuals at entry points and following quarantine protocol as per the guidelines, it said.
Vardhan said while some states have worked in this direction, others need to focus on more effective surveillance, contact tracing, house to house survey and early diagnosis.
The death toll due to Covid-19 rose to 1,981 and the number of cases climbed to 59,662 in the country on Saturday, registering an increase of 95 deaths and 3,320 cases in the last 24 hours, according to the Union health ministry.
The number of active Covid-19 cases stood at 39,834, while 17,846 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, it said.
'Thus, around 29.91 per cent patients have recovered so far,' a senior health ministry official said.
The total number of cases also include 111 foreign nationals.
State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, the ministry said.
- Andaman & Nicobar 33
- Andhra Pradesh 1,887
- Arunachal Pradesh 1
- Assam 59
- Bihar 571
- Chandigarh 150
- Chhattisgarh 59
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli 1
- Delhi 6,318
- Goa 7
- Gujarat 7,402
- Haryana 647
- Himachal Pradesh 50
- Jammu & Kashmir 823
- Jharkhand 132
- Karnataka 753
- Kerala 503
- Ladakh 42
- Madhya Pradesh 3,341
- Maharashtra 19,063
- Manipur 2
- Meghalaya 12
- Mizoram 1
- Odisha 271
- Puducherry 11
- Punjab 1,731
- Rajasthan 3,579
- Tamil Nadu 6,009
- Telangana 1,133
- Tripura 118
- Uttarakhand 63
- Uttar Pradesh 3,214
- West Bengal 1,678
Confusion over Delhi's Covid toll as govt data, figures from hospitals don't match
Confusion prevailed over the number of deaths due to coronavirus in the national capital, with data from four hospitals showing that 92 people succumbed to the infection as against 68 fatalities reported by the Delhi government.
The toll of 68 shared by the Delhi government in its health bulletin on Friday is based on data collected from 10 hospitals, including AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College.
According to the bulletin, AIIMS (Delhi and Jhajjar) reported two deaths, Safdarjung Hospital reported four, RML 26 and Lady Hardinge Medical College had none till Friday.
However, officials from these hospitals said the number of people who died due to coronavirus in the national capital till Friday is higher than that reflected in the Delhi government's bulletin.
AIIMS (Delhi Trauma Centre and Jhajjar) has recorded a total of 14 deaths, an official said.
According to All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Medical Superintendent Dr D K Sharma, the discrepancy could be because the government is only counting the fatalities from the Trauma Centre, which has been converted into a dedicated COVID-19 hospital, and has not taken into account data from the Jhajjar facility.
At Safdarjung Hospital, 23 people have died due to Covid-19.
'They (government) are calling us for the data. We have told them we are regularly sending you the correct, updated figures. We don't see any reason why wrong figures are being reflected,' said a senior doctor at Safdarjung Hospital who did not want to be named.
RML Hospital has reported 52 deaths of Covid-19 patients.
'We are providing them (government) data regularly and correctly. It is up to them to incorporate it in their chart. We do not understand why they are showing incorrect figures,' RML Medical Superintendent Minakshi Bhardwaj said.
Lady Hardinge Medical College Director Dr N N Mathur said the hospital has given the government a figure of three deaths.
After the discrepancies between the Covid-19 death toll reported by the government and figures from hospitals came to light on Friday, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain asserted that the government is not hiding data.
'If we had to hide data, we wouldn't have released Thursday's number of fresh Covid-19 cases which was the highest single-day spike of 448 cases. We would have said there were only 48 new cases, but we did not. Once the reports come, the hospitals have to inform the government immediately,' he had told reporters.
TN forms panel under ex-RBI Guv Rangarajan to improve fiscal position
The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday set up a high-level committee headed by former Reserve Bank of India governor C Rangarajan to examine fiscal challenges facing the state owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and suggest the way forward to improve its fiscal position.
The committee, which will also consist of Finance Secretary S Krishnan as coordinator, will submit its report to the government within three months, according to a Government Order.
The committee, with 21 members, would assess the overall immediate and medium term impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on different sectors of the state's economy including the impact of lockdown, additional costs and implications due to social distancing and their precautionary measures.
Also, it would assess the opportunities and threats in the short and medium term, suggest measures required to help the important sectors of the economy to overcome the impact of the virus pandemic.
Apart from identifying specific reform measures to be taken by the state government to support and promote the growth of the important sectors of the economy, the committee would assess the impact of the crisis on state government's fiscal situation and way forward to improve the fiscal position, including increasing the tax; GDP ratio and diversifying revenue sources and reprioritising expenditure.
The committee will also identify fiscal issues and economy protection measures the state should take up with the Union government for necessary action and possible sources of financing and funding for different sectors including infrastructure projects, small business and other enterprises.
On February 20, 2020, Deputy Chief Minister O Paneerselvam who holds the finance portfolio, announced that an expert committee would be constituted to improve the tax: GSDP ratio of Tamil Nadu.
Now taking into account the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown which has posed serious economic and fiscal challenges the role of the committee has been redefined.
Stranded students from Jammu & Kashmir undergo thermal screening before leaving for their native places, during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, in Bhopal, Saturday, May 09, 2020. PTI
Doctors open a cooler which will transport samples collected in Dharmsala to be tested for the coronavirus, in Dharmsala, on Saturday, May 9, 2020. AP
'Confusion' within central government in virus fight: Congress
The Congress on Saturday said there was 'confusion' within the central government in its fight against the novel coronavirus and wondered how would India tackle the pandemic if officials continued to speak in different voices.
Referring to 'differing' comments made by some officials on the Covid-19 situation in the country, Congress senior spokesperson Ajay Maken said the government should tell the people clearly about the exact state of the pandemic to enable them to prepare accordingly.
He also came down heavily on the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi and asked it to be more transparent in reporting cases of the novel coronavirus.
Read the full story here.
State govt must tackle virus spread at Arthur Road Jail: Bombay HC
The Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra government to take an appropriate policy decision to tackle the spread of Covid-19 at Arthur Road Jail in central Mumbai.
At least 77 inmates and 26 personnel of Arthur Road Jail tested positive for coronavirus early this week.
Justice Bharati Dangre on Friday was hearing a bail application filed by Ali Akbar Shroff, one of the inmates at the prison, seeking temporary bail on medical grounds.
In his order, Justice Dangre noted that the situation was precarious and in such a contingency, the state government and the policy makers should take a decision.
'If it is true that more than 100 patients have tested positive in Arthur Road Jail, then it is for the authorities to ensure that other inmates, who are presently lodged in the jail, are not infected by the virus on account of overcrowding,' the court said.
The authorities must remember that inmates had the right to a safe and healthy environment even when they were incarcerated, Justice Dangre said.
The court directed the state government and prison department to take appropriate steps.
'There is always a hope and expectation that the jail authorities are sensitive to the prevalent situation,' the court said.
The bench noted that there were several inmates above the age of 60 and others who suffered from ailments.
'Under such circumstances, it is open for the state government and jail authorities to take appropriate policy decision to tackle the situation to keep all inmates safe and ensure that they contain the spread of virus in the jail,' the court said.
Shroff's counsel Aabad Ponda argued that the inmate suffered from diabetes, hypertension and high blood pressure, and hence, needed to be kept safe to ensure that he does not contract the infection.
The court, however, rejected Shroff's plea after noting that no imminent health impediment was reflected in his case.
Kohima test lab to be functional by May 12, Dimapur unit within 2 weeks: Govt to HC
The Nagaland government has assured the high court that the laboratory in Kohima for conducting Covid-19 detection tests will be functional by May 12.
The state government informed the Kohima bench of the Gauhati High Court that finishing works for the lab have been completed and it would be functional by May 12.
Additional Advocate General T B Jamir, however, told the bench comprising of Justice Songkhupchung Serto and Justice Hukato Swu that since the same technicians would be setting up the lab in Dimapur, at least two weeks are required to make that unit functional.
The state government made the submission through an interim application filed on Thursday, praying for extension of time after the court on April 27 directed it to make the two labs functional within 10 days.
The court on Friday directed the state government to make all efforts to make the lab at Kohima functional within five days and the one at Dimapur within two weeks.
After two weeks, the state government should file an affidavit of compliance but if the labs have not been made functional by then, the officials concerned should appear in person and explain, it observed.
The directions come on a petition filed by one Kikrukhonuo, a resident of Kohima.
Samples from Nagaland are currently sent to Assam and Manipur for Covid-19 tests.
So far, 805 samples have been sent and of them, 775 have tested negative. Results of 30 are awaited, sources in the Health and Family Welfare Department said.
