After former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh, now Rahul too tested positive; Corona cases continue to rise alarmingly across India
New Delhi: After former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who had to be hospitalised with COVID-19 complications at New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences yesterday, today the scion of Nehru-Gandhi family and Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi was tested Corona positive. He is isolating at home as per his doctor’s advise.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and conceded acute shortage of oxygen in the country and said steps were being taken to ensure availability of medical oxygen across the country. He said the government was taking all help of the pharmaceutical companies to ensure that the rising demand for life saving medicines for Corona were met. He said the government was also trying to ensure that lives and livelihood were least affected by the measures, and ruled out the possibility of imposing fresh lockdown. He also told State Governments to use lockdown as the last option.
India’s daily news cases continue to show a rising trend with 2,59,170 new cases registered in the last 24 hours. From 20,000 cases reported on January 1, 2021, India has almost 10 times more cases (more than 2,00,000 cases) being reported daily since April 15, 2021. In last 11 days, new cases have almost doubled from 1.31 lakh reported on April 9, to 2.73 lakh reported on April 20, 2021.
The country’s total Active Caseload has reached 20,31,977. It now comprises 13.26% of the country’s total Positive Cases. A net incline of 1,02,648 cases recorded from the total active caseload in the last 24 hours.However, the government today claimed the National Mortality Rate was and currently stood at 1.18%. It claimed 1,761 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.
Goa saw the grimmest day of the pandemic so far on Monday, as 17 persons succumbed to the infection, the highest single-day toll since its outbreak. The state also saw 940 new cases, and its positivity rate shot up to 34% in the last 24 hours. Sources said the situation was extremely grim in Jharkhand and the state government was contemplating lockdown following acute shortage of beds in hospitals and nonavailability of medicines such as Remdisivir and Tocilizumab. The State Governor, Health Secretary too are suffering from COVID-19 in the state. The State Chief Minister Hemant Soren had yesterday asked the Centre for permission to import remdesivir, which is an experimental drug, for emergency use.
After Maharashtra and Delhi, Chhattisgarh government also imposed complete lockdown from today with two more districts of Sukma and Kondagaon going for closure. With this, lockdown is effective in all the 28 districts of the state.
Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R Vala was to chair a virtual all-party meeting today to review the Covid-19 situation, with cases surging in an unprecedented manner. In neighbouring Puducherry night curfew was decided to be imposed between 10pm and 5am from tonight to contain the spread of Covid-19, and Kerala too imposed night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am from tonight. A mass Covid group test would be held in Kerala on April 21 and 22 and three lakh people will be tested in two days. A high level meeting convened by Chief Secretary today decided to issue orders banning celebrations or crowds on May 2, the day of counting of votes in the assembly polls.
In Telangana, the State High Court had on Monday directed the State Government to take steps within 48 hours to combat the spiralling Covid cases in the state failing which it would step in. It also asked the Government to decide fast on enforcing night curfew and imposing strict curbs for crowd control in public places.
In the face of the sudden surge in COVID cases in Shillong and East Khasi Hills district, the Meghalaya government has ordered restrictions including the closure of schools and prohibiting tourists from entering the state while resisting complete lockdown.
In view of the resurgence of COVID-19 and subsequent imposition of certain restrictions by state governments, the ministry of Labour and Employment has rejuvenated the 20 control rooms set up in April 2020 to mitigate the problems of migrant workers through co-ordination with various state governments” under the Office of Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) across the country. Modi appealed to the migrants to remain wherever they were stationed and assured them that they would be vaccinated there itself and that their jobs will not be adversely impacted.
– global bihari bureau
