Top 10 coronavirus updates: Tamil Nadu reports 1,927 cases in a day, 19 more dead
A look at the biggest developments of the day.
- India’s coronavirus infections on Wednesday jumped to 2,76,583 after 9,985 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours. The toll from the disease stood at 7,745. However, the number of recovered coronavirus patients in India exceeded the active cases for the first time today. The number of active cases in the country is at 1,33,632, while 1,35,205 people have recovered and one patient has migrated.
- The Maharashtra government dismissed reports of community transmission of the coronavirus in the state. The state reported 3,254 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, taking its overall count to 94,041. The toll rose to 3,438 with 149 new deaths. This is the biggest single-day increase in cases for the state.
- Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he will implement Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s order on treating coronavirus patients in the city. Baijal had on Monday issued orders to not restrict treatment and admission at both private and state-run city hospitals to only residents and to not limit testing of asymptomatic direct and high risk contacts of confirmed cases. The chief minister said this was not the time for politics or arguments.
- Tamil Nadu reported 1,927 new Covid-19 cases and 19 deaths on Wednesday. The state now has 36,841 cases, including 17,179 active infections, 19,333 discharged, and 326 deaths, according to the state health department.
- Delhi reported 1,501 cases and 48 deaths on Wednesday. The Capital’s overall count rose to 32,810 and the toll reached 984. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, meanwhile, directed Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Dev to ensure that all major hospitals, clinics and nursing homes in the national Capital display the availability of beds for both Covid-19 and ordinary patients, on large LED screens outside their entrances.
- Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam legislator J Anbazhagan died of Covid-19 at a Chennai hospital. He was admitted to Dr Rela Institute and Medical Centre on June 2 after he complained of severe acute respiratory distress. He tested positive for the coronavirus and was put on ventilator support on June 3. The MLA is said to have contracted the virus while distributing relief material.
- The Punjab government allowed the distribution of prasad at places of worship and said all community kitchens and langars will also be reopened. The Ministry of Home Affairs in its guidelines to stop the spread of the coronavirus had advised against all physical offerings like prasad distribution or sprinkling of holy water inside a religious place.
- The Arvind Kejriwal government directed 22 private hospitals in Delhi to reserve more than 20% beds for the treatment of coronavirus patients. Delhi, one of the hotspots, has over 31,000 cases so far. It is expected to climb to more than 5 lakh by the end of July, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporters hours before the new order. By then it will need 80,000 beds to tackle the escalating health crisis.
- A World Health Organization expert clarified that “modelling studies have put the extent of asymptomatic transmission to about 40%”. This came a day after Maria Van Kerkhove claimed that asymptomatic transmission was “very rare”. However, Van Kerkhove still maintained that real world data suggested it could be a rare event.
- Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 72 lakh people and claimed over 4.12 lakh lives so far, according to the Johns Hopkins University. As many as 33.70 lakh people have recovered. Brazil , meanwhile, went back to releasing coronavirus numbers, five days after the government took down the website where it had been reporting the figures.