1. India on Monday recorded 2,73,810 new coronavirus cases, an unprecedented figure since the pandemic broke out in January 2020, to take its tally of infections to 1,50,61,919. With 1,619 deaths, the toll rose to 1,78,769. The country has recorded over 2 lakh infections for the fifth consecutive day. India’s count of active cases stood at 19,29,329, while the number of recoveries recorded since the beginning of the outbreak reached 1,29,53,821.
  2. The Delhi High Court expressed concern at the rapid rise in coronavirus cases in the national Capital, Live Law reported. “It is evident that the healthcare infrastructure is at the stage of imminent collapse,” the court said. The bench of Justices Rekha Palli and Vipin Sanghi asked the Aam Aadmi Party government and the Centre to file affidavits on the availability of beds with ventilator and oxygen support.
  3. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged Election Commission to reconsider her suggestion to hold the last three phases of Assembly elections in the state on a single day, or at least in two days, in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus, reported PTI. Earlier in the day, Trinamool leader Derek O’Brien had said that Banerjee will not campaign in Kolkata because of the coronavirus situation. 
  4. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that city will be placed under a lockdown from 10 pm on Monday till 5 am on April 26. Kejriwal said that the six-day lockdown was being imposed to allow the city to scale up arrangements for oxygen, medicines and hospital beds.
  5. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson cancelled his visit to New Delhi, which was scheduled for next week, amid the surge in coronavirus cases in India. Instead, Johnson and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak to each other later in April “to agree and launch their ambitious plans for the future partnership between the UK and India”, the two countries said in a joint statement.
  6. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with doctors on the coronavirus situation in the country at 4 pm, reported ANI. He will hold another video conference with pharmaceutical companies at 6 pm.    
  7. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has called for a special two-day Parliament session to discuss the massive surge in coronavirus cases in the country. “It’s an unprecedented and almost a war like situation,” Raut tweeted. “Utmost confusion and tension everywhere! No beds, no oxygen and no vaccination as well! It’s nothing but total chaos!”
  8. Indian Council of Medical Research Director General Balram Bharagava said that patients are showing less severe symptoms during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, reported ANI. “In this wave, we have witnessed more cases of breathlessness while in the last wave, symptoms like dry cough, joint pain, headaches were more,” he said.
  9. All India Institute Of Medical Sciences chief Randeep Guleria said that antiviral drug remdesivir does not decrease mortality, reported ANI. “We may use it as we don’t have an anti-viral drug,” he said. “It’s of no use if given early to asymptomatic individuals or ones with mild symptoms. Also of no use, if given late...”
  10. Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 14.11 crore people and killed over 30.17 lakh since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 8.06 crore people have recovered from the infection.