Coronavirus: 486 dead in India; 70% deaths in 5 states
India on Friday reported 14,300 cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), including 486, data compiled from official state government statistics showed. The development comes as the Health Ministry said that the growth rate of the outbreak has slowed. The Ministry also said that India plans to locally manufacture 10 lakh testing kits a month by May and is also looking to produce vaccines.
India's Health Ministry reports 13,835 cases, 452 deaths
According to the Union Health Ministry's latest update, by 5 pm on Friday, India had reported a total of 13,835 COVID-19 cases. These included 452 deaths and 11,616 active cases along with 1,766 cured/discharged patients and one patient who migrated out of India. Data compiled from official state government statistics showed that India has reported 14,320 cases, including 486 deaths.
Important note for compilation of COVID-19 data
In its Friday bulletin, West Bengal listed 162 active cases, 10 deaths and 55 patients who were discharged. This takes the total number of cases to 227, which has been counted as the state's tally in NewsBytes' nationwide roundup. However, the Union Health Ministry mentioned 255 COVID-19 cases in the state. Andhra Pradesh's tally has been counted as per the state's Friday morning bulletin.
Maharashtra death toll crosses 200
Maharashtra's Health Department confirmed a total of 3,320 COVID-19 cases on Friday. The death toll in the state has risen to 201. Mumbai remained the worst-hit region in the state, with over 2,000 cases and 122 deaths. The city's Dharavi also reported 101 COVID-19 cases, including nine deaths. Dharavi's cases have worried authorities as it is Asia's largest slum and is densely populated.
Gujarat becomes sixth state with 1,000+ cases
The national capital of Delhi is India's second worst-hit region, with 1,707 COVID-19 cases and 42 deaths. With 1,323 COVID-19 cases, including 15 deaths, Tamil Nadu has reported the third-highest number of infections. Madhya Pradesh has reported 1,310 (including 69 deaths), Rajasthan reported 1,229 cases (including 17 deaths), Gujarat reported 1,099 cases (including 41 deaths), and Uttar Pradesh reported 846 cases (including 13 deaths).
5 worst-hit states report 60% of all cases
The top five worst-hit states in India—Maharashtra, Delhi, TN, MP, and Rajasthan—alone amount to 60% of India's total COVID-19 cases. The states also account for 70% of all COVID-19 deaths in India.
Here are some news highlights from Friday
The Reserve Bank of India slashed repo rates to 3.75% to promote lending in a bid to revive the ailing economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. The HRD Ministry urged private schools to reconsider their annual fee hike and collecting quarterly fees during the lockdown. The Home Ministry introduced fresh lockdown exemptions for the agriculture/horticulture sector, financial sector and activities regarding construction in rural areas.
3.18 lakh persons tested for COVID-19 in India: ICMR
The Indian Council of Medical Research said India tested 3,35,123 samples from 3,18,449 individuals for COVID-19 till 9 pm on Friday. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry said that the Centre plans to locally manufacture 10 lakh RT-PCR and rapid antibody testing kits per month by May.
YS Jaganmohan Reddy tests negative for COVID-19
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy tested negative for COVID-19. Former Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy's son, Nikhil, got married at a ceremony in Ramnagar, violating social distancing norms. Deputy CM CN Ashwathnarayan has sought a report from Ramnagar Deputy Commissioner in the matter. 63,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits that arrived from China failed quality tests.
