Coronavirus India latest updates, 07 April: Cases near 4,500 as country enters third week of lockdown; death toll now at 114

Coronavirus India Latest Updates: Maharashtra remains the worst affected states with 891 confirmed cases and 45 deaths, followed by Tamil Nadu (621 cases and 6 deaths) and Delhi (525 cases and 7 deaths). 




Coronavirus India Updates: As India completes two weeks of the 21-day nationwide lockdown, the number of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the country climbed to 4,421, including 114 deaths, according to the latest update by the Union Health Ministry. While the number of active cases stood at 3,981, as many as 325 people have been cured and discharged, it stated. The total number of cases includes 66 foreign nationals.

Maharashtra remains the worst affected states with 891 confirmed cases and 45 deaths, followed by Tamil Nadu (621 cases and 6 deaths) and Delhi (525 cases and 7 deaths). Maharashtra reported 23 news coronavirus cases today –Sangli (1), Pune (4), Ahmednagar (3), Buldhana (2), Mumbai (10), Thane (1), Nagpur (2).

Here are the latest updates in India today: 

India agrees to export Hydroxychloroquine after Trump warning

On Tuesday, New Delhi moved to partially lift the ban on the export of Hydroxychloroquine — the anti-malaria drug that Trump has repeatedly touted as a “game-changer” in the fight against COVID-19. Trump has hinted there would be retaliation if India does not lift its ban on its export. Earlier in the day, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the anti-malaria drug would be supplied to “some countries” which are “badly affected” by COVID-19.

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“Like any responsible government, our first obligation is to ensure that there are adequate stocks of medicines for the requirement of our own people. In order to ensure this, some temporary steps were taken to restrict exports of a number of pharmaceutical products. In the meanwhile, a comprehensive assessment was made of possible requirements under different scenarios,” Srivastava said.

Srivastava said the restrictions have been largely lifted after confirming the availability of medicines for all possible contingencies.

Hydroxychloroquine tablets are recognised as a prophylactic for those on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 — doctors, nurses, paramedics, and first responders — and can be used to treat patients.

Delhi govt to conduct 1 lakh COVID-19 tests in hotspots this week

The Delhi government is preparing to conduct at least one lakh random tests in hotspots across the city as it battles to stem the spread of the coronavirus. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 1,01,068 samples were tested across India till Monday 9 pm.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced a five-step plan to deal with the virus. Addressing a presser, CM Kejriwal said that there will be large scale testing like South Korea and for that the government has ordered kits for the testing of 50,000 people.

“We have ordered kits for the testing of 50,000 people. The kits have started arriving. We have also placed orders for the rapid test of 1,00,000 people. The deliveries of kits will begin by Friday. Random tests will be done at hotspots. Detailed tests will also be done,” he said.

The Delhi government will also enhance tracing by taking the help of the police. “Tracing is being done well in Delhi. We have also started taking the help of Police. We have given them the phone numbers of 27,702 people to find out if the people, under self-quarantine, are indeed staying at homes,” Kejriwal added.

Meanwhile, an 82-year-old COVID19 patient at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan hospital has fully recovered and will be discharged soon.

Rajasthan reports 24 new cases

Rajasthan recorded 24 more cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, taking the total number of virus cases in the state to 325. The state is working on a “staggered” exit strategy with curbs in “high risk zones” The virus has so far claimed six lives in the state. However, officials maintain that deaths occurred due to co-morbidity — more than one illness or disease occurring in one person at the same time. “24 new cases have come up today, including in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Banswara and Churu districts. All have contact and travel history,” Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said. While there were nine cases in Jodhpur, Jaisalmer saw 7 cases. Banswara recorded 4 cases, Jaipur (3) and Churu (1). He said the total number of coronavirus positive cases in the state has risen to 325. The entire state, which has been under lockdown since March 22, is conducting a massive survey and screening to trace the contagion.

Two new COVID-19 cases in Mumbai’s Dharavi

Two more persons have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Dharavi, taking the total number of such cases in the slum area to seven, a civic official said on Tuesday. The two men, aged 80 and 49 years, hail from Dr Baliga Nagar locality of Dharavi and are close contacts of a 30-year-old woman who earlier tested positive for the virus, the official said. Earlier, four others from Dharavi had also tested positive for the disease. One of them, a 56-year-old man died while undergoing treatment at a hospital on April 1.

Four Dharavi localities – Dr Baliga Nagar, Vaibhav apartment, Mukund Nagar and Madina Nagar – have been demarcated as containment zones and civic officials have been regularly spraying disinfectants in those areas. Considered as Asia’s biggest slum, Dharavi houses 15 lakh people, making it one of the most congested areas of the city.

States in no hurry to ease lockdown

Even as India plans an exit strategy to end the 21-day lock down, as many as seven states, which together have reported 1,367 coronavirus cases so far — indicated that they would continue to have some restrictions in place.  While Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said he was in favour of extending the lockdown in his state, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, UP, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand indicated that they would not fully lift the restrictions after next Tuesday.

The Karnataka Government indicated on Tuesday it’s too early to take a call now on lifting the nationwide lockdown but said it’s in favour of its extension in COVID-19 hotspots in the country by at least an additional two weeks. “We need to see for another few days before taking final call,” Medical Education Minister Sudhakar K, who is in-charge of all matters related to COVID-19, told ‘PTI’ when asked if the State is in favour of the rollback after the 21- day period ends on April 14. The Minister opined that the decision on its withdrawal should be based on the COVID-19 pandemic situation at the time in terms of number of cases and response to the outbreak.

Railway hospitals in Karnataka begin operations for COVID-19 treatment

In a bid to strengthen the public healthcare system in Karnataka to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the South Western Railway (SWR) has begun operations in railway hospitals in the state which includes over 150 dedicated beds to treat COVID-19 patients and 20 others to treat critical cases across the state. In Bengaluru, the Divisional Railway Hospital has been converted to a dedicated COVID-19 hospital with 50 beds and six Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds for those tested positive.

Here’s a quick Coronavirus guide from Express Explained to keep you updated: What can cause a COVID-19 patient to relapse after recovery? | COVID-19 lockdown has cleaned up the air, but this may not be good news. Here’s why | Can alternative medicine work against the coronavirus? | A five-minute test for COVID-19 has been readied, India may get it too | How India is building up defence during lockdown | Why only a fraction of those with coronavirus suffer acutely | How do healthcare workers protect themselves from getting infected? | What does it take to set up isolation wards?

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