COVID-19: India’s Death Toll Rises to 603; Case Tally at 18,985

The Quint

In a press briefing, Indian Council of Medical Research on Tuesday, 21 April, advised all states to not use the new rapid testing kits for the next two days, as irregularities are being investigated.

The total number of positive cases in India as of Tuesday stood at 18,601, including 14,759 active cases, 590 deaths, 3,251 cured/discharged patients and one migrated patient.

A housekeeper working with the Lok Sabha secretariat has been found positive for COVID-19 and admitted to hospital, sources told PTI. The infected man has reportedly not attended office for the last few days.

• US oil prices rebounded back above zero on Tuesday, a day after futures ended in negative territory for the first time
• Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, said on Monday that India’s recovery rate stands at 14.75%
• Maharashtra recorded 466 coronavirus positive cases on Monday, taking the state’s tally to 4,666

Central Teams Restrained From Assessing Ground Situation in Bengal: Health Ministry

In a press briefing, the health ministry said that Central teams were specifically restrained from making visits, interacting with health workers and assessing the ground situation in West Bengal.

29 New Cases in West Bengal in the Last 24 Hours

29 new COVID-19 cases were reported in West Bengal in the last 24 hours and the total death toll climbed to 15, ANI reported.

ICMR Advises States to Not Use Rapid Testing Kits for 2 Days

In a press briefing, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that it has advised all states to not use rapid testing kits for the next two days, as irregularities are being investigated.

In the briefing, the health ministry said it issued detailed guidelines to all states that while the focus should remain on COVID19, all other services need to be provided, be it for dialysis, HIV or cancer treatments.

11 Police Officers, 38 Policemen Tested Positive Since 22 March in Maharashtra

Total 11 police officers and 38 policemen tested positive for COVID-19, since 22 March till 4 am today, Maharashtra Police told ANI.

Set up Control Room in State Assemblies: LS Speaker

Set up control rooms in assemblies for better coordination between states in helping stranded labourers, students during the lockdown, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Tuesday.

47 Staff Members of AMU Medical College Quarantined

Forty-seven staff members of a medical college attached to Aligarh Muslim University were quarantined after they came in contact with a coronavirus patient, an official said on Tuesday.

Health Minister Launches 'COVID India Seva' Interactive Platform

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday launched the 'COVID India Seva', an interactive platform for establishing a direct channel of communication with millions of Indians during the pandemic.

This initiative is aimed at enabling transparent e-governance delivery in real-time and answering citizen queries swiftly, at scale, especially in crisis situations like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, an official statement said.

Over 1,300 Firms Get MIDC Nod to Resume Work Amid Lockdown

Over 1,300 companies, including manufacturing units, foundries, textile firms, have received the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation's (MIDC) certification to resume their operations amid the COVID-19 lockdown.

The MIDC is the state government's nodal agency to facilitate industries in terms of land allotment, permissions and policy making.

"We received registration of some 3,000 industries across the state, of which 1,300 have received certification from the state to resume production, processing or manufacturing," a senior MIDC official told PTI.

Frame Policies to Safeguard Elderly Officials During COVID: AIIMs Doc to PM

A doctor from the Geriatric department at AIIMS has urged the prime minister to frame policies to safeguard elderly officials from coronavirus, noting they are vulnerable to infectious diseases and that there is a direct correlation between mortality and age.

While lauding the tireless efforts of the PM to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, Dr Vijay Kumar Gurjar, an assistant professor said some employees in vulnerable group like healthcare workers, police officials, defence personnel, sanitation workers, administrators and politicians who have conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes or kidney ailments do not have a strong immune system and thus are more vulnerable to infectious diseases.

Nursing Staff of District Combined Hospital Create Ruckus on Active Quarantine Issue

Infuriated nursing staff of district combined hospital Sanjay nagar yesterday created ruckus inside the hospital premises and raised slogans against the health department officials. They were annoyed on the issue of their testing of CORONA virus and active quarantine facilities.