Archives for August 2020

The caseload increased to 24,61,190, while the death toll climbed to 48,040 with 1,007 people succumbing to the disease in 24 hours, the ministry data updated at 8 am showed.

NEW DELHI: India’s COVID-19 caseload surpassed 24 lakh on Friday after 64,553 more people tested positive and the recoveries rose to over 17 lakh, the Health Ministry said.

With 17,51,555 people defeating the disease, the recovery rate has surged to 71.17 per cent.

The caseload increased to 24,61,190, while the death toll climbed to 48,040 with 1,007 people succumbing to the disease in 24 hours, the ministry data updated at 8 am showed.

The fatality rate has declined to 1.95 per cent.

There are more than 6.60 lakh active cases, which is 26.88 per cent of the total.

India had crossed the 20 lakh mark on August 7.

According to ICMR, more than 2.76 crore samples have been tested, with 8,48,728 being tested on Thursday, the highest in a day.

Of the 1,007 fresh deaths reported, Maharashtra accounted for the highest number of fatalities at 413, followed by Tamil Nadu (119), Karnataka (103), Andhra Pradesh (82), West Bengal (56), Uttar Pradesh (50), Punjab (31), Gujarat (18), Madhya Pradesh (17), Delhi (14), Jharkhand (12), Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan (11 each) and Bihar (10).

  Nine fatalities each have been reported from Odisha and Telangana, eight each from Assam and Haryana, six from Puducherry, five from Chhattisgarh, three each from Kerala and Uttarakhand, two each from Goa and Tripura, while Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur have registered one fatality each.

Of the total 48,040 deaths, Maharashtra has reported the maximum at 19,063, followed by Tamil Nadu (5,397), Delhi(4,167), Karnataka (3,613), Gujarat (2,731), Andhra Pradesh (2,378), Uttar Pradesh (2,280), West Bengal (2,259) and Madhya Pradesh (1,065).

So far, 833 people have died of COVID-19 in Rajasthan, 706 in Punjab, 674 in Telangana, 511 in Haryana, 509 in Jammu and Kashmir, 426 in Bihar, 314 in Odisha, 209 in Jharkhand, 169 in Assam, 143 in Uttarakhand and 129 in Kerala.

Chhattisgarh has registered 114 deaths, Puducherry 102, Goa 91, Tripura 46, Chandigarh 27, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 22, Himachal Pradesh 19, Manipur 13, Ladakh nine, Nagaland eight, Meghalaya six, Arunachal Pradesh four, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu two and Sikkim one.

The Health Ministry said over 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” it said, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

There are 6,53,622 active COVID-19 cases in the country presently, which accounts for 27.27 per cent of its total caseload.

NEW DELHI: With a record single-day increase of 66,999 cases, India’s COVID-19 tally mounted to 23,96,637 on Thursday, while the number of patients who have recovered from the disease surged to 16,95,982, pushing the recovery rate to 70.77 per cent in the country, according to the Union health ministry.

The death toll due to COVID-19 climbed to 47,033 with 942 people succumbing to the disease in the last 24 hours, health ministry data updated at 8 am showed.

The case fatality rate in the country has declined to 1.96 per cent.

There are 6,53,622 active COVID-19 cases in the country presently, which account for 27.27 per cent of its total caseload.

India crossed the 20-lakh mark in terms of COVID-19 cases on August 7.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 2,68,45,688 samples were tested in the country till August 12, including 8,30,391 on Wednesday, the highest number of tests performed in a day.

Of the 942 fresh deaths, 344 were reported from Maharashtra, 119 from Tamil Nadu, 112 from Karnataka, 93 from Andhra Pradesh, 54 each from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, 39 from Punjab, 18 from Gujarat, 15 from Madhya Pradesh, 14 from Delhi and 11 each from Telangana and Rajasthan.

Nine fatalities were reported from Odisha, eight from Jammu and Kashmir, six each from Assam and Kerala, five each from Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Puducherry, four from Uttarakhand, three each in Bihar, Goa and Haryana and one case was recorded in Tripura.

Of the total 47,033 deaths, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of 18,650, followed by Tamil Nadu (5,278), Delhi (4,153), Karnataka (3,510), Gujarat (2,713), Andhra Pradesh (2,296), Uttar Pradesh (2,230), West Bengal (2,203) and Madhya Pradesh (1,048).

So far, 822 people have died of COVID-19 in Rajasthan, 675 in Punjab, 665 in Telangana, 503 in Haryana, 498 in Jammu and Kashmir, 416 in Bihar, 305 in Odisha, 197 in Jharkhand, 161 in Assam, 140 in Uttarakhand and 126 in Kerala.

Chhattisgarh has registered 109 COVID-19 deaths, Puducherry 96, Goa 89, Tripura 44, Chandigarh 26, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands 21, Himachal Pradesh 18, Manipur 12, Ladakh nine, Nagaland eight, Meghalaya six, Arunachal Pradesh three, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu two and Sikkim one.

The ministry stressed that over 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said, adding that a state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said at least 1,715 people were cured on Saturday, which is also the highest in a single day in the state.

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala COVID-19 Updates: As of now, the state has 498 hotspots.

Kerala on Saturday reported 1,420 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single day surge so far.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said at least 1,715 people were cured today, which is also the highest in a single day in the state.

“The State also reported four more deaths, which took the count to 106,” he told reporters.

“Uppala native Vinodkumar (41), who passed away on August 3, Kozhikode native Sulekha (63), who passed away on August 4, Kollam native Chellappan (60), who passed away onAugust 5 and Cherthala native Purushothaman (84) who passed away on August 6 have been tested positive,” he added.

He also said out of the 1,715 positive caes, 1,216 were through contacts.

“The sources of at least 92 cases are yet to be identified. As many as 60 cases reached the state from abroad while 108 reached from other states,” Mr Vijayan said, adding that 30 health workers were also among the infected.

A total of 1,48,241 people are under observation in the state out of which 11,934 are under observation in various hospitals across the state.

The state also tested 27,714 samples in the last 24 hours.

The state government also categorised 13 more regions as hotspots while removing 21 regions from that list.

As of now, the state has 498 hotspots.

The Chief Minister also said the number of COVID-19 cases were increasing in Thiruvananthapuram district with a high number of contact cases.

“Today, 485 people were diagnosed with the disease in the district and of these, 435 were through contact. It shows that strong intervention is needed in the state capital to control the infection and stringent restrictions should be continued,” Mr Vijayan said.

He also said the number of coronavirus cases were increasing in Thiruvananthapuram district with a high number of contact cases.

“Today, 485 people were diagnosed with the disease in the district and of these, 435 were through contact. It shows that strong intervention is needed in the state capital to control the infection and stringent restrictions should be continued,” he added.

The police have taken three persons into custody in connection with the incident. A 66-year-old woman is among those arrested, they said.

Ernakulam:The septuagenarian was raped at the house of one of the accused, police said.  

A 75-year-old woman was raped and brutally assaulted in Kerala’s rural Ernakulam on Sunday, police said. The doctors at a private medical college hospital, where the elderly woman is being treated, said that her condition has improved slightly.

“The condition of the woman has improved slightly and her vital signs are returning to normal. There is improvement in her mental state too,” said a medical bulletin issued by the hospital.

The police have arrested three persons in connection with the incident. A 66-year-old woman is among those arrested, they said.

The septuagenarian was raped at the house of one of the accused, according to the police.

“While one of the accused raped her, the other, who was drunk, assaulted her brutally. This happened at the house of one of the accused,” K Karthick, District Police Chief, Rural Ernakulam, told NDTV.

“The woman also has certain mental health and memory loss issues,” he said.

The woman underwent emergency surgeries at the hospital on Monday.

A detailed medical examined showed the woman, who was admitted to the hospital on Sunday night, had suffered deep wounds in her private parts, as well as injuries on her chest and stomach areas.

Ahmedabad: A blaze in the wee hours at a private hospital here has left eight COVID-19 patients dead, a fire brigade official said on Thursday.

The victims include five men and three women, who were being treated at the ICU ward of the COVID-19 designated Shrey Hospital in Navrangpura area of Ahmedabad, the official said.

Fire broke out around 3.30 am on the fourth floor of the four-storey hospital, he said. Around 40 other COVID-19 patients at the facility were rescued and shifted to a civic hospital in the city, he said.

“Eight coronavirus patients admitted in the ICU ward of Shrey Hospital have died due to the fire, which has been doused,” said an official of the Ahmedabad Fire Department.

Primary investigations revealed that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit, police said.

“Forensic experts have arrived at the site for a detailed investigation,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police L B Zala.

Shrey Hospital is among the around 60 private hospitals designated as COVID-19 hospitals by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.

Municipal Commissioner Mukesh Kumar, who reached the spot soon after the fire broke out, said an electric short circuit led to the blaze, which spread in the ICU ward within minutes.

Principal Health Secretary Jayanti Ravi also reached the spot and assured a thorough probe into the incident. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

In a statement, the CMO saidthe probe will be conducted by two IAS officers, Additional Chief Secretary in Home Department Sangeeta Singh and ACS in Urban Development Department Mukesh Puri.

They have been asked to submit a report in three days, the statement said.

With 1,073 new coronavirus positive cases, Gujarat’s COVID-19 tally reached 66,777 on Wednesday. The number of deceased has gone up to 2,557, an official said.

The NIA said using the diplomatic channel process, gold was smuggled around 20 times between November 2019 and January 2020.

Thiruvananthapuram:Swapna Suresh alleged she had been implicated in the crime without any basis  

About 200 kg gold, worth over 100 crores, had been sneaked into the country from the UAE, the National Investigation Agency, one of central agencies probing the smuggling of gold through the diplomatic channel in Kerala, said today, while countering the bail petition of a key accused in the case.

The NIA said using the diplomatic channel process, gold was smuggled around 20 times between November 2019 and January 2020.

The probe agency said the act was intentional, and that the accused Swapna Suresh and Sarith, while working with the UAE consulate, were aware of the possibility of smuggling gold through diplomatic channel as early as June 2019 and they had intimated this to the other accused. Even after Swapna Suresh was removed from the post, she continued to involve herself for the sake of facilitating such subversive activities, according to the NIA.

“The accused colluded and conspired to make use of this channel to smuggle gold along with materials genuinely required by the foreign diplomats at UAE consulate,” the probe agency said.

Among the articles seized from the accused, NIA said, were “USD 8,034, 701.5 Oman Riyals and Fixed deposits receipts to the tune of around Rs 51 lakh recovered from the bag of Swapna Suresh. Cash to the tune of about Rs 1 crore and gold to the tune of nearly one kg was seized from the bank locker. The total seizure worth exceeds Rs 2 crore.”

Swapna Suresh, who had filed the bail petition, alleged she had been implicated in the crime without any basis. She also alleged the case was the offshoot of political rivalry between the state and centre.

The NIA, in its counter to the bail, has said that their deliberate acts of using the diplomatic baggage of UAE as a cover to transport the contraband has affected the friendly relations with the UAE and that they have threatened “monetary stability of India” and that it’s suspected that they used the proceeds for “financing terrorism”.

The NIA has also justified the use of anti-terror law UAPA against this ‘intentional’ crime.

“Petitioner has contacts with many influential persons in society. She is capable to move and abscond even at the time of this pandemic. There is a chance the petitioner may tamper the evidence and influencing the witnesses”, the NIA said, while countering the bail petition of Swapna Suresh.

The racket was uncovered with the seizure of around 30 kg gold worth about Rs 15 crore, by the customs department at the Thiruvananthapuram airport on July 4. The gold was found in diplomatic baggage linked to the United Arab Emirates consulate in the state.

Sources say that they have submitted a list of names of “people of interest” with the central government. These people, according to sources, are currently in the UAE and need to be questioned in connection to the gold smuggling case probe.

Mr Dahiya said Mr Singh allegedly told him that Sushant Singh Rajput’s family felt Rhea Chakraborty was “controlling” the actor and wanted her out of his life.

Sushant Singh Rajput’s family felt Rhea Chakraborty was “controlling” him, a Mumbai cop claimed

A senior Mumbai police official has claimed that Sushant Singh Rajput’s brother-in-law, an IPS officer, had asked him to pressurise the actor’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty to end their relationship.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Paramjitsingh Dahiya told a TV channel that OP Singh, brother-in-law of Sushant Rajput and senior IPS officer of Haryana police, had made the request in February this year.

Sushant Singh Rajput, 34, was found dead at his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14.

“Singh asked me to call Rhea Chakraborty to the police station informally and pressurise her,” said Mr Dahiya, who was the zonal police head of Bandra region till April 1.

Mr Dahiya said Mr Singh allegedly told him that Sushant Singh Rajput’s family felt Rhea Chakraborty was “controlling” the actor and wanted her out of his life.

Mr Dahiya said the actor’s family did not submit a written complaint. He said OP Singh made the informal request (to pressurise Rhea Chakraborty) to him through WhatsApp messages on February 18 and 25.

The DCP said Mr Singh visited Mumbai on February 5 and allegedly told him to inform Sushant Singh Rajput that he was in Mumbai. He also requested that a person called Miranda be kept in a day’s police custody, without any complaint or investigation, Mr Dahiya claimed.

The DCP said he “politely and firmly” told Mr Singh that it was not possible for him to call anyone to the police station and keep him in custody as it was against procedure.

Mr Dahiya said he asked Mr Singh to file a written complaint based on which the matter would be investigated. “The written complaint never came,” he added.

Sushant Rajput’s father KK Singh has released a video saying he alerted Mumbai police on February 25 that his sons life was in danger.

On Monday, Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh said the family didn’t raise any suspicion when the city police recorded their statements on June 16. “At that moment, they didn’t raise any suspicion and also didn’t complain about any lapse in our investigation,” he said.