328 fresh cases, 12 deaths due to COVID-19 in last 24 hours: Govt

India reported 328 confirmed cases and 12 deaths in the last 24 hours since Wednesday while about 400 cases have been found whose epidemiological linkage can be traced to the Tablighi Jamaat cluster, said the government on Thursday (April 2).

In its daily briefing on Thursday evening, the health ministry said that with the emergence of the 328 new cases, India now has a total of 1,965 cases. The toll now stands at 50 in the country, according to the ministry’s website.

“Yesterday, the cabinet secretary through video conferencing with chief secretaries and DGPs asked them to initiate intensive contact tracing of Tablighi Jamaat participants and implement containment measures on war-footing,” said health ministry joint secretary Lav Agrawal.

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He said after contact tracing and sampling, about 400 positive cases have been identified whose epidemiological linkage can be traced to the Tablighi Jamaat cluster.

This includes 173 from Tamil Nadu, 11 from Rajasthan, nine from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 47 from Delhi, two from Puducherry, 22 from Jammu and Kashmir, 33 from Telengana, 67 from Andhra Pradesh and 16 from Assam. These numbers are increasing as more samples are being tested, said Agrawal.

Regarding the Dharavi COVID-19 positive case, he said the building there was sealed and sample collection and contact tracing is going on as per protocol.

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The joint secretary said that the prime minister has urged states to manage the coronavirus crisis at the district level. Orders have been placed for over 1.5 crore personal protective equipment (PPEs) and supply has already started, he said, adding that domestic manufacturing of N-95 masks has been stepped up.

The official also informed that there have been limited cases of doctors on duty testing COVID-19 positive and asserted that it is important to follow infection prevention control at hospitals.

(With inputs from agencies)