India logs 2.73L COVID cases, PM calls meet with top docs, pharma giants

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to interact with leading doctors from across the country at 4.30 pm and with top pharma companies at 6 pm on Monday (April 19), on the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country.

Earlier in the day, Modi had chaired an important meeting on the situation at 11:30 am, even as the country clocked in its highest-ever single-day surge of  2,73,810 COVID-19 cases.

The meetings come amid a massive surge in coronavirus cases across the country, with several chief ministers complaining of a shortage of essentials like oxygen supply and medicines like Remdesivir, and seeking the Centres intervention.

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Modi has been holding regular meetings to deal with the emerging pandemic situation.

On Monday, India’s total tally of cases crossed the 1.50-crore mark with around 25 lakh cases being added in just 15 days, while active cases surpassed the 19-lakh mark.

The nationwide tally of COVID-19 cases mounted to 1,50,61,919 with a record single-day rise of 2,73,810 coronavirus infections in the 24 hours till the update. The death toll increased to 1,78,769 with a record 1,619 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The country’s total COVID-19 infections had surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19 after which it took 107 days to cross the 1.25 crore on April 5. However, it only took 15 days for the cases to cross the 1.50-crore mark. Registering a steady increase for the 40th day in a row, the active cases increased to 19,29,329, comprising 12.81 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate dropped to 86 per cent. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,29,53,821 and the case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.19 per cent, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

According to the ICMR, 26,78,94,549 samples have been tested up to April 18 with 13,56,133  samples being tested on Sunday. The 1,619 new fatalities include 503 from Maharashtra, 170 from Chhattisgarh, 161 from Delhi, 127 from Uttar Pradesh, 110 from Gujarat, 81 from Karnataka, 68 from Punjab, 66 from Madhya Pradesh, and 50 from Jharkhand. A total of 1,78,769 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 60,473 from Maharashtra, 13,351 from Karnataka, 13,113 from Tamil Nadu, 12,121 from Delhi and 10,568 from West Bengal.

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The health ministry stressed that more than 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 on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.