India piles up fresh cases of COVID-19; Italy crisis unabated
The Indian Council of Medical Research on Friday has stated that the number of people infected with COVID-19 so far at 206, while Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has maintained that the number is 195.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Friday (March 20) has stated that the number of people infected with COVID-19 so far at 206, while Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has maintained that the number is 195.
The numbers also include foreign nationals — 17 from Italy, three from the Philippines, two from the UK, one each belonging to Canada, Indonesia and Singapore.
The states that have joined the list with the first round of positive cases include Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, and Chandigarh. The cases are reported to have a history of recent foreign visits, to countries like the UK, that are seeing a spike in the number of people testing positive.
The death toll from COVID-19 in India has touched four. A 72-year-old man from Punjab, who had a travel history to Germany, died after complaining of chest pain on Thursday (March 19).
 Maharashtra recorded the highest number of cases with the total almost touching 50.
Singer Kanika Kapoor, who recently returned from the United Kingdom to Lucknow, tested positive on Friday. This has brought about a worrying turn of events for Parliamentarians, as the singer had hosted an event with guests, including former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and her son, BJP MP Dushyant Singh. The singer has been accused of concealing information about her UK visit.
Related news | ‘Baby Doll’ singer Kanika Kapoor tests positive for coronavirus
Globally, the death toll has crossed 10,000 and the total number of infected people stands at over 1.5 lakh people.
Countries in Europe, like Spain and Italy, are witnessing numerous deaths and officials in Madrid, Spain have revealed that 80 per cent of the city’s population stands the risk of being infected. The total deaths in Italy have crossed 3,400 with 427 deaths occurring on Thursday (March 19), surpassing the total death toll in China.
China, which was the origin for the coronavirus pandemic late last year, has reported no new locally transmitted cases. The total toll in China stands at 3,200 deaths so far.
