SC says COVID situation in the country worsening as cases cross 3.4 lakh
As the number of COVID-19 cases in India rose to 3.4 lakhs on Tuesday (June 16), the Supreme Court has observed that COVID situation in the country was not improving, but worsening each passing day.
A bench of Justices R F Nariman, Navin Sinha and B R Gavai made the observation while extending the parole of a Punjab-based businessman, accused in a drug racket case.
On June 16, the recovery rate in the country increased to 52.46 per cent from 51 per cent on the previous day. However, the deaths due to the disease also rose to 9,900, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in India increased to 3,43,091, of which 1,80,012 have been cured or discharged from hospital. As of 5 pm on June 16, the country had 1,53,178 active cases. It has, so far, conducted 59,21,069 tests.
The current count of COVID19 patients in the state of Maharashtra is 110744. Today,newly 2786 patients have been identified as positive.Also newly 5071 patients have been cured today,totally 56049 patients are cured & discharged from the hospitals Total Active patients are 50554.
— Rajesh Tope (@rajeshtope11) June 15, 2020
Maharashtra, which has the maximum number of COVID-19 cases in the country, saw a spike in the infections with the reporting of 2,786 new cases on June 16. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the state stands at 1,10,744.
Meanwhile, no new COVID-related death was reported in Mumbai’s Dharavi, which witnessed 21 fresh cases on June 16. The number of coronavirus cases in the area has risen to 2,089, while the death toll stands at 77.
In Tamil Nadu, which has the second-highest number of patients, the cases increased to 48,019, with 1,515 new cases reported on June 16. While 20,709 cases in the state are active, 26,782 cases have been cured or discharged. The death toll has also risen to 528, with 49 new fatalities.
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Delhi, which had 42,829 confirmed cases, is followed by Gujarat with 24,055 cases and Uttar Pradesh with 14,091 cases. Among the major states, Rajasthan has the highest recovery rate of 74.79 per cent, followed by Punjab with 74.78 per cent.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited Surya Hotel, which has been converted into a COVID-19 facility to help the city deal with the surging coronavirus cases. This is the first visit of the CM after the national capital witnessed an alarming spurt in COVID-19 cases and he had tested negative for COVID-19.
Andhra Pradesh too continued to witness a spike as 264 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, increasing the overall tally to 6,720. The death toll rose to 88 as one fatality each was reported from Prakasam and Chittoor districts.
Kerala reported 79 COVID-19 positive cases, taking the total number of people under treatment for the virus infection in the state to 1,366. So far, 2,621 people have been affected by COVID-19 in the southern state.
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Jammu and Kashmir, on the other hand, recorded 75 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of people infected by the disease to 5,298. Sixteen cases were reported from the Jammu region and 59 from the Kashmir region of the Union Territory.
Meanwhile, the US embassy, in a press release, said the US government had donated the first shipment of 100 ventilators to India to assist its fight against COVID-19. “The donation is a part of President Trump’s generous offer of critical supplies in response to India’s urgent needs,” it said in the release.
The University of Oxford said dexamethasone, a steroid drug used to reduce inflammation, could reduce the risk of deaths by one-third in ventilated patients, and by one fifth in other patients receiving oxygen alone. However, the researchers said there was no benefit from dexamethasone among the patients who did not require respiratory support.
(With inputs from agencies)
