India Positive COVID-19 Cases Rise to 5,274; Death Toll Climbs to 149 & 411 Cured

New Delhi, April 8, 2020:

According to the latest official figures, as many as 5,274 people across India have been infected by the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 so far, and 149 of the patients have died. However, in a positive development 411 of the patients have been cured/discharged from hospitals.

There are a total of 4,713 active cases in India currently. Maharashtra remains the state with the highest number of cases - 1078 with 60 new cases. 64 have died due to complications.

Maharashtra is followed by Tamil Nadu at 690 and Delhiwith 576 cases. Telangana has reported 364 Covid-19 cases followed by Kerala at 336.

Rajasthan has 328 cases, Uttar Pradesh has 326 and Andhra Pradesh reported 305 coronavirus cases. Novel coronavirus cases have risen to 229 in Madhya Pradesh, 175 in Karnataka and 165 in Gujarat.

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Haryana has 147 cases, Jammu and Kashmir has 116, West Bengal has 99 and Punjab has 91 positive patients so far. Odisha has reported 42 coronavirus cases.

Thirty- eight people were infected with the virus in Bihar while Uttarakhand has 31 patients and Assam 28. Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh have 18 cases each while Ladakh has 14 positive patients so far.

Ten cases each have been reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Chhattisgarh. Goa has reported seven Covid-19 infections, followed by Puducherry at five cases. Jharkhand has reported four cases and Manipur two.

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Tripura, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported one case each.

Of 32 deaths since Tuesday, 16 have been reported from Maharashtra, two each from Delhi, West Bengal, Haryana and Tamil Nadu and one from Andhra Pradesh.

Maharashtra has reported the most coronavirus deaths at 64, followed by Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh at 13 each and Delhi at nine.

Telangana, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have reported seven fatalities each.

West Bengal has registered five deaths, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have reported four each, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan have recorded three deaths each.

Two deaths each have been reported from Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala. Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha reported one fatality each, according to the health ministry data.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has confirmed that he will be meeting the Chief Ministers of all the states on April 11 to hold discussions on the lockdown.

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In a video meeting with leaders of all parties, PM Modi reportedly said he would consult with Chief Ministers but by all accounts the lifting of the lockdown “is not possible”.

The meeting, it is to be believed, will take place via video-conferencing and the PM will be addressing some pertinent issues related to the lifting of the lockdown. This meeting is expected to address the “million dollar question”, whether the lockdown, that will come to an on April 14, will be lifted or not.

Earlier, PM Modi had said that there would be a staggered easing of the lockdown, which would be decided upon after reviewing each district on a case-by-case basis.

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It is worth noting here that the Centre is contemplating the 21-day lockdown period that ends on March 14 that was earlier called by the PM to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several state Governments are also said to be in favour of prolonging the extension of the lockdown, as there is a chance of resurgence of the spread if free movement and mass gatherings are allowed. Although the number of infections has steadied some, removal of restrictions is sure to accelerate the spread of the pandemic in the countries.

In fact, the Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has gone on record saying that “between the considerations of the health of the people and the stabilisation of our economy being debated, the former shall take precedence over the latter”, further hinting that “some degree of hardship” could extend beyond April 14.

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