Coronavirus India summary: cases, deaths and news - 12 June
Coronavirus live India: latest Covid-19 news - 12 June
India Covid-19 update: 02:25 IST on Saturday 13 June (23:55 CEST on Fri 12 June)
According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 7,578,078 cases have been detected worldwide, with 423,257 deaths and 3,582,792 people now recovered.
In India, there have been 297,535 cases confirmed, 8,498 people have died and 147,195 people have recovered from the virus.
Roses are planted by loved ones for those that have passed away from Covid-19. The cemetery of Bada Qabrastan, in Mumbai, India, 12 June 2020. (photo: EFE/EPA/DIVYAKANT SOLANKI)
Heartbreaking story as healthcare stretched
“From the beginning of this pandemic, the government completely underestimated the virus,” said Dr Harjit Singh Bhatti, who works on the Covid-19 ward of Delhi’s Manipal hospital.
“We had over two months of lockdown, but all that time was wasted. We have not seen any investment in healthcare, which will be the only way to get this under control.”
Mumbai hardest hit
As the lockdown eases further this week, the city’s Covid-19 centres – including private ones – are either out of beds and intensive care units for serious cases or do not have healthcare staff.
The private sector is beset by allegations of overcharging, of turning away poor patients and of leaving those with other diseases to fend for themselves.
Migrant workers from Bihar state, sit in a playground as they wait for buses to catch home bound train during the coronavirus pandemic in Kochi, southern Kerala state, India, Friday, June 12, 2020. (AP Photo/R S Iyer)
India's medical system is on the brink of collapse. Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in India near the 300,000 mark.
It is being claimed through some websites and messages that Central Government will provide a loan to women under the PM Dhan Laxmi Yojana. The Press Information Bureau say this is fake and the Central Government has no such plan
Modi set to sit down and discuss what to do next with India easing lockdown restrictions. The lockdown comes despite 7,668 new cases today.
Indian cricket tour to Zimbabwe cancelled over coronavirus concerns
India will not travel to Zimbabwe for a one-day international series in August due to the threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah said on Friday.
The move follows the BCCI's decision on Thursday to postpone India's limited-overs tour to Sri Lanka, which was originally scheduled for later this month.
India, who last visited Zimbabwe for a bilateral series in 2016, were due to play a three-match ODI series. The BCCI has not confirmed rescheduled dates for either of the tours.
"The BCCI is determined to take steps towards the resumption of international and domestic cricket," Shah said in a statement.
"But it will not rush into any decision that will jeopardise the efforts put in by the Central and State governments and several other respective agencies in containing the spread of the coronavirus."
The BCCI said it will conduct a camp for its centrally contracted Indian cricketers only when it is completely safe to train outdoors. (Reuters)
A Muslim man gets his body temperature checked as he arrives to offer Friday prayers at Fatehpuri Masjid after the government eased a nationwide lockdown imposed as a preventive measure against the Covid-19 coronavirus in New Delhi. The main mosque in the Indian capital, which briefly reopened to worshippers, will again close over fears that the coronavirus could spread, its management said on June 11. (Photo by XAVIER GALIANA / AFP)
Uttar Pradesh reports 500 new cases
Twenty more people lost their lives in the state due to the coronavirus s new cases rose by more 500 on Friday, local officials said.
Record rise in India virus cases raises fear of return of curbs
(Reuters) India reported a record daily increase of novel coronavirus cases on Friday and became the world's fourth worst-hit country, raising the prospect of the return of a lockdown just days after it was lifted.
Anxious to revive the economy after a nearly 70-day lockdown, the government this week opened most public transport, offices and malls, even though health officials said the country was weeks away from flattening the curve of infections.
On Friday, the health ministry said the number of cases had increased by 10,956 from the previous day, with new infections rife in the cities of Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.
Rajasthan cases near 12,000
The number of fatalities in the state due to coronavirus has climbed to 269, wile the number of cases has increased to 11,930, according to local media.
A firefighter sprays disinfectant as a preventive measure against the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in a containment zone in Chennai. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)
A face mask reminder
The Ministry of Health has initiated a campaign to remind people to wear face masks in public.
India's coronavirus cases reach over 297,000, fourth worst hit nation
(Reuters) India on Friday reported a total of 297,535 coronavirus infections, surpassing the United Kingdom to become the fourth worst affected country in the world.
The number of infections increased by 10,956 on Friday from the previous day, and the death toll reached 8,498, India's ministry of health and family welfare said.
How to avoid the coronavirus
Also from the FT, this is a very useful guide to what we know, and don't, about avoiding catching Covid-19.
In short, your danger level goes up the closer you are to people, the longer you spend time with them and the more confined the space you are in with them is.
Indoor dining at restaurants, the FT notes, can be notably risky.
India "not in Community Transmission"
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research only 0.73% of the population has been exposed to Covid-19 infection across 83 districts, leading them to the conclusion that there is no "community transmission" in the country, although in certain hotspots the rate of infection is higher.
ICMR director general Balram Bhargava said, “There is a heightened debate around this terms: community transmission... I think even the WHO has not given a definition for it. And, India is such a large country and the prevalence is so low. In urban and containment areas it may be slightly higher, but India is definitely not in community transmission".
Ironing away the virus
Talking of banks and money, this is how Marazban Lahewala, the owner of an incense sticks workshop in Ahmedabad, cleans the bank notes she receives from customers as a preventative measure against the spread of the coronavirus. We had a look but couldn't find any official advice on how effective this would be. Our recommendation would be to still wash your hands.
Indian bank employees "in panic mode"
Indian bank employees are demanding better cleanliness at lenders' branches and more flexibility in staff work schedules following the deaths of at least 11 bankers and bank employees in the country due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) - an umbrella body of nine unions representing nearly 900,000 employees of all types of banks in India - asked for better safety standards last week in a letter to the finance ministry and several banks, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.
"Employees are in panic mode," said Devidas Tuljapurkar, convener of the UFBU's chapter in the hard-hit western state of Maharashtra that is home to financial capital Mumbai.
The letter, which said at least 11 bank staff have died from the virus, asked that certain employees who want to, should be allowed to work from home and is demanding government insurance cover for those who do venture out.
At least 100 bankers have been affected by the virus, according to a union source and a banking source. (Reuters)
Plasma therapy trials
The world's largest plasma therapy trial is to go ahead at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Nagpur. The trial will test whether giving blood plasma from patients who have recovered from Covid-19 can help those severely stricken with the disease. More than 500 patients are expected to be treated.
Conditions for prisoners "deadly"
In-depth report from DW on just how bad the situation in some Indian prisons can be. Overcrowding is just the first problem.
India rejects Pakistan offer of help disbursing Covid-19 cash
India has rejected an offer from Pakistan to help disburse cash during the coronavirus. Pakistan's PM, Imran Khan, offered to help India with the use of a Pakistan cash transfer programme, which Khan said has been "lauded internationally for its reach and transparency".
India dismissed the offer, with foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava saying that his country's stimulus package was as large as the entire gross domestic product of Pakistan.
Wide-ranging effects of one positive individual going missing
A manhunt, but also an entire market shut down...
India poised for jump in infections
With the relaxation of lockdown, which had appeared to have prevented the virus spreading to a large extent, doctors are worried about a major spike in infections.
“We don’t know when this is going to peak,” Dr Deven Juneja told AFP in a break on in his rounds at Delhi’s Max private hospital. “All of us are hoping for the best, but we are mentally and physically prepared for the worst.”
According to Juneja, they have already seen a surge in numbers over the past few days, with many more patients seeking beds.
As lockdown eases restaurants, shopping malls and places of worship are reopening and travel is restarting. The lockdown is being driven mainly by economic considerations.
India Covid-19 cases
According to the latest figures (as compiled by Johns Hopkins University) India has officially confirmed 286,605 people with the coronavirus (fifth in terms of overall numbers per country, behind the US, Brazil, Russia and the United Kingdon, always remembering that India has a population of 1.2 billion people).
In total 8,102 people have died from the disease in India, while 141,031 have recovered.
The overall situation is still worrying, with 10,000 new cases confirmed yesterday, and hospitals swamped in Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai and predictions that the infection rate will not peak before the end of July, if then.
Note: according to other compilations of the figures, India had hit 298,191 cases by the end of the Thursday, meaning it would now be fourth on the list of the countries with most infections, ahead of UK.
Coronavirus India live updates for Friday 12 June
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the developing coronavirus situation in India.