Coronavirus India live updates: cases, deaths and news, today
Coronavirus live India: latest Covid-19 news - 20 June
India Covid-19 update: 04:30 IST on Sunday 21 June (01:00 CEST)
According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 8,750,272 cases have been detected worldwide, with 463,225 deaths and 4,333,391 people have recovered.
In India, there have been 395,048 cases confirmed, 12,948 people have died and 213,831 people have recovered from the virus.
Cert-In warns of Covid-19 phishing attack
Cert-In, the Indian's government's cybersecurity agency, has warned that the country faces a large-scale threat from attackers sending phishing emails purporting to be about the coronavirus:
A man arranges chairs inside a quarantine facility for patients infected with the coronavirus in Mumbai on Saturday.
(Photo by REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas)
Antiviral drug released by Mumbai-based firm
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has released the antiviral drug Favipiravir, which goes under the brand name FabiFlu, for use in treating mild to moderate Covid-19 sufferers. Having been approved by the Drug Controller General of India, the remedy was launched on Saturday, priced at Rs 3,500 per pack of 34.
In Mumbai, a driver of the online taxi-hailing service Uber is separated from passengers by a plastic sheet as part of measures taken to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
(Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP)
BMC sets up Special COVID-19 Hospital with 1,000 beds at Byculla
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set up a Covid-19 Field Hospital with 1,000 beds in the premises of Richardson and Cruddas, an engineering company, at Byculla in Mumbai. Anticipating the rise of Covid-19 cases in Mumbai, the BMC has been making necessary arrangements to ensure that the positive patients, as well as their contacts, are isolated and the spread of coronavirus is curbed.
AIR correspondent reports, out of the 1,000 beds set up at the newly created Special Covid-19 Care Hospital at Byculla, 300 are ICU beds with ventilators and other facilities. This jumbo facility will be operational by the end of this month. The hospital will also have around 300 medical staff including 50 doctors, 100 nurses and 150 attendants.
India and China accuse each other of violating de facto border
India and China each traded accusations on Saturday, arguing that the other had violated their shared de facto border, an area that this week became the site of the deadliest clash in half a century between the two nuclear-armed giants.
A day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to downplay Monday's clash, which killed at least 20 Indian soldiers and injured more than 70, his government blamed the Chinese side for seeking to erect structures "just across the Line of Actual Control," as the demarcation is known, and refusing India's request to stop.
India will not allow any unilateral changes to the disputed border, it said in a statement. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian accused Indian troops of a "deliberate provocation" in the tense Himalayan area. In a series of tweets, Zhao said the Galwan Valley was on the Chinese side of the line and that Indians had since April unilaterally built roads, bridges and other facilities in the region. The Indian troops 'crossed the Line of Actual Control' and attacked Chinese officers and soldiers who were there for negotiation, triggering 'fierce physical conflicts', Zhao said.
China has not released any casualty figures for its troops. Modi on Friday appeared to downplay the clash with Chinese troops, saying, "Nobody has intruded into our border, neither is anybody there now, nor have our posts been captured."
Coronavirus can survive for 20 years in temperatures of minus 20C
Professor Li Lanjuan, a member of China's Covid-19 expert team, said that the virus could easily be transported between countries due to its exceptional abilities to endure cold conditions, according to state media.
The epidemiologist urged Chinese authorities to strengthen the inspection of imported frozen food products, including salmon, to prevent the further spread of the infection.
Gandhi would have told us to lose our fear of the virus - Dr Abhay Bang
What would Mahatma Gandhi have done, if he had faced the Covid-19 crisis? This is a topic social activist Dr Abhay Bang has explored in a report, published online in The Lancet on Friday, in which he has proposed a nine-point action programme, beginning with “freedom from fear”.
“In such a situation, Mahatma Gandhi would not merely preach. He would begin actions locally rather than chase the world to change it. Actions that initially may look small and silly – for instance picking a fistful of salt – that eventually changed history – would be among his priority,” said Dr Bang, who is the founder-director of Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health (SEARCH).
New Delhi health minister tests positive
As India's capital braces for a spike in cases, Health Minister Satyendar Jain has tested positive for Covid-19, according to city officials.
Amazon signals entry into alcohol delivery in India
(Reuters) Amazon.com Inc has secured clearance to deliver alcohol in India's eastern state of West Bengal, according to a document seen by Reuters, signalling the U.S. e-commerce giant's first foray into the country's multi-billion-dollar sector.
In a notice on Friday, West Bengal State Beverages Corp, the authorised agency to carry out online retail of liquor trade in the state, said Amazon was among the companies found to be eligible for registration with authorities.
Alibaba-backed Indian grocery venture BigBasket has also won approval to deliver alcohol in the state, the notice said.
India restricted liquor sales when it announced a nationwide lockdown in March. Hundreds of people queued up at liquor stores in May when some restrictions were eased, and the liquor industry had been lobbying with many states to allow online deliveries.
States ordered to hand over results
The Supreme Court on Friday termed the Maharashtra government’s decision not to provide a copy of Covid-19 test result to the patient or his/her relative “illogical” and directed other states not to follow the same example.
Delhi Health Minister put on oxygen support
Reportedly, the Delhi Health Minister will be shifted to another hospital in the national capital. He was earlier admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) on Tuesday after he complained of high fever and drop in oxygen level.
Catch-up
- Hard hit Tamil Nadu now has a second chance to make up for coronavirus spread during the complete lockdown for 12 days that began on June 19
- The coronavirus pandemic has been the biggest disruption in years to India-Gulf relations
- A spiritual centre in India is being converted into what will reportedly be the biggest temporary Covid-19 hospital on earth
- Johnson & has decided to stop selling skin-whitening creams popular in Asia and the Middle East
India Covid-19 update: 05:30 IST on Saturday 20 June (02:00 CEST)
According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 8,628,403 cases have been detected worldwide, with 458,706 deaths and 4,223,909 people have recovered.
In India, there have been 380,532 cases confirmed, 12,573 people have died and 204,711 people have recovered from the virus.
Coronavirus live India updates: welcome
Hello and welcome to our live, India-focused coverage of the coronavirus, which has now registered nearly 8.6 million cases and just over 450,000 deaths worldwide, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
We'll endeavour to bring you the latest developments and numbers as they emerge throughout Friday.