NEW DELHI: India went past Italy to become the sixth worst-hit nation by Covid-19, with the country registering a record single-day spike of 9,887 cases which pushed the nationwide tally to 2,36,657. India’s death toll due to Covid-19 rose to 6,642, with a record increase of 294 deaths in the last 24 hours till Saturday 8am. The country has registered over 9,000 cases for the third day in a row.
Here are the top developments:
1
India
- India is now the sixth worst-affected nation in terms of coronavirus infection cases after the US, Brazil, Russia, Spain and the UK, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The number of active Covid-19 cases stands at 1,15,942 in the country.
- The coronavirus disease has not “exploded” in India, but the risk of that happening remains as the country moves towards unlocking its nationwide lockdown that was imposed in March to contain the Covid-19, according to a top WHO expert. WHO Health Emergencies Programme Executive Director Michael Ryan said the doubling time of the coronavirus cases in India is about three weeks at this stage.
- Two Vistara pilots have tested positive for Covid-19 after undergoing flight simulator training, the airline said.
- The government has given restaurants the nod to open their doors but many owners say the cap on the number of customers will make their operations unviable and it may be better to stay closed.
- With the coronavirus pandemic showing no signs of abating, it seems unlikely that Muslims from India will be able to undertake the Haj pilgrimage this year, sources said. However, they said the government will take a final decision on the matter only after Saudi Arabia makes its position on hosting the pilgrimage clear.
- Scientists have observed that a drug which is already approved to treat several blood cancers, is associated with reduced respiratory