A slew of COVID-19 related announcements were made on Wednesday, aimed at the revival of India’s economy. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a ₹3 lakh crore stimulus package for MSMEs, and the Prime Minister’s Office announced that the PM CARES fund will allocate ₹3,100 crore to COVID-19 relief, including funds for ventilators, migrant workers and vaccine development.
The Hindu has brought out a multi-language e-book on essential COVID-19 information, in addition to covering the developments related to the coronavirus pandemic as it unfolded. Here is a collection of our daily cartoons on COVID-19.
Here are answers from experts on your queries about the virus, a list of State Helpline numbers, a State-wise tracker for COVID-19 cases, deaths and testing, and a map of confirmed cases in India.
Here are the latest updates:
3.10 pm | Uttarakhand
3 more test positive for COVID-19 in Uttarakhand, tally rises to 75
Three more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Uttarakhand, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 75.
The latest cases were reported from Dehradun late on Wednesday night. All of them had a travel history from outside the state. – PTI
3.00 pm | Tamil Nadu
Crew member of ship anchored at Chennai Port tests positive
A 27-year-old person, a member of a ship’s crew that reached Chennai Port, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.
The ship, ‘MT Desh Abhimaan’ with an Indian flag, carrying crude oil, left from Basra, Iraq and reached the city on May 3 and was waiting for berthing.
Sources at Chennai Port said contact tracing was done immediately and further investigations are on. “The ship has been completely disinfected and its 26 crew members have been asked to be kept in isolation inside the ship. Their health conditions are monitored daily” an official said.
2.40 pm | Delhi
In first COVID-19 case in Delhi prison, Rohini jail inmate tests positive
In the first case of coronavirus in a Delhi prison, a 28-year-old inmate of Rohini jail has tested positive for the disease, officials said on Thursday. The prisoner who was asymptomatic tested positive on Wednesday and was later admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital, a senior jail official said, adding that five to six officials who came in contact with the inmate have been sent to home quarantine.
“The prisoner had some intestinal problem and was admitted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital on Sunday. His intestine surgery was conducted on Sunday. On Monday, doctors took the samples for COVID-19 and the result came positive on Wednesday,” Director General (Prisons) Sandeep Goel said.
He was lodged inside the jail around five to six months ago in a robbery and attempt to murder case and used to stay in a barrack with 19 other inmates who have been isolated. – PTI
2.30 pm | Delhi
A driver working at the Delhi secretariat has tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Thursday.
“The driver was working for the health department and showed mild symptoms. He got tested and the result came out to be positive about three to four days back. He is currently under home isolation,” an official told The Hindu.
The official said that staff who came into contact with the driver were tested, but their results came out to be negative. – Nikhil M. Babu
1.45 pm | Delhi
Delhi reports highest number of cases in a single day
472 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Delhi in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 8,470, according to a health bulletin released by the Delhi government on Thursday.
This is the highest number of cases reported in a single day in the city so far.
Also, nine more deaths have been reported, taking the total number of deaths to 115. But all the deaths did not happen in the past 24 hours.
“Cumulative deaths as per case sheets received from hospitals, after audited by committee,” the bulletin said on the total number of deaths. – Nikhil M. Babu
1.40 pm | Maharashtra