The number of COVID-19 cases has risen worldwide to more than 1,00,000, with 3,500 dead across 95 nations and territories.
Interactive graphic shows the spread of coronavirus — Reuters
China’s new confirmed case count of the coronavirus cases fell by roughly one half, according to official data, as the disease continues to subside in its country of origin.
South Korea on Sunday reported 93 new COVID-19 cases from late Saturday, for a total of 7,134 in the country, Yonhap news agency reported, citing health officials.
In India, the total number of COVID-19 cases has increased to 34 with three more cases — two from Ladakh and one from Tamil Nadu — as on Saturday.
Here are the latest updates:
NEW DELHI, India
AIIMS asked to designate part of new emergency wing for setting up isolation beds
Augmenting facilities to deal with novel coronavirus, the Union Health Ministry has asked the AIIMS administration to designate a part of the new emergency wing of its Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre for setting up of isolation beds for suspected COVID-19 patients.
This isolation facility will have a capacity to hold about 20 patients at a given point of time and once confirmed to be positive, the patient concerned will be transferred to NCI Jajhar for treatment, official sources said.
A separate entry gate has been delineated which will receive patients from the ambulance bay. Based on the history and severity, patients will be triaged as Red, Yellow or Green case.
Besides, the Ministry has asked the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Jhajjar to augment its isolation bed capacity to 125 from the existing 25.
Also, the Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry has been asked to keep aside 13 beds for isolating patients while six other AIIMS have been directed to keep an isolation bed capacity between 12-15 for coronavirus patients, which can be scaled up to 30 if need arises, the official said.
NEW DELHI, India
Healthy people need not wear masks, says Delhi CM Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that healthy people in the Capital need not wear a mask to protect themselves from COVID-19.
People tended to constantly adjust their masks and touch their face, thereby increasing the risk of infection in case they had already touched contaminated things.
Frequent washing of hands with soap and water was the best preventive measure against COVID-19. “Masks and hand sanitisers only give a false sense of security. There is no substitute for frequent handwashing,” he said.
TAMIL NADU, India
Coronavirus: 18 Indians among those stranded in cruise ship in Egypt
Eighteen Indians, all from Tamil Nadu, are stranded in cruise ship ‘A Sara’ that remains anchored in the Nile, near the city of Luxor in Egypt, for the fifth day after 33 passengers and 12 crew members were tested positive for COVID-19.
A passenger from Coimbatore, speaking to The Hindu over phone, said that they, most of them aged above 50, were in a state of panic as they were yet to hear from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Egypt about evacuation efforts.
Of the 18 Tamilians, one passenger, an engineer from Chennai, was shifted to a hospital in the port city of Alexandria on Saturday after he developed symptoms of COVID-19.
TAMIL NADU, India
Baseless rumours being spread linking broiler chicken with infection, says T.N. Minister
Baseless rumours were being spread in Tamil Nadu linking broiler chicken and COVID-19, Minister for Animal Husbandry Udumalai K. Radhakrishnan said on Sunday.
The Minister participated in a programme (‘kaalkol vizha’) ahead of foundation stone laying for the Tiruppur Medical College Hospital to be held soon.
Speaking to mediapersons after the event, Mr. Radhakrishnan urged the public to not believe the rumours regarding broiler chicken, as the Department of Health and Family Welfare had clarified that consumption of chicken did not cause COVID-19.
The Minister noted that Amma Mobile Medical Ambulance services offered by the Animal Husbandry Department visited the residences of farmers to provide vaccination for foot-and-mouth disease for cattle.
Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami would lay the foundation stone for the Tiruppur Medical College Hospital on March 15, Mr. Radhakrishnan said.
MLAs from the district, Collector K. Vijayakarthikeyan, Deputy Commissioner of Police V. Badri Narayanan, Tiruppur Government Hospital Dean Valli Sathyamoorthy and other officials were present at the event, a release said.
ARUNACHAL PRADESH, India
Arunachal Pradesh bans entry of foreigners
The Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to temporarily suspend issuing Protected Area Permits (PAPs) to foreigners to check the spread of coronavirus, officials said on Sunday.
Foreigners require PAPs to enter the state that shares a border with China.
Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar directed all PAP issuing authorities to suspend the issue of permits till further orders, they said.
“It is learnt that Covid-19 positive cases have been detected in India and the numbers have been increasing. It is also learnt that the spread of the coronavirus in India is primarily from visitors who had history of travelling abroad recently or through tourists who have visited India,” the government order said.
“In order to prevent the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) in Arunachal Pradesh, it has been decided to temporarily suspend issuing Protected Area Permit (PAP)…,” it added.
The move comes days after Sikkim announ