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India’s COVID-19 cases cross 2.76 lakh, death toll at 7,745; WHO urges Pakistan for new lockdowns

Globally, the number of infections has reached 7,238,723 with the death toll at 4,11,177 according to Johns Hopkins tracker.

India’s COVID-19 cases cross 2.76 lakh, death toll at 7,745; WHO urges Pakistan for new lockdowns

Medical staff outside the Covid OPD at LNJP Hospital in Delhi. (Image: SNS)

India’s tally of COVID-19 coronavirus cases reached 2,76,583 on Wednesday according to ministry of health. Out of which 1,33,632 are active cases and 1,35,205 have been cured. The death toll due to the virus rose to 7,745.

In the last 24 hours, a spike of 9,985 COVID-19 cases and 279 deaths were reported.

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Meanwhile, for the first time, the number of those who have recovered overtook the active COVID-19 cases in the country.

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With 2,76,583 cases, India is now the fifth worst-affected country by the pandemic, since the first case was reported in January-end. It overtook Spain on Sunday, and is just 13,000 short of the UK tally of 2,90,581, according to data by Johns Hopkins University and Medicine.

Mumbai (with over 51,000) has tipped Wuhan (over 31,000) tally as Maharashtra’s coronavirus cases stood at 90,787, which is more than 31 per cent of the national tally, followed by Tamil Nadu with 34,914, Delhi with 31,309 and Gujarat with 21,014 cases.

Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday said the number of cases in the national capital will soar to 5.5 lakh by the end of July, with around 80,000 hospital beds needed, even as the government warned that in around half the current cases, the source of infection is unknown. Delhi’s COVID dashboard shows it has 8,975 beds across state-run, Centre-run and private hospitals, of which 4,840 are currently occupied. Another 11,259 patients are in home isolation.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has asked Pakistan that it should implement “intermittent” lockdowns to counter a surge in coronavirus infections that has come as the country relaxed its restrictions, an official said Tuesday. “As of today, Pakistan does not meet any of the pre-requisite conditions for opening the lockdown”, the WHO said in a letter to Punjab’s provincial health minister Yasmin Rashid.

Since the pandemic outbreak in Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan opposed a nationwide lockdown of the sort seen elsewhere, arguing the country could not afford it, AFP reports. Last week Khan said most of these restrictions would be lifted. That decision came as Pakistan’s infection rate is worsening, as it is across all of South Asia, which until recently had lagged Western nations in virus tolls.

Health officials said on Tuesday they had recorded a total of 1,08,317 cases and 2,172 deaths, though with testing still limited, real rates are thought to be much higher.

Globally, the number of infections has reached 7,238,723 with the death toll at 4,11,177 according to Johns Hopkins tracker.

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