Total coronavirus cases in India mount to 18,601; Delhi has 2,081 patients

The total number of coronavirus positive cases in India has reached 18,601 on Tuesday. And at least 590 have died due to the disease.

With 78 fresh coronavirus cases and two deaths on Monday, the total number of Covid-19 cases in Delhi rose to 2,081, the government authorities said. The death toll from Covid-19 in the national capital stands at 47, with 25 victims aged 60 and above.

Acording to Delhi government authorities, a committee has been constituted for a daily audit of every fatality due to Covid-19.

The city government has acquired 42,000 such kits and after trial runs on Sunday, the first phase of tests were conducted on Monday in a containment zone in Nabi Karim area in central Delhi, the news agency PTI reported.

"Sixty-two Covid-19 tests using rapid (anti-bodies) test kits were conducted today in Nabi Karim area's containment zone and all samples came out negative," a senior official said.

The tests were being administered only in persons showing some sort of symptoms of the coronavirus infection, he said.

The number of containment zones in Delhi increased to 84, with eight new ones being added, the authorities said.

According to the Health Department, at least 625 coronavirus patients are admitted to various hospitals like LNJP Hospital, GTB Hospital, RML Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) and AIIMS Jhajjhar. It said 26 of them are in ICU and six on ventilator support.

As many as 32,192 people, who came in contact with affected persons, are under home-quarantine and 20,041 have completed their 14-day quarantine, the officials said.

Meanwhile in Maharashtra, the total number of coronavirus cases have risen to 4,666, with 466 new cases and 9 new deaths  on Monday.

Of the total tally, 572 patients have been cured and recovered as 65 patients were discharged from hospitals. With nine new deaths in the state, the death toll rose to 232.

In Madhya Pradesh, wth 84 more people testing positive for coronavirus during the past 24 hours, the count has increased up to 1,485 on Monday, while the death toll rose to 76, health officials said.

Bhopal registered the highest number of new cases at 40, taking the number of Covid-19 infections in the state capital to 254 till now.

Indore continued to lead the chart in the state with 897 cases, adding seven new positive cases in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.

Besides Indore (seven new) and Bhopal (40 new), the count of Covid-19 cases rose to 36 in Dhar (15 new), 24 in Raisen (17 new), 25 in Hoshangabad (one new), 21 in Jabalpur (one new), 8 in Agar Malwa (two new) and 6 in Shajapur (one new).

In Tamil Nadu, as many as 43 people tested positive for coronavirus on Monday, taking the total number of cases to 1,520 in the state, Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said.

While there were 43 new cases, a doctor died on Sunday and another died today taking the aggregate number of deaths in the state to 17, he told reporters.

Though they have been discharged, they will be in home quarantine for 16 more days, he said, adding that of the 1043 active cases, six people alone needed "oxygen support."

Chennai continued to top the list of infected districts with 303 cases and the State capital had the maximum of new positive cases (18) reported.

Rajasthan on Monday reported 98 coronavirus positive cases, taking the state tally to 1576.

Out of 98 coronavirus cases, 50 cases were reported from Jaipur, 32 from Jodhpur and 7 from Kota. Meanwhile, with one person each succumbing to the infection in Nagaur and Kota, the total death count due to the virus stood at 25, as per the State Health Department.

As per the cumulative count of coronavirus cases in the State, the highest number of people infected by the disease were from Jaipur at 585 followed by Jodhpur (260), Kota (106) and Bharatpur (102).

In West Bengal, the total number of active coronavirus cases rose to 245, said the state's Health and Family Welfare Department.

The Health department also reported there have been 12 deaths due to the deadly virus in the state so far.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government said that one-third of Covid-19 positive cases in the state is due to those who have returned from West Bengal.

To date, there are 74 positive Covid-19 cases in the state, out of which 24 are those who have come from West Bengal.

"One-third of all positive Covid-19 cases are those that have returned from West Bengal which is worrying for the Odisha government," a press release said.

In Karnataka, 18 new Covid-19 cases,were registered, increasing the tally to 408.

"As of 5 p.m. on Monday, 408 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, including 16 deaths and 112 discharged patients," said the health official.

In the five hours from Monday noon to 5 p.m., the number of discharged patients rose by just one, from 111 to 112.

In Kerala's Kasaragod district, which has recently emerged as the Covid-19 hotspot with 169 cases, has managed to bring down the active corona cases to 27, said State Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday.

"The Kasargod district, in particular, has shown much resilience in fighting the pandemic in the last two months as the district had the highest number of 169 confirmed cases within the State. Now, 142 have recovered and the rest 27 patients are on their way to recovery with no serious issues. The way Kasargod fought back should be a role model for the country," said Vijayan.

He said that there was a phase when Kerala accounted for the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the country but today the state has the highest number of recovered cases.

Meanwhile in Manipur, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that the state government has decided to relax the lockdown norms in rural areas since the state has now become Covid-19 free. However, lockdown would continue in urban areas until further orders.

"I would like to congratulate all the front-line fighters involved in the battle against Covid-19. With the support of the people and with the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Manipur is a Covid-19 free state now. But, considering the situation in other parts of the nation, we must be more careful in the near future," said Singh.

Speaking about the relaxation of lockdown norms in the state, the Chief Minister said: "We are going to relax the lockdown norms in rural areas. In urban areas, the lockdown will continue until a further decision is made. Essential commodities shops will open from 8 am to 2 pm, as opening of the lockdown has to be in phases, this could prevent chaos as people are not fully aware of the virus yet."