More on Covid-19

NEW DELHI: Covid-19 cases in India crossed 5,000 on Tuesday, having doubled in the past five days, even as the death toll from the virus went past 150 to end the day at 165, as per the latest reports from states.The total count of coronavirus cases stood at 5,325 at the time of going to press, with 568 fresh ones reported during the day. Cases have more than doubled since April 2, when the countrywide count was 2,580. Maharashtra alone recorded 150 new cases — the highest single-day count for any state — and its total number of infections crossed 1,000.As many as 25 deaths were reported on Tuesday. Among them was a 14-month-old boy, possibly the youngest Indian victim of the virus who died at the state-run hospital in Jamnagar, Gujarat.Delhi has 576 Covid-19 cases and nine deaths, with two fatalities recorded on Tuesday.One of the worrying facts about Covid-19 situation in Delhi is that as many as 35 patients admitted in various hospitals currently require ICU support. Another 27 are on oxygen, which shows that their lung function is compromised.The Jamnagar toddler who died on Tuesday night was on life support since April 5, when he had tested positive. His parents, both labourers, however, tested negative for the virus. Health officials are yet to ascertain the source of the baby's infection.In Telangana, a 23-day-old infant is among 40 new coronavirus cases reported on Tuesday, taking the number of positive cases to 404.Gujarat recorded three other deaths due to Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 16.With 12 deaths accounted for on Tuesday, Maharashtra’s coronavirus toll rose to 64 — nearly 40% of all deaths from the virus in the country. Six of the 12 are from Mumbai, three from Pune and one each from Nagpur, Satara and Mira-Bhayandar. The fatality rate of the state as on Tuesday was 6.2%, among the highest in the country, said government officials.After Maharashtra, where 150 new cases were recorded, states reporting a high number of fresh infections were Tamil Nadu (69), Madhya Pradesh (63), Delhi (51), Rajasthan (42), Telangana (40) and Haryana (33).UP too reported a high number of new cases, 32, pushing the state’s tally to 340. Of the new cases, 25 were related to the Tablighi Jamaat meetings, taking the total number of cases in UP linked to the Nizamuddin events to 190.Agra reported the maximum 10 cases on Tuesday -- six of them had TJ links and others were contacts of old patients. With the new cases, Agra’s tally reached 63 and overtook Gautam Budh Nagar, which did not report any new case for the third consecutive day, its tally remaining static at 58.Rajasthan has reported 42 new Covid-19 cases, taking the state’s tally to 343.Kerala, which was among the worst affected states, has been recording lower count of Covid-19. On Tuesday, the state reported nine fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the total cases in Kerala to 336. Among the nine, four came from abroad, two had attended the Nizamuddin prayer meet and three were infected due to direct contact, officials said.The number of active Covid-19 cases in the northeast increased to 33 on Tuesday with three more persons — two from Assam and one from Tripura — testing positive in the last 24 hours. Meghalaya and Nagaland are the only two NE states which have not recorded any active case yet.Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb tweeted, “First #COVID19 positive case detected in Tripura. The patient is from Udaipur. Don’t Panic, we are taking proper care of the patient. Stay Home Stay Safe.” Jammu and Kashmir has recorded one more Covid-19 death and 15 positive cases on Tuesday, taking the death count to three and overall patient tally to 125. Karnataka has recorded 12 new cases taking the state Covid-19 count to 175. On a brighter note, 25 patients have been discharged in the state.