india

Updated: Apr 26, 2020 08:17 IST

India’s tally of confirmed coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases shot past the 26,000-mark on Saturday with the biggest single-day spike in infections. Tests in Italy found the Sars-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, can cling to air pollution particles.

India crosses 26k Covid-19 cases with biggest 1-day spike

The spike in coronavirus infections on Saturday was driven largely by Maharashtra and Gujarat where the outbreak has been growing at a much faster pace recently even as the rest of the country shows some improvement.

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Virus could cling to air pollutants

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, can cling to air pollutants, tests conducted in Italy have found -- a finding which, if validated, should cause concern in India, especially Delhi, where air pollution is a recurring problem, although both the researchers themselves and experts said it remains to be see if the virus remains viable and virulent on these particles.

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Post-lockdown plan, migrants in focus at Centre-states meet

Hundreds of thousands of workers , currently in migrant labour camps around India want to return home -- something not possible when no interstate travel is being allowed and passenger trains are not running. At Saturday’s meeting some states including Punjab, Gujarat, Bihar and West Bengal asked the centre to set a protocol for such movements.

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CEA points at Spanish Flu lesson in Covid fight

Chief Economic Advisor KV Subramanian has presented his findings at the Finance Commission advisory council meeting on Friday where he said because India’s economy resembled the US economy at the time of the Spanish Flu, “its study can provide a reasonable guesstimate about what will happen in the Indian scenario”.

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Lockdown period will not count in insolvency proceedings: Govt

The government has issued two orders that exclude the lockdown period because of the Covid-19 outbreak from any corporate insolvency resolution or liquidation processes, the notifications issued on Friday said.

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WHO warns against ‘immunity passports’ as nations look for ways to exit lockdowns

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday warned governments against issuing “immunity passports” or “risk-free certificates” to people who have recovered to enable travel or return to work because there is no evidence that people who have recovered are protected from a second infection.

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2 cell types are entry points for virus

Scientists have identified two types of cells in the nose that are likely to be point of infection for the Sars-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, in the body.

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Ventilation, humidity key in AC rooms: Govt guidelines

Rooms and offices with air conditioning must be well-ventilated and humidified, according to government’s guidelines to public sector offices after a report by a group of experts outlined precautionary measures that need to be taken to curtail the possible spread of Covid-19 in such environments.

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Delhi to open neighbourhood shops outside Covid hot spots

Delhi decided to open all neighbourhood stores, even those selling non-essentials, in areas outside hot spots of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Saturday, a day after the Union home ministry allowed the conditional operation of stand-alone retail outlets.

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Here’s something for you to do this Sunday: Birding

Since the lockdown began, and people started spending all their time at home, there’s been a huge upsurge of interest in birding.

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Centre team says West Bengal not cooperating, row escalates

One of the two interministerial central teams (IMCTs) sent to West Bengal to assess how the state was dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic has again complained that it is not getting support in accessing hospitals and that local officials are refusing to accompany it.

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Govt planning special flights for Indians stranded abroad

The Centre has started making preparations to run scores of special flights early next month to bring thousands of Indians stranded abroad due to the cancellation of international flights from March 22.

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Sonia writes to Modi, seeks Rs 1L-cr for helping MSMEs

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce an immediate Rs 1 lakh crore “wage protection” package for the revival of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), warning that if problems of the sector are not addressed, it could have a devastating effect on the economy.

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Maharashtra records highest one-day spike

Maharashtra recorded the highest single-day increase in the number of Covid-19 cases with 811 infections and 22 people succumbing to the disease on Saturday but officials in the state worst hit by the contagion took heart in a dipping mortality rate and stricter containment measures.

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Global deaths surge past 200,000

The worldwide Covid-19 death toll zoomed past 200,000 on Saturday as the United Nations launched a global push for a vaccine to defeat the pandemic.

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