ICMR tests nearly 84 lakh samples for Covid-19, positive cases over 5.4 lakh

Another big single-day spike of 19,459 Covid-19 cases took India’s tally close to 5.5 lakh on Monday, even as the recovery rate further improved to 58.67 per cent.

India’s Covid-19 case tally rose to 5,48,318, while the death toll climbed to 16,475 with 380 new fatalities, according to the Union health ministry data.

This is the sixth consecutive day that coronavirus infections have increased by more than 15,000. The country has seen a surge of 3,57,783 infections from June 1 till date.

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The number of active cases stands at 2,10,120, while 3,21,722 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, according to the updated data.

The total number of confirmed cases includes foreigners.

The gap between recoveries and active cases is 1,11,602 as of Monday, with the recovery rate now at 58.67 per cent, the ministry said.

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A total of 12,010 Covid-19 patients have been cured since Sunday.

The graded, pre-emptive and pro-active steps taken by the government along with states and Union territories for prevention, containment and management of Covid-19 continue to show encouraging results, it said.

India now has 1,047 diagnostic labs dedicated to Covid-19, including 760 in the government sector and 287 private labs.

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Eleven labs have been inducted since Sunday and these are all operated by the government.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 83,98,362 samples have been tested up to June 28, with 1,70,560 samples tested on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) said in a fresh set of guidelines that blood can be collected from a person, who tested positive and recovered from Covid-19, only after 28 days of discharge from a treating facility or 28 days after home isolation ends, The second interim national guidance for blood transfusion amid the Covid-19 pandemic stressed on safe functioning of services. The NBTC had issued the first interim recommendations in March. To maintain safety, the NBTC in its guidelines urged blood banks and camp organisers to exclude donors who are in the risk category.

Very mild, mild, pre-symptomatic, moderate and severe Covid-19 cases must be deferred for 28 days from donating blood after discharge from a treating facility or 28 days after the end of home isolation, stated the guidelines issued by the NBTC, which comes under the ambit of the Union health ministry.

The definition of end of discontinuation of home isolation should be as per the home isolation guidelines issued by the ministry from time to time, they said. Individuals with history of contact with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 cases, including those under quarantine, should be deferred from donating blood for 28 days from the last time they came in close contact with a Covid-risk person, the guidelines stated.

Of the 380 new deaths reported, 156 are from Maharashtra, 65 from Delhi, 54 from Tamil Nadu, 19 from Gujarat, 16 from Karnataka, 12 from Andhra Pradesh, 11 from Uttar Pradesh, 10 from West Bengal, eight from Rajasthan, seven from Madhya Pradesh, five each from Haryana and Punjab, four from Telangana, three from Odisha and one fatality each was reported from Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Goa, Uttarakhand and Bihar.

Of the total 16,475 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra tops the tally with 7,429 deaths, followed by Delhi with 2,623, Gujarat with 1,808, Tamil Nadu with 1,079, Uttar Pradesh with 660, West Bengal with 639, Madhya Pradesh with 557, Rajasthan with 399 and Telangana with 247 deaths.

The Covid-19 death toll has reached 223 in Haryana, 207 in Karnataka, 169 in Andhra Pradesh, 133 in Punjab, 94 in Jammu and Kashmir, 60 in Bihar, 38 in Uttarakhand, 22 in Kerala and 21 in Odisha.

Chhattisgarh has registered 13 deaths, Jharkhand 12, Puducherry and Assam 10 each, Himachal Pradesh nine, Chandigarh six, Goa three and Meghalaya, Tripura, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh have reported one fatality each, according to the Union health ministry.

More than 70 per cent of the deaths took place due to comorbidities, it said.