Confirmed novel coronavirus cases to date now exceed 200,000, including 152 cases in India.
At the time of writing, a total of 204,069 coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide, of which 112,953 are active. Fortunately, the overwhelming majority (94 percent) of current coronavirus patients are in mild condition, translating to 106,519 people. The remaining six percent of active coronavirus patients are in serious or critical condition, translating to 6,434 people.
In India, there are 135 active cases of the novel coronavirus (or COVID-19), with fourteen people having recovered from the virus. At the global level, 8,250 people have lost their lives to the virus. This includes three fatalities in India.
Novel coronavirus cases are spread over multiple states and union territories. Of the states and union territories, Maharashtra reports the most confirmed coronavirus cases with 42 to date. Kerala follows, with 27 confirmed cases. In joint third, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh report sixteen coronavirus cases apiece, followed by Karnataka with thirteen; Delhi with ten; Ladakh with eight; Telangana with six; Rajasthan with four; and Jammu and Kashmir with three. The remaining affected states and union territories – Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Tamil Nadu – have reported one case each. Multiple states and union territories are imposing strict measures.
In addition to the 135 active coronavirus cases in India, 276 Indians are confirmed to have developed COVID-19 abroad by the Union Ministry of External Affairs. Of these cases, 255 are located in Iran; twelve in the United Arab Emirates; five in Italy; and one apiece in Hong Kong, Kuwait, Rwanda, and Sri Lanka.
Against a backdrop of rising coronavirus cases in the southeast Asia region, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Southeast Asia Region Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh has said “we need to immediately scale up all efforts to prevent the virus from infecting more people” in light of the fact that “the situation is evolving rapidly.” Singh expanded that “more clusters of virus transmission are being confirmed.
“While this is an indication of an alert and effective surveillance, it also puts the spotlight on the need for more aggressive and whole of society efforts to prevent further spread of COVID-19. We clearly need to do more, and urgently.”
In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to quell the fears of the population against the backdrop of rising COVID-19 cases in southeast Asia. Taking to Twitter in recent days, Modi said “at all levels, various authorities are working in sync to ensure COVID-19 does not spread. No stone is being left unturned to ensure people are healthy.” He further said that “our doctors, nurses, healthcare workers are putting great efforts. They are out there, helping people. We will always cherish their contribution.”
