Central teams sent to 5 states reporting surge in COVID-19 cases

Union Health Ministry says these teams will support the states towards strengthening containment, surveillance, testing, prevention of infection and control measures

High-level central teams have been deputed to Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, which have been reporting a surge in COVID-19 cases, to support them in management of the disease. The Union Health Ministry on Friday said these teams will support the state towards strengthening containment, surveillance, testing, infection prevention and control measures, and efficient clinical management of the positive cases. "The Central teams shall also guide in effectively managing the challenges related to timely diagnosis and follow up," it said. Each team comprises a joint secretary (nodal officer for the respective state), one public health expert to look after the public health aspects, one clinician to look after infection prevention practices and clinical management protocol being followed by the state.

Kerala so far has reported 3,17,929 Coronavirus infections which form 4.3 per cent of the total cases, the ministry said. The cases per million stand at 8,906. The recoveries have surged to 2,22,231 accounting for a recovery rate of 69.90 per cent. There are 94,609 active cases, the ministry said. Total deaths in the state are 1,089 with a case fatality rate of 0.34 per cent and deaths per million of 31. The tests per million of Kerala stand at 53,518 and the positivity rate is 16.6 per cent, the ministry said. Karnataka has reported 7,43,848 cases of Coronavirus infection accounting for 10.1 per cent of the national figure. It has 11,010 cases per million population.

Ghulam Nabi Azad tests COVID positive

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad has tested positive for COVID-19 and has quarantined himself at home. The Congress leader shared the information on Twitter and asked those who came in contact with him in the recent past to follow protocols on self-quarantine and testing.

India's COVID tally crosses 74L

With a spike of 62,418 Coronavirus cases and 836 deaths in 24 hours, India's tally reached 74,27,529 cases, the Union Health Ministry data said on Friday. Out of these, 65,16,771 have been discharged, 8,04,528 are currently active while 1,12,926 lost the battle against the pandemic. According to the Ministry, India continues to have one of the lowest deaths per million population globally, presently pegged at 80.

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