New Delhi: India registered its highest single-day spike of COVID-19 cases on Sunday with 8,380 new infections reported in the last 24 hours, taking the country’s tally to 1,82,143, while the death toll rose to 5,164, according to the Union health ministry.
The number of active COVID-19 cases stood to 89,995, while 86,983 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, it said.
“Thus, around 47.75% patients have recovered so far,” a senior health ministry official said. Though official spokespersons have been highlighting the Indian recovery rate, they do not mention that the global recovery rate is also the same or slightly better.
The death toll has gone up by 193 since Saturday morning, of which 99 were from Maharashtra, 27 from Gujarat, 18 from Delhi, nine each from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, seven from West Bengal, six each from Tamil Nadu and Telangana, five in Bihar, three from Uttar Pradesh, two from Punjab, and one each from Haryana and Kerala.
India is currently ranked ninth in the world in terms of total COVID-19 cases, and sixth in terms of active cases.
On Saturday evening, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced that lockdown restrictions will be eased across the country from Monday onwards, except in containment zones. From June 8 religious places and places of worship will be opened, along with hotels, restaurants, other hospitality services and malls.
Russia plans coronavirus vaccine clinical trials in two weeks – report
Russian scientists plan to start clinical trials within two weeks on a vaccine to combat the novel coronavirus, the health minister was quoted as saying on Saturday as authorities approved the country’s first anti-COVID-19 drug.
Russia has the world’s third-highest toll of coronavirus infections after the United States and Brazil, and Kremlin officials have said the nation’s researchers are working on almost 50 different vaccine projects.
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“The tests are under way and we plan to start clinical trials in the next two weeks,” Health Minister Mikhail Murashko was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency. He said volunteers had been selected to take part in the trials.
Drugmakers worldwide are rushing to develop treatments and vaccines for the virus that has caused 364,000 deaths globally.
Brazil has record new coronavirus cases, surpasses France in deaths
Brazil reported a record 33,274 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday, its health ministry said, and the death toll surpassed that of France and now ranks only below the United States, Britain and Italy.
The South American nation has now reported 498,440 confirmed cases of coronavirus since the outbreak began, a level of contagion second only to the United States.
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The death toll in Brazil from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, increased to 28,834, with 956 new deaths in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.
Brazilian states are preparing to ease quarantine restrictions despite warnings from public health experts who say the worst is still to come.
Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro has played down the gravity of the epidemic and criticised lockdowns for paralysing the economy and causing widespread unemployment and hardship.
(With agency inputs)