As cases rise rapidly, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi seal hotspots

India has detected 460 more COVID-19 cases since 5 p.m. on April 8, taking the total to 5,734, noted health ministry data issued at 8 a.m. on April 9. 62 patients have recovered, adding up to 473, while 17 more patients have died, taking the total to 166.

Maharashtra, which continues to have the most cases (1,135), has reported the most deaths (8) since the last update, followed by Gujarat (3) and J&K (2). Karnataka, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and UP have reported one each.

Every death is an “area of concern”, said Lav Agarwal, joint secretary at the central health ministry, during a press conference on April 8. “Early identification is a key to manage the disease better, for which we require community support.”

Uttar Pradesh (361) and Delhi (669) became the first two states to seal hotspots to contain COVID-19 until the lockdown ends, tentatively on April 14.

Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state with more than 200 million people, sealed 15 districts (20%), while Delhi sealed 20 hotspots.

April 9 marks 100 days “since WHO was notified of the first cases of ‘pneumonia with unknown cause’ in China”, said Tedros Ghebreyesus, director general of WHO. “It’s incredible to reflect on how dramatically the world has changed, in such a short period of time.”

Global death toll due to COVID-19 is more than 88,000 & more than 1.4 million people have been infected, as per April 9 data from Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Italy, Spain and France have reported more than 10,000 deaths. Spain, Italy, Germany and France continue to report one-third of cases globally.

(Compiled by Shreehari Paliath)