Coronavirus: Death toll hits 20; cases cross 700 in India

NEW DELHI, Mar 27
Seven deaths from COVID-19 infections were reported from across the country on Thursday, the highest single-day count so far, taking the toll from the disease to 20, even as States registered 71 new cases, including four in Delhi.  The total number of coronavirus cases thus far in India crossed the 700 mark, ending the day at 727, according to reports from states.
The Health Ministry confirmed six new COVID-19 deaths, which included some already reported by TOI. The total number of deaths confirmed by the ministry is 16.
The ministry reported 88 new cases, the highest official single-day count so far, taking its total to 694. Two deaths were reported from Mumbai, both 65-year-old women with no travel history.
The Government said that the rate of increase in positive cases of COVID-19 has “relatively stabilised” in the last few days even as it stressed that there was no room for complacency and alertness had to be maintained with determined implementation of a national lockdown.
Most deaths have taken place in the elderly and those with co-morbidities. In J&K, a 65-year-old trader and preacher from Sopore became the Valley’s first COVID-19 casualty. Another death was reported from Rajasthan, where a 73-year-old resident of virushit Bhilwara succumbed to COVID-19 on Thursday. “The patient was suffering from diabetes, chronic kidney disease and stroke,” State Health Minister Raghu Sharma said.
Madhya Pradesh also reported its second death. A 35-year-old man, with no history of foreign travel who was hospitalised with fever, cough and breathing difficulty and later tested positive for COVID-19, died during treatment in Indore. Earlier, a 65-year-old woman from the State, who had tested positive for COVID-19, had succumbed to the illness. Gujarat recorded the death of a 70-year-old man and five new positive cases on Thursday, taking the total number of positives to 44. COVID-19 has claimed three lives in the State.
The latest victim, a resident of Bhavnagar, had recently travelled to Delhi. He was also suffering from cancer, diabetes and heart disease, local authorities said. There have been no COVID-19 deaths in Kerala so far, although the State reported the highest number of new cases, 19, on Thursday. Maharashtra, the other COVID-19 hotspot, reported eight new cases. Kerala has had 137 COVID-19 patients so far, the highest in the country, followed by Maharashtra (130), Karanataka (55), Telangana (45) and Gujarat (44). Total four new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed from Delhi on Thursday, taking the total count to 39.
Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary in the Health Minis- try, said while the number of COVID-19 cases was increasing, there appears to be relatively a stable trend or even little bit reduction in the rate at which they are increasing. “This however does not establish a clear trend and in no way are we relaxed about anything at this point,” he added.
Agarwal said the Ministry is hopeful of containing the spread of the corona-virus by the social-distancing policy, conducting a proper contact tracing of positive cases and by ensuring that all people at home quarantine are monitored. He urged people to support the lock-down announced by the Prime Minister, saying social distancing can be an effective intervention to break the chain of transmission and all the efforts will go into waste even if one person does not follow the policy for containment of the disease. TNN