COVID-19 positive cases in India rise to 2032, toll climbs to 58

NEW DELHI, Apr 2
The number of coronavirus (or  COVID-19) cases in India has soared to 2,032. The death toll, meanwhile, has risen to 58. 148 people have recovered so far.
Meanwhile, 34 new coronavirus positive cases have been reported in India. As per the ministry’s updated data, nine fresh deaths were reported — four from Maharashtra, three from Madhya Pradesh and one each from Andhra Pradesh and Punjab.
One death each was reported in Gujarat and Chandigarh due to COVID-19 today even as Assam and Telangana were among several States that reported a surge in the number of coronavirus cases linked to Nizamuddin’s Tablighi Jamaat event. The gathering has led to about 150 new cases in the country.
Maharashtra has the highest number of positive cases — 338, followed by Kerala (237) and Karnataka (110) as on Thursday.
India is going through a 21-day lockdown period to contain the spread of the virus. However, many who attended the religious functions in Delhi and Chandi- garh are yet to be traced.
Padma Shri recipient and Sikh spiritual singer Giani Nirmal Singh, who tested positive for the COVID-19 passed away on Thursday. The spiritual singer had hosted a large religious gathering in Delhi and some other places after his return from abroad. Along with his family members and other relatives, Nirmal Singh had also performed a kirtan in Chandigarh on March 19.
Owing to the mass gathering for the religious event, now the Government will have to trace the ones who had participated in the religious function hosted by Singh. Amritsar administration has written to Chandi- garh in order to track all the attendees and make them undergo COVID-19 tests.
Nizamuddin Markaz has emerged as another hotspot of the virus, wherein a large number of people, foreign nationals and nationals, participated in the annual congregation. Many of the deaths and positive cases have been linked to the gathering in Delhi.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Assam continue to see a spike, with the Government of Assam now confirming that as many as 16 people are carriers of the contagion in the State. 3 more cases have been detected in Goalpara, and all had reportedly joined the Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi’s Nizamuddin.
In the wee hours of the morning, Assam Finance and Health Minister Hi-manta Biswa Sarma had said that 3 more cases were detected in Goalpara in Assam. At 12:15 am, the Health Minister took to Twitter to inform that “3 more COVID 19 positive cases in Goalpara, Assam, taking the total to 16. These three new cases are also of those who joined Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz.”
As many as 19 cases have been reported from the Northeastern part of the country with Manipur recording its second COVID-19 case and Tezu, Arunachal Pradesh recording its first COVID-19 case.
Meanwhile, the number of cases of the new coronavirus or COVID-19 across the world have risen to 937,167. 195,143 people have recovered so far. Of the 694,757 cases which are active, 35,772 are said to be in critical condition.
In the United States, 215,344 people have been infected so far (5,112 have died).
Agencies