India's coronavirus death toll rises to 53; cases surge past 2,000

New Delhi, April 2

With 235 more people being confirmed positive for the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, the number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 2,069 and the death toll to 53 in the country on Thursday, the Union Health Ministry said.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in the country is 1,860, while 155 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated, it said.

In its updated data, the ministry reported three fresh deaths -- one from Gujarat and two from Delhi.

Maharashtra has reported the most deaths (13) so far, followed by Gujarat (7), Madhya Pradesh (6), Punjab (4), Karnataka (3), Telangana (3), West Bengal (3), Delhi (4), Jammu and Kashmir (2), Uttar Pradesh (2) and Kerala (2).

Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh have reported one death each.

The 2,069 figure includes 55 foreign nationals, the ministry said.

The highest number of coronavirus confirmed cases have been reported from Maharashtra at 335 so far, followed by Kerala at 265 and Tamil Nadu at 234.

The number of cases in Delhi has gone up to 219.

Uttar Pradesh has reported 113 positive cases so far, while the COVID-19 cases in Karnataka have risen to 110 and in Telengana to 107. Rajasthan has reported 108 cases, Madhya Pradesh 99, Gujarat 87, Andhra Pradesh 86. Jammu and Kashmir has 62 positive patients so far.

The number of cases have risen to 53 in West Bengal. Punjab has reported 46 COVID-19 cases and Haryana 43.

Bihar has 24, while Chandigarh has 16 and Ladakh has reported 13 cases.

Ten cases have been reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Chhattisgarh has nine positive patients while Uttarakhand has reported seven cases so far.

Goa and Assam have reported five coronavirus cases each. Odisha has four cases while Puducherry and Himachal Pradesh have reported three cases each. Jhakhand, Mizoram and Manipur have reported a case each, according to the ministry.

About 400 COVID-19 positive cases have been found whose epidemiological linkage can be traced to the Tablighi Jamaat cluster, the health ministry said ealier during the daily briefing.

Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agrawal said," Yesterday, the cabinet secretary through video conferencing with chief secretaries and DGPs asked them to initiate intensive contact tracing of Tablighi Jamaat participants and implement containment measures on war-footing."

After contact tracing and sampling, about 400 positive cases have been identified whose epidemiological linkage can be traced to the Tablighi Jamaat cluster, he said.

This includes 173 from Tamil Nadu, 11 from Rajasthan, nine from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 47 from Delhi, two from Puducherry, 22 from Jammu and Kashmir, 33 from Telengana, 67 from Andhra Pradesh and 16 from Assam.

These numbers are increasing as more samples are being tested, Agrawal said.

Regarding the Dharavi COVID-19 positive case, he said the building there has been sealed and sample collection and contact tracing is going on as per protocol.

The joint secretary said that the prime minister has urged states to manage the coronavirus crisis at the district level.

Orders have been placed for over 1.5 crore personal protective equipment (PPEs) and supply has already started, he said, adding that domestic manufacturing of N-95 masks has been stepped up.

The official also informed that there have been limited cases of doctors on duty testing COVID-19 positive and asserted that it is important to follow infection prevention control at hospitals. — PTI