Confirmed cases in India climb to 3,577, death toll at 83

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country climbed to 3,577 and the death toll rose to 83 on Sunday after 505 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry. The active COVID-19 cases stand at 3,219, while 274 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated. Seven deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours, the ministry data stated. Earlier today, the Indian Council of Medical Research said there was no evidence of COVID-19 being an airborne infection. “If this was an airborne infection not droplet infection, every person in a family would be infected, same would apply for other patients in a hospital,” an ICMR official said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday spoke to former presidents Pranab Mukherjee, Pratibha Patil; former prime ministers Manmohan Singh, Deve Gowda and opposition leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Naveen Patnaik to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the country, sources said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to people to light candles and diyas, or switch on torches or mobile phone flashlights, for nine minutes at 9 pm today, to “illuminate the common purpose we are all fighting for”. “The light from the lamps will show that we are together in this battle,” he said. Eleven days into the lockdown, an informal group of Union Ministers is exploring the possible next steps and options after the 21-day period ends April 14. It is learned that the group headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, may be in a position to make up its mind only after looking at the corona numbers — rate of growth of new cases, the extent of the spread — by April 10.

INDIAN EXPRESS