Coronavirus: India Reports 508 New Cases In 24 Hours; Govt Lifts Ban From Export Of Crucial Drugs- 10 Points

New Delhi:

India registered 508 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours taking the total to 4,789 while the number of deaths rose to 124 with 13 new ones. While the number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 4,312, as many as 352 people were cured and discharged and one has migrated to another country. The total number of COVID-19 cases include 66 foreign nationals. Meanwhile, India has decided to partially lift the ban on export of paracetamol and anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine.

Here's All You Need To Know About The COVID-19 Pandemic In India And The World:

1. According to the ministry's data updated at 6 PM, 13 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours. Four deaths were reported from Madhya Pradesh, three from Maharashtra, three from Rajasthan and one each from Gujarat, Odisha and Punjab.
2. Maharashtra has reported the most coronavirus deaths so far at 48, followed by Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh at 13 each, Telangana, Punjab and Delhi seven each and Tamil Nadu with five fatalities. Karnataka has registered four deaths so far, while West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan have recorded three fatalities each. Two deaths each have been reported from Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala. Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana have reported one fatality each, according to the health ministry's data.
3. India will supply drugs essential in the fight against the novel coronavirus to nations who have been badly affected by the pandemic. Citing the need to show solidarity and cooperation in face of the COVID-19 pandemic, India has decided to partially lift the ban on export of paracetamol and anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine. The decision comes after US President Donald Trump has warned India of retaliation if it did not export the anti-malarial drug despite his personal request.
4. Anurag Srivastava, Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs,  said that India would licence paracetamol and HCQ (hydroxychloroquine) in appropriate quantities to all our neighbouring countries who are dependent on our capabilities. India will also be supplying these essential drugs to some nations who have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic. However, India will export the drug on a case-by-case basis after meeting all the domestic requirements. "Like any responsible government, our first obligation is to ensure that there are adequate stocks of medicines for the requirement of our own people," the MEA spokesperson said.
5. The lives of the medical professionals who are fighting against the novel coronavirus will be covered under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance scheme now. The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said 22.12 lakh public health care providers and community health workers losing lives due to coronavirus or while treating such patients will get an insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh. The insurance cover will also include private hospital staff, retired staff, volunteers, contract workers, daily wagers and even outsourced staff hired by the central and state governments and autonomous healthcare institutions, the ministry said.
6. One coronavirus positive, not following preventive measures like social distancing or lockdown guidelines, can infect 406 persons in 30 days, according to an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study. However, with up to 70% measures in place, the number of infections per positive person comes down to a maximum of 2.5 people. Aggarwal said R-Naught for coronavirus is between 1.4 and 1.5 as per one study by the scientific body, ICMR. According to PTI, R-Naught or R0 tells the average number of people who will catch a disease from one infected person.
7. The central government is considering extending the closure of all educational institutions and restricting all religious activities having public participation till May 15 irrespective of whether the government extends the 21-day coronavirus lockdown or not, official sources said. A meeting of the GoM chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and participated by Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman concluded that religious centres, shopping malls and educational institutions must not be allowed to resume normal functioning at least for four weeks from April 14 when the current lockdown ends.
8. The Indian Railways on Tuesday suspended all the bookings for its three private trains till April 30. The passengers who had booked their tickets on IRCTC-run 3 trains, must note that the railways will refund the full amount of the tickets. The bookings for the three trains—the Kashi Mahakal Express on the Varanasi-Indore route, the Lucknow-New Delhi Tejas and the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas—were earlier stopped only between April 25 and April 15 during the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis, and booking of tickets for travel after the lockdown period was allowed.
9. An ordinance to amend a law to reduce the salaries of Members of Parliament by 30 per cent for one year "to meet the exigencies arising out of COVID-19 pandemic" was promulgated on Tuesday. A member of Parliament draws a salary of Rs one lakh per month and a constituency allowance of Rs 70,000 per month, besides other allowances.
10. New York state has recorded its highest number of COVID-19 deaths in 24 hours, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday, adding though that hospitalizations appeared to be "plateauing". Andrew Cuomo said 731 people died from the new coronavirus on Monday, bringing the state's total death count to 5,489. The previous single-day record was 630, set on Friday. COVID-19 has killed more than 11,000 people in the United States, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University.

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