India reports more than 14,000 COVID cases within 24 hours

Medics applaud for the patients on their discharge from Krishna Hospital in Karad, Maharashtra, after they recovered from COVID. A total of 200 patients have been discharged after recovering from the infection. Pic/PTI

India recorded 14,516 new cases of COVID-19 in its biggest single-day spike so far, taking the country's infection tally to 3,95,048, the Union health ministry data showed on Saturday.

There were 375 fatalities between Friday and Saturday morning, the health ministry's dashboard showed, which pushed the death toll in the country to 12,948. On Friday, the recovery rate, which is the ratio of the number of patients recovered to the number of patients infected, was 53.79 per cent.

Medicos recalled from leave
Amid increasing number of cases in the national capital, Delhi government on Saturday issued an order, directing hospitals and medical institutions to recall their staff who are on leave to report for duty immediately.

Special Secretary SM Ali said that leave of any kind will only be granted under most compelling circumstances.

"All MSs, MDs, Deans and Directors of the hospitals and medical institutions under the Health and Family Welfare Department are advised to issue directions to all the staff working under their control who are on leave of any kind to immediately report for their duties," the order stated.

Delhi is under immense pressure to improve the health infrastructure as the city government expects cases to climb up to 5.5 lakh by July-end.

New scheme for migrants
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched an employment scheme for migrant workers, saying that during the lockdown the talent from cities returned to villages and it will now give a boost to development in rural areas.

Launching the Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan, Modi said there are some people who may not appreciate efforts of villagers in the fight against the Coronavirus, but he applauds them for their efforts. The way villages have fought the virus has taught a big lesson to the cities, he added.

Helpline staff test positive
Six people working in the Uttar Pradesh Helpline 112 have tested positive, following which the office has been closed for sanitisation till Monday, a police officer said.

They are of the technical team and work in the server area, he said, adding that all of them are asymptomatic. "After one of the personnel working in UP-112 tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, samples of 30 people were taken. Five of them have tested positive for COVID-19," ADG, UP-112, Asim Kumar Arun said in a statement.

COVID-19 drug in India
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Saturday launched antiviral drug Favipiravir for treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases after it received the Indian drug regulator's approval.

It will be available under the brand name FabiFlu as a prescription-based medication for R103 per tablet, with recommended dose of 1,800 mg twice a day on the first day and 800 mg twice a day up to 14th day, according to the global pharmaceutical company.

Shramik train baby

A 23-year-old woman experienced labour pain in a Shramik Special train just as it was about to reach her destination, Titlagarh railway station in Odisha's Bolangir district, and delivered a baby girl in a hospital in the town, a railway official said. Medical personnel rushed to the aid of the woman, who was travelling by the Tirupati-Nawapara Road Shramik Special and admitted her to a state-run hospital in Titlagarh, he said. The woman, Pinki Chhatar, of Ghantbahali village in Titilagarh police station area, gave birth to a baby girl in the hospital, the official said.

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