Coronavirus in India April 16 Highlights: India information new excessive of two,17,353 instances; numbers recommend Maharashtra might have reached peak

India logged a report 2,17,353 every day coronavirus instances as many states grappled with shortages of hospital beds, oxygen, medicines and vaccine doses. The contemporary instances took the entire caseload to over 1.42 crore.
The demise toll additionally elevated to 1,74,308 with 1,185 new fatalities, the very best since September 19, 2020, information by the Union Health Ministry confirmed.
Registering a gradual enhance for the thirty seventh day in a row, the energetic instances have elevated to fifteen,69,743, comprising 10.98 per cent of the entire infections, whereas the nationwide Covid-19 restoration charge dropped to 87.80 per cent.
Maharashtra reported the very best every day new instances at 61,695 adopted by Uttar Pradesh with 22,339 instances and Delhi with 16,699.
Maharashtra additionally noticed the utmost casualties (349) adopted by Chhattisgarh with 135, Delhi with 112, Uttar Pradesh 104, Gujarat 81, Karnataka 66, Madhya Pradesh 53, Punjab 50, Rajasthan 33 and Tamil Nadu 29.
‘Lift embargo on vaccine raw material exports’: SII’s Poonawalla requests US President Biden
As Covid-19 instances in India proceed to rise steadily, Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla on Friday appealed to US President Joe Biden to raise the embargo on export of uncooked supplies wanted to fabricate vaccines out of the United States in order that vaccine manufacturing might be fast-tracked.
Tagging Biden on Twitter, Poonawalla wrote, “Respected @POTUS, if we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the U.S., I humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the U.S. so that vaccine production can ramp up. Your administration has the details.”
Numbers present Maharashtra might have reached its peak
For the final ten days, the every day rely of coronavirus instances in Maharashtra has been hovering round 60,000. It is the longest interval of stability within the state because the begin of the second wave, and could possibly be the primary indication that Maharashtra has lastly reached its peak.
On Thursday, the state reported 61,695 new infections. The present peak of 63,294 instances that was achieved on Sunday has now stood for 5 days, the longest that any peak has survived in Maharashtra because the begin of March.
Daily Covid-19 instances in Maharashtra since March
“It does seem that Maharashtra has reached its peak. There are very clear signs now. We should start seeing a decline in the daily numbers in the state in a few days,” mentioned Prof Maninder Agarwal of IIT Kanpur, who’s a part of a staff operating a pc mannequin simulating the trajectory of the epidemic in India. “All the major cities in Maharashtra — Mumbai, Pune, Thane — also seem to have either reached their peaks or are very close to reaching a peak. Pune, specifically, I think, is already there,” he mentioned.
States urge Centre to offer free foodgrain to poor
With the nation battling a second wave of coronavirus, no less than three state governments and several other Opposition MPs have urged the Centre to start out a free foodgrain scheme for the poor on the traces of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), introduced final yr when the primary wave of the an infection was at its peak.
Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Kerala governments and several other Opposition leaders – NCP chief Sharad Pawar, senior Trinamool MP Sougata Ray and CPI Rajya Sabha member Binoy Viswam amongst them — are learnt to have written to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution to start out a free foodgrain scheme on the traces of PMGKAY, which was launched as a part of the federal government’s package deal introduced in response to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Uttarakhand caps gatherings at 200, exempts Kumbh Mela
The Uttarakhand authorities restricted gatherings at non secular, social and political occasions to 200 folks however exempted Kumbh Mela from it. The exemption was given regardless of greater than 1,700 folks testing optimistic for Covid-19 in Kumbh Mela space between April 1 and April 15.
Devotees through the third ‘shahi snan’ on the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar. (PTI)
A directive issued by Chief Secretary Om Prakash mentioned no more than 200 folks will likely be permitted in non secular, political and social occasions and wedding ceremony ceremonies. For the Kumbh Mela space, the order mentioned SOPs issued by the Centre on January 22 and the state on February 26 will likely be relevant.
When requested concerning the exemption to Kumbh, the Chief Secretary mentioned, “These restrictions are for private ceremonies.”