Coronavirus cases in India soar to 562; 43 are foreigners

The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 562 on Wednesday while the death toll due to COVID-19 in the country was revised down to nine, according to health ministry data. The ministry, in its updated figures on Wednesday morning, stated the second death reported in Delhi was COVID-19 negative, thus bringing down the death toll to nine in India.

Delhi reported two deaths so far with one death reported on Tuesday. Nine deaths so far have been reported from Maharashtra (two), Bihar, Karnataka, Gujarat, Punjab, Delhi, West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh.

According to the data, the number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 512 while 41 people have been cured/discharged or migrated.

The figure includes 43 foreign nationals, the health ministry said.

Kerala has reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases so far at 109, including eight foreign nationals, followed by Maharashtra which recorded 101, including three foreigners, according to the ministry data.

Karnataka has reported 41 cases of coronavirus patients, while cases in Telangana rose to 35, including 10 foreigners. Uttar Pradesh has 35 positive cases, including a foreign national. Gujarat has 33 positive cases, including a foreigner, while the number of cases in Rajasthan increased to 32, including two foreigners. Cases in Delhi rose to 31, including one foreigner. In Haryana, there are 28 cases, including 14 foreigners, while Punjab has reported 29 cases. Ladakh has 13 cases, while Tamil Nadu has reported 18 cases, including two foreigners.

West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh has nine patients each. Chandigarh as well as Jammu and Kashmir have reported seven cases each so far. Uttarakhand has four cases, including one foreigner. There are three cases each in Himachal Pradesh and Bihar, while there are two cases in Odisha. Puducherry, Manipur and Chhattisgarh have reported a case each.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a complete nationwide lockdown for 21 days from Tuesday midnight, asserting in an emotional appeal “with folded hands” that unless India’s 130 crore people practice social distancing, the country will lose the war against coronavirus outbreak and slide back 21 years.