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Coronavirus cases surpass 55,000 in Pakistan; death toll at 1,155

New Delhi (NVI): The total number of positive coronavirus cases in Pakistan has increased by at least 1,500, taking the overall tally to 55,667 with at least 1,155 fatalities recorded so far.

Looking at the breakdown of cases, Sindh province has reported 22,491 coronavirus cases, highest among all the provinces, while Punjab has 19,557 positive cases.

On the other hand, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has recorded 7,905 cases, Balochistan is at 3,407, Gilgit-Baltistan at 619, Islamabad at 1,592 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is at 197 cases so far, according to Geo News.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Secretary Kazim Niaz has tested positive for Covid-19 and subsequently gone into quarantine, according to media reports.

So far, a total of 17,482 patients have recovered from the deadly contagion in the country.

The trajectory showed that the number was steadily going up with authorities fearing a rise in cases in the wake of the easing of lockdown due to Eid which was observed in the country on Sunday

PM pays tribute to Balbir Singh Sr

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the death of legendary hockey player and three-time Olympic gold medalist Balbir Singh Sr who passed away this morning at a Mohali hospital at the age of 95.

The hockey legend, who was admitted to the hospital on May 8, was in a semi-comatose state since May 18 after developing a blood clot in his brain.

Taking to Twitter, PM wrote: “Padma Shri Balbir Singh Sr. Ji will be remembered for his memorable sporting performances. He brought home lots of pride and laurels. Undoubtedly a brilliant hockey player, he also made a mark as a great mentor. Pained by his demise. Condolences to his family and well wishers.”

Singh was a member of the 1948 London Olympics gold medal-winning Indian hockey team. Apart from that he was the vice-captain of the 1952 victorious side and skipper of the 1956 champions.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also expressed grief over the demise of the hockey legend. Paying tribute to Singh on Twitter, Shah also shared a picture of him meeting the hockey star.

“Pained to learn about the demise of Padma Shri Balbir Singh Sr ji, a legendary hockey player, who left indelible imprint on world hockey with his stick. I was fortunate to have met the lively and joyful Balbir ji, a three time Olympic gold medalist. My condolences to his family,” he tweeted.

Balbir Singh was one of the most decorated athletes in the history of Indian sports. He was also awarded the Padma Shri award in 1957.

President Ram Nath Kovind also expressed grief. “Sad to hear the passing of hockey legend Shri Balbir Singh Sr. A three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Padma Shri awardee and one of India’s greatest athletes, his legacy will continue to inspire future generations. Condolences to his family, friends and admirers,” he tweeted.

Indian Cricketer, Virat Kohli also paid tribute to the late hockey legend. “Saddened to hear about the passing of the legend, Balbir Singh Sr. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family in this time of sorrow. @BalbirSenior” he tweeted.

Iceland plans to reopen for tourists by June 15

The Blue Lagoon, which is a geothermal spa in southwestern Iceland, is a dream destination for many.

New Delhi (NVI): The Iceland government has announced that it is planning to reopen the country’s borders to tourists by June 15. The visitors will have to take a free COVID-19 test upon arrival at the airport to avoid a 14-day quarantine.

Those who test positive would have to self-isolate for 14 days.

Iceland’s prime minister Katrin Jakobsdottir has made the announcement, according to Lonely Planet. In an official statement, the Iceland PM said that travel restrictions would be loosened “no later than June 15 2020, while from May 15 some professionals arriving in Iceland including scientists, filmmakers, and athletes will be eligible for a modified quarantine.”

People who can prove that they are healthy with official medical documents, won’t have to undergo another COVID-19 test, said the government.

At present, only travelers with Schengen region passports are allowed to enter Iceland, and everyone must self-isolate for 14 days upon the arrival.

The current restrictions have been in place since March 15, and the driving force behind the easing is a desire to restart the tourism industry to boost the economy, as per reports.

Meanwhile, Icelandair is said to be struggling with flights at an all-time low after 3,000 staff members having been laid off.

The decision to reopen the country to visitors has been made in a bid to boost Iceland’s tourism industry and the economy.

Iceland, which has a population of about 364,000, has so far confirmed over 1,800 cases of COVID-19 and 10 deaths from the disease. It has reported only a handful of new cases in May, according to John Hopkins University.

About 38 per cent of the country’s inhabitants have downloaded its COVID-19 tracing app, and any visitors this summer would probably be required to do so too.

“When travelers return to Iceland we want to have all mechanisms in place to safeguard them and the progress made in controlling the pandemic,” Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir, the Minister of Tourism told Lonely Planet.

“Iceland’s strategy of large-scale testing, tracing, and isolating have proven effective so far. We want to build on that experience of creating a safe place for those who want a change of scenery after what has been a tough spring for all of us,” she added.

PM greets nation on Eid-ul-Fitr

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today extended greetings to the nation on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. President Ram Nath Kovind was also among many leaders who greeted the nation on the occasion of Eid.

Taking to Twitter, PM wrote, “Eid Mubarak! Greetings on Eid-ul-Fitr. May this special occasion further the spirit of compassion, brotherhood and harmony. May everyone be healthy and prosperous.”

President Ram Nath Kovind also wrote on the microblogging site: “Eid Mubarak! This festival is an expression of love, fraternity, peace & harmony. Eid reaffirms our belief in sharing with & caring for the vulnerable & needy. Let us carry the spirit of giving (Zakaat) on this Eid and follow social distancing norms to contain coronavirus spread.”

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu also extended his greetings on Eid. “I extend my warm greetings and good wishes to the people of our country on the auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. #EidUlFitr follows weeks of fasting and marks the end of the holy month of Ramzan. It is an occasion for families and communities to come together. #EidMubarak,” he tweeted.

Eid-ul-Fitr marks the ending of Ramzan, the holy fasting month for Muslims across the world.

This year, Eid is being celebrated amid a nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus.

117 pvt hospitals asked to keep 20% beds for corona cases: Delhi CM

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi (NVI): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said that 117 private hospitals in Delhi have been ordered to reserve 20 per cent of their beds for Covid-19 patients. He added that with effect to this, 2,000 new beds are available in private hospitals from today.

The Delhi CM was addressing a virtual press conference today on the status of coronavirus in Delhi after one week of relaxing the lockdown.


He said that there are 13,418 total coronavirus cases in Delhi so far. 6,540 have recovered, 6,617 are active and 261 have died, he said.

“There are 3,829 beds in government hospitals dedicated for Covid-19 in Delhi out of which oxygen is available in 3,164 beds,” he said.

“Out of these 3,829 beds in govt hospitals, only 1,478 are occupied. On an average 2,500 beds are vacant. The government has 250 ventilators, out of which only 11 are in use. Around 240 ventilators are free,” he added.

In private hospitals used for Covid treatment, there are total 677 beds out of which 509 are occupied. Around 150 beds are free in these private hospitals, he said.

He further said that 72 ventilators are available in private hospitals out of which 15 are in use.

“So if we combine goverment and private hospitals capacity, then there are 4,500 beds in total, out of which 2,000 beds are in use and 2,500 beds are free, he said.

Kejriwal said that most of the cases that are now coming to hospitals are mild or asymptomatic. “Around 3,314 people are getting treatment at home only. Nearly 2,000 people are getting treatment in hospitals,” he said.

Apart from this, around 1,500 beds in GTB hospital are being provided with oxygen and 1500 additional beds will be prepared for coronavirus treatment.

Overall, 5,500 beds will be available for Covid-19 treatment in Delhi, he said adding that a fresh order has been given yesterday to convert 2000 normal beds into oxygen beds.

He said that 9,755 cases were positive in Delhi on May 17 when restrictions were eased. “Today, there are 13,418 cases. Within one week around 3,500 patients have increased,” he said. Apart from this, 2,500 people went back home after treatment. He said that people are falling ill but are also getting recovered.

However, in hospitals, there were 1750 beds occupied on May 17 and now there are 2000, which means only 250 more beds have been occupied in this one week, the CM added.

He said that cases are increasing in Delhi but the situation is under control. “Most of the cases are mild or asymptomatic. They are being treated at homes and out teams are constantly monitoring them.”

State-wise details of Covid-19 cases in India

New Delhi (NVI): Coronavirus cases in India continue to surge with Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat being the worst affected states in the country.

The total number of positive coronavirus cases in India has reached 1,38,845 while a total of 4,021 deaths have been reported so far, according to Union Health Ministry tally.

Maharashtra has reported over 50,000 confirmed cases today.

The first confirmed coronavirus case in India was reported in the state of Kerala on January 30. Since then, the virus has tightened its grip across the country.

Total positive cases in States/UTs:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands- 33

Andhra Pradesh- 2,823

Arunachal Pradesh- 1

Assam- 378

Bihar- 2,587

Chandigarh- 238

Chhattisgarh- 252

Dadar Nagar Haveli- 2

Delhi- 13,418

Gujarat- 14,065

Goa- 66

Haryana– 1,184

Himachal Pradesh- 203

Jammu and Kashmir- 1,621

Jharkhand- 370

Karnataka- 2,089

Kerala- 847

Ladakh- 52

Madhya Pradesh- 6,665

Maharashtra- 50,231

Manipur- 32

Meghalaya- 14

Mizoram- 1

Nagaland- 1

Odisha- 1,336

Puducherry- 41

Punjab- 2,060

Rajasthan- 7,028

Sikkim- 1

Tamil Nadu- 16,277

Telangana- 1,854

Tripura- 191

Uttarakhand- 317

Uttar Pradesh- 6,268

West Bengal – 3,667

State/UT wise total death toll:

Andhra Pradesh- 56

Assam- 4

Bihar- 13

Chandigarh- 3

Delhi- 261

Gujarat- 858

Haryana- 16

Himachal Pradesh- 3

Jammu and Kashmir- 21

Jharkhand- 4

Karnataka- 42

Kerala- 4

Madhya Pradesh- 290

Maharashtra- 1,635

Meghalaya- 1

Odisha- 7

Puducherry- 1

Punjab- 40

Rajasthan- 163

Tamil Nadu- 111

Telangana- 53

Uttar Pradesh- 161

Uttarakhand- 3

West Bengal- 272

A total of 57,721 people have been cured or discharged from hospitals in India. There are around 77,103 active cases currently, according to the Health Ministry.

Coronavirus cases surpass 5.4 million worldwide

Coronavirus cases

New Delhi (NVI): The total number of coronavirus cases has surged past 5.4 million globally while the total number of fatalities reported have exceeded 3,45,000, according to John Hopkins University tally.

Brazil reported 15,813 new coronavirus infections over the last 24 hours, taking the country’s total to 3,62,211 with the death toll surpassing 22,000.

Meanwhile, the United States has barred arrivals from Brazil, as the country now has the second-highest number of cases in the world after the US.

In the US, more than 1.64 million people have been infected with the deadly contagion as the death toll nears one lakh in the country.

In another development, children in New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, will be returning to schools from today, which were locked down due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that the novel coronavirus could cost up to one million jobs, because many industries considered not essential remain shut.

In addition to this, Chile’s healthcare system is under strain and “very close to the limit”, President Sebastian Pinera said, as the number of confirmed coronavirus infections approached 70,000.

J&K: 2 terrorists killed in encounter with security forces in Kulgam

July 18 Shopian encounter: Army completes summary of evidence
An encounter site in Kashmir (File Pic)

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Two terrorists have been killed in an encounter with security forces in Damhal Hanjipora area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, a senior police official said today.

A Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) was launched in Damhal Hanjipora village of Kulgam early this morning after specific inputs about the presence of militants in the area. “Joint security forces teams included Police, Army and CRPF,” said a police official.

Reportedly, as the two militants were trapped, the security forces brought their family members and offered them an option to surrender. “Repeated calls were made to trapped militants to surrender, but they refused and instead fired at the security forces triggering an encounter,” the official said.

COVID cases in India rise to 1.38 lakh; death toll at 4,021

New Delhi (NVI): The total number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 1,38,845 while the death toll due to the virus has gone up to 4,021, according to the Union Health Ministry.

In the past 24 hours, 6,977 fresh COVID-19 infections and 154 more deaths were reported.

With 50,231 confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far, Maharashtra remains the worst-affected state in the country, followed by Tamil Nadu with 16,277 cases and Gujarat with 14,056 cases.

Maharashtra has also reported the highest number of deaths, 1,635, followed by 858 in Gujarat and 290 in Madhya Pradesh.

The coronavirus cases in Delhi have increased to 13,418, according to the Health Ministry data.

The other states with high number of cases are Rajasthan (7,028), Madhya Pradesh (6,665) and Uttar Pradesh (6,268).

So far, 57,720 coronavirus patients have been cured or discharged.

A total of 28,34,798 samples of coronavirus have been tested so far, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, domestic flight services resumed from today, after two months of suspension due to coronavirus-induced lockdown.

J&K: 52 more test positive for Covid-19, tally climbs to 1621

Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir Government today said that 52 new coronavirus cases were recorded in the Union Territory today, taking the total number of positive cases to 1621.

The government, in its official bulletin, said that of the total 52 total cases, 22 are from Jammu division and 30 from Kashmir. Out of 1,621 positive cases, 791 are active cases. 809 have recovered and 21 have died of which two deaths were reported in Jammu and 19 in Kashmir.

Moreover, 35 more COVID-19 patients have recovered and discharged from various hospitals, 3 from Jammu division and 32 from Kashmir division.

The daily health bulletin further said that out of 1,30,433 test results available, 1,28,812 samples have been tested negative till May 24.

Additionally, till date, 1,32,594 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been enlisted for surveillance which included 31,816 persons in home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 71 in hospital quarantine, 791 in hospital isolation and 28,600 under home surveillance. Besides, 71,295 persons have completed their surveillance period.

Providing district-wise breakup, the bulletin said that Bandipora has 139 positive cases with 9 active cases, 129 recovered, 1 death; Srinagar has 179 positive cases with 48 active cases, 125 recovered (including 6 cases recovered today), 6 deaths; Anantnag district has 273 positive cases (including 1 case reported today), with 160 active, 109 recovered,  4 deaths; Baramulla has 137 positive cases (including 1 case reported today) with 35 active, 98 recovered, 4 deaths; Shopian has 128 positive cases (including 1 case reported today) with 21 active, 107 recovered (including 1 case recovered today).

Kupwara has 164 positive cases (including 1 case reported today) with 94 active, 70 recovered; Budgam has 64 positive cases, with 15 active and 47 recovered cases (including 12 cases recovered today) and 2 deaths; Ganderbal has 27 positive cases with 3 active cases and 24 recoveries (including 9 cases recovered today); Kulgam has 224 positive cases (including 26 reported today), with 207 active and 15 recoveries (including 3 recoveries today) and 2 deaths and Pulwama reported 25 positive cases with 15 active, 10 recovered (including 1 case recovered today).

In Jammu division, district Jammu has 78 positive cases (including 6 cases reported today) with 43 active cases and 34 recoveries (including 3 cases recovered today) and 1 death; Udhampur has 35 positive cases (including 2 cases reported today) with 13 active cases, 21 recovered and 1 death; Samba has 27 positive cases (including 7 cases reported today) with 20 active and 7 recoveries; Rajouri has 13 positive cases (including 3 cases reported today) with 9 active cases and 4 recovered.

Kathua has 45 positive cases (including 4 cases reported today) with 39 active cases and 6 recovered; Kishtwar has 8 positive cases with 7 active cases and 1 recovered; Ramban has 44 positive cases with 43 active and 1 recovered; Reasi has 4 positive cases with 3 active and 1 recovered, Poonch has 6 active cases while Doda has 1 active case.

The bulletin said that the breakup represents districts from which the patients have been traced or are ordinarily residing.

The advisory has informed the public to maintain physical distance of at least two metre from others, frequently cleaning hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitiser or washing them with soap and water besides following good respiratory etiquettes and hygiene which is the best way to protect themselves from COVID-19.

“People are strongly advised to avoid going to crowded places, as they are more likely to come into close contact with someone who has COVID-19 and it is more difficult to maintain physical distance with others at these places”, the bulletin said. As a measure for social distancing in public places and workplaces, wearing a face cover is compulsory.

The bulletin again stressed that early detection of COVID-19 can prevent the spread of disease so all people need to be responsible for the well-being of themselves and everyone around. “Not disclosing symptoms could put life of individuals and their families at risk. In case of symptoms like fever, cough and difficulty in breathing, report early. Do not fear, call COVID-19 helpline numbers and seek medical advice,” it read.

The advisory has further exhorted the people not to step out of home, unless absolutely necessary. “If you have to move out for unavoidable reasons, ensure that you wear a mask and practice social distancing, personal hygiene and frequent handwashing with soap and water,” the bulletin stated.

The government said that public is advised to strictly follow the advisories issued by the government from time to time and rely only on the information released by the government through the daily media bulletin to print and electronic media. It said that people are also advised to refrain from spreading rumours and pay no heed to them at the same time.

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