India recorded 1,86,364 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the lowest in the last 44 days. The active caseload in the country has further declined to 23,43,152 as active cases decrease by 76,755 in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday morning. The recovery rate in the country has climbed up to 90.34 percent.
Top 10 Developments:
- A new born girl tested positive for COVID-19 at a hospital in Banaras Hindu University’s (BHU) Sir Sunderlal Hospital, despite her mother testing negative before the delivery. According to Dr Kaushan Kumar Gupta, the Medical Superintendent, the mother was tested for COVID-19 on May 24 before giving birth. The following day, she gave birth to a girl, who tested positive. “A woman tested negative in an RT-PCR test at BHU’s Sir Sunderlal Hospital on May 24 before delivery. She gave birth to a baby girl on May 25. She was tested COVID after her birth.
- The Union Territory of Ladakh reported 124 fresh Covid-19 cases, 172 recoveries and two deaths on Friday, as per the Department of Public Information in Leh today morning. With this, the total number of cases in the region escalated to 18310 including 1,606 active cases and 16,517 total recoveries. However, the total death toll surged to 187 including the new deaths. Out of the total number of active cases, 1380 cases lie in Leh and 226 cases in Kargil district.
- Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Friday inaugurated the COVID fast testing machine ‘ID Now’ at Mohali’s SAS Nagar district hospital. This machine has been donated by PATH, a United States (US)-based non-profit organisation. Giving information about this, Sidhu said that ‘ID Now’ machine will be beneficial for providing quick confirmatory results as it gives results within six to thirteen minutes with the capacity to conduct 30 tests a day. He said that this is a major boon at a time when there is a high demand for testing of critical patients.
- Padma Bhushan Awardee Dr Ajai Chowdhry and Shri Shrinivas Dempo, together with SaveLIFE Foundation, provided 200 jumbo oxygen cylinders to Goa for its fight against COVID-19.
- In the midst of a ravaging COVID-19 wave and overburdened public health infrastructure, a Sikh Seva organisation in Telangana’s Hyderabad opened up an oxygen bank to help people who are in need of the life-saving gas. The oxygen bank has been set up under the title ‘Mission Breathe Life’ the Sikh Seva organisation which works under Gurudwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha.
- West Bengal registered a total of 12,193 fresh COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the state government informed. With this, the cumulative count of cases of the infection in the state reached 13,43,442. The state also saw 19,396 recoveries and 145 deaths in the last 24 hours, pushing the total tallies to 12,18,516 and 15,120 respectively.
- In a humanitarian gesture in these testing times, Iran on Friday sent as many as 300 oxygen concentrators to India to be used in its fight against a runaway second COVID-19 wave. The batch of the medical equipment reached New Delhi on Friday evening. “Iran’s encounter with inhumane sanctions does not impede stretching helping hands to friends: 300 oxygen concentrators donated by Iran to India in solidarity with India’s fight against COVID-19,” the Iranian Embassy in India tweeted.
- Union External Affairs Ministry on Friday called the WHO-convened global study on the origins of COVID-19 ‘an important step’ and said the follow up of the WHO report and further studies deserve understanding and cooperation of all. “WHO convened global study on origin of COVID-19 is an important first step. It stressed the need for next phase studies and also for further data and studies to reach robust conclusions,” the MEA said. The follow up of WHO report and further studies deserve understanding and cooperation of all,” it added.
- The GST Council at its 43rd meeting held on Friday recommended full exemption from IGST on a number of specified COVID-19 related goods such as medical oxygen, oxygen concentrators and other oxygen storage and transportation equipment, certain diagnostic markers test kits and COVID-19 vaccines even if imported on payment basis for donating to the government or on recommendation of state authority to any relief agency.
- The exemption shall be valid up to August 31 this year. Earlier, IGST exemption was applicable only when these goods were imported “free of cost” for free distribution. This will also be extended till August 31.In view of rising Black Fungus cases, the exemption from IGST has been extended to Amphotericin B. As regards individual items, it was decided to constitute a Group of Ministers (GoM) to go into the need for further relief to COVID-19 related individual items immediately. The GOM will give its report by June 8.