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PM MODI TAKES STOCK OF OXYGEN SUPPLIES AS CORONAVIRUS CASES HIT A NEW PEAK

India registers 2,17,353 fresh Covid-19 cases, making it the highest single-day spike since the pandemic broke out last year; 1,189 samples test positive for variants, says Health Ministry.

India witnessed another grim milestone as 2,17,353 Covid-19 cases were reported in 24 hours, making it the highest single-day spike in daily cases since the pandemic broke out last year. Amid the unparalleled surge, when most hospitals are overflowing with Covid patients, PM Narendra Modi on Friday took a comprehensive review of the health infrastructure to ensure adequate medical oxygen supply in the country.

The detailed review of the current oxygen supply situation and projected use in the coming 15 days included 12 high burden states, namely, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

The Centre and states are in contact over the supply chain and estimates for projected demand have been shared with the Centre by the states. Accordingly, 4,880 MT, 5,619 MT and 6,593 MT have been allocated to these 12 states for meeting their projected demand as on 20th April, 25th April and 30th April. 

The PM was briefed about production capacity in the country to meet the rising demand on which he suggested that oxygen production as per the capacity of each plant be increased. It was discussed that surplus stocks of oxygen supply in steel plants are being offered for medical use.

PM Modi also urged officials to ensure seamless and free movement of tankers carrying oxygen throughout the country. The Centre has exempted all interstate movement of oxygen tankers from registration of permits to enable easier movement. States and transporters have been asked to ensure tankers move round the clock with drivers working in shifts to ensure faster turnaround and adequate capacity to meet the surge in demand.

Cylinder filling plants will also be permitted 24-hour working with necessary safeguards. The government is also allowing industrial cylinders to be used for medical oxygen after due purging. Similarly, nitrogen and argon tankers will be automatically allowed to be converted to oxygen tankers to overcome the potential shortage of tankers. 

Officers also briefed the Prime Minister about the efforts being made to import medical grade oxygen. Inputs from ministries like Health, DPIIT, Steel and Road Transport were shared with the PM.

The sudden resurgence of the infection is also being attributed to the spread of newer variants of the novel coronavirus. A total of 1,189 samples have so far tested positive for variants of concern of the SARS COV-2 in India, which include 1,109 samples testing positive for the UK variant, 79 for the South Africa variant and one sample for the Brazil variant.

With the new cases reported across the country, India›s Covid tally has shot up to 14,291,917 cases. Last week India had replaced Brazil as the second worst-hit nation in terms of total Covid-19 cases, and now it has claimed the spot for having the second highest active cases too.

India also witnessed 1,183 fatalities due to Covid-19 in a single day. The death toll from the deadly infection now stands at 174,335.

With 19,486 fresh cases in 24 hours, Delhi once again broke its record of highest single-day tally of infections recorded since the beginning of the pandemic. The previous record had been on Wednesday when the city reported 17,282 new cases. The fresh spike has pushed Delhi›s total caseload to 8,03,623, which includes 61,005 active cases. Apart from the record jump in cases, Delhi also registered 12,649 recoveries in the 24-hour period. The infection rate in Delhi currently stands at 19.69 percent.

India’s worst-affected state Maharashtra broke its own record with 63,729 new Covid-19 cases and 398 fatalities in a single day, Maharashtra›s tally reached 3,703,584 and the death toll climbed to 59,551. As many as 45,335 people also recovered on the day, taking the total recoveries to 3,519,208. Meanwhile, Mumbai city logged 8,803 new cases and 53 deaths as the state capital’s tally reached 562,207 and the death toll 12,250.

Karnataka also reported its biggest single-day spike with 14,859 Covid-19 cases, and 78 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 11,24,509 and the toll to 13,190, respectively. Bengaluru Urban accounted for the bulk of the cases, with 9,917 infections. The day also saw 4,031 patients getting discharged after recovery.

Uttar Pradesh reported 27,426 fresh Covid cases in 24 hours. This is the biggest-ever single-day spike that the state has seen since the pandemic began. Over 100 people also died during the day due to the viral infection.

Gujarat recorded 8,920 new Covid 19 cases, its highest single-day spike so far. With the new cases, the total tally reached 3,84,688, while active cases touched 49,737. The death toll rose to 5,170, with 94 people succumbing to the deadly virus in the span of 24 hours.

Rajasthan›s Covid-19 total mounted to 3,95,309 with a record single-day jump of 7,359 fresh cases, while 31 more deaths pushed the toll to 3,072. There are currently 53,813 active cases in the state.

Tamil Nadu reported 8,449 new Covid-19 infections and related 33 deaths in 24 hours, pushing the caseload to 9,71,384 and 13,032 respectively. Recoveries mounted to 8,96,759 with 4,920 patients being discharged, leaving 61,593 active infections. Chennai continued to constitute the major chunk of the new cases, accounting for 2,636 new infections aggregating to 2,77,300. It leads in the number of fatalities too, with 4,364 deaths.

Kerala recorded 10,031 Covid cases and 21 deaths in 24 hours. This is the first time the daily Covid cases crossed the 10,000 mark in the state since October 2020.

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