With 1,990 more COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's count of coronavirus cases has reached 26,496, said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday. Out of these, 19,868 patients are active cases and 5804 cases have been cured, discharged, or migrated. The death toll stands at 824, with as many as 49 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. According to the morning update by the ministry, Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit State with 7,628 cases of which 1,076 patients have recovered and 323 patients have died.

Gujarat now stands in the second spot with 3,071 cases, of which 282 have recovered and 133 people have died. Meanwhile, Delhi's count stands at 2,625 of which 869 patients have recovered, while 54 patients have lost their lives. Tamil Nadu's COVID-19 figure stands at 1,821 with 960 patients recovered and 23 fatalities. Rajasthan has reported 2,083 cases of which 493 have recovered and 33 patients are dead.

Madhya Pradesh has reported 2,096 positive cases so far of which 210 patients have recovered and 99 patients have lost their lives due to the virus. In Uttar Pradesh, as many as 1,793 people have confirmed COVID-19, of which 261 recovered and 27 people have succumbed to it. In Kerala, which reported the country's first COVID-19 case, 457 people have been detected positive for coronavirus.

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As the deadly coronavirus infection spreads fast in India and elsewhere, even faster is the spread of fake news regarding the pandemic and experts warn this 'infodemic' can have huge economic costs for companies across the world in addition to health concerns for the public at large. While authorities have announced severe penal actions for those spreading fake news regarding this pandemic, which has already caused nearly 2 lakh deaths globally with more than 28 lakh infections since its outbreak in China last December, widespread misinformation surrounding the disease has seen people drinking disinfectants and industrial alcohol while trying various rumoured treatments.

False claims and fake news, mostly forwarded through social media platforms, have also led to several cases of religion-based attacks, hate speeches and other discriminatory activities, while cyber frauds are also on the rise with scamsters seeking to take advantage of the crisis situation. In addition to the damages caused to public health and societal behaviour, experts warn the undeterred wave of fake news poses a huge risk to corporates, for whom it becomes difficult at times to filter out the right information that is crucial for them to ensure success of their business continuity, especially when almost the entire world is locked down.

Farah Lalani, who is a community creator for media, entertainment and information industries at the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF), said businesses need to be proactive about calling out misinformation that is spreading about their brand, directing customers to official channels and making sure there is always clear and up to date information on all their social accounts. "While bad actors, fraudsters, and uninformed users can spread fabricated or misleading information, if businesses collaborate closely with the entire media ecosystem and regulatory bodies, they can start to work together to solve this very challenging problem," she told PTI.

In India, some organisations including industry bodies and advocacy groups have begun compiling official and credible information about the COVID-19 fight and the ongoing lockdown to help companies in their preparedness for tackling the crisis. Leading advocacy group Chase India, which was among the first to start this practice right from the initial days of the COVID-19 crisis emerging as a major threat in the country, has been sending across multiple daily updates to its clients, including on the latest actions taken by the central and state governments and also on initiatives being taken by various corporates.

Experts said the correct information is necessary for companies to help them understand, analyse and then implement various new guidelines being issued by the central and state governments. "In today's circumstances, besides the current public health crisis of COVID-19 and socio-economic impact related to climate change, one of the biggest concerns is legitimate and timely sourcing of information," Chase India's co-founder and Executive Vice President Manash K Neog said.

"As a public policy consultancy, our key challenge during the pre-lockdown phase was to mitigate frenzy around rumours of lockdown for our clients as it was creating panic for the operational teams of clients. "Further to that, we have institutionalised mechanisms such as our hourly and daily COVID-19 advisory trackers for the central and state governments to support clients with timely and authentic information basis which they are able to better plan their business continuity strategies," he added.

According to experts, companies are working hard to ensure timely access to right information as costs could be too high for them if they fall for some misinformation and in such a situation the role of media is also very important. Releasing a new survey recently, which found that just about one-fourth of the consumers in India currently pay for news but nearly two-thirds are willing to pay, the WEF said the current coronavirus challenge further emphasises the indispensable role that the media plays in society today.

With social media becoming the main platform for spread of false claims, giants like Facebook and Twitter have also begun deleting such posts and taking other actions. Some of the posts deleted on such grounds include those of public figures as well, the most famous being posts shared by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in which he had claimed anti-malaria prescription drug hydroxychloroquine was an effective treatment for COVID-19.

Twitter had also deleted a post by Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in which he had apparently endorsed a "brew" for eliminating infectious genes. Various social media platforms have also imposed several restrictions on advertisements claiming various cures for COVID-19, while hate content regarding the pandemic is also being dealt with sternly. However, all these steps have not been able to totally eradicate the fake news flow, which the World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described as 'infodemic' in the context of the novel coronavirus.

"We are not just fighting an epidemic, we are fighting an infodemic," he said, referring to fake news as something that "spreads faster and more easily than this virus". United Nations' chief Antonio Guterres too said last month that an "infodemic of misinformation" was also an enemy that we all need to fight while battling COVID-19.

"To overcome the coronavirus, we need to urgently promote 'facts and science' and 'hope and solidarity' over despair and division," he said.

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The Maharashtra government may extend the lockdown in the coronavirus-hit urban areas of the state after May 3, an official said on Sunday. The state government is closely monitoring the situation in areas outside the cities of Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Amravati, a senior state official said. "It is the cities where most of the COVID-19 cases are concentrated. If the state has to relax its current stringent lockdown measures, it would be in rural and least affected
areas of the state. However, we are looking at the scenario as rural and urban areas are connected," he said.

Despite minimum COVID-19 cases in rural areas of Pune district, the industries there have not resumed because most of their workforce live in cities, he said. We need to work out some plans for every city or district-wise to get things moving. The administration needs more time to come up with solutions, hence it is highly unlikely to lift the lockdown restrictions May 3 onwards in all parts of the state, the official said.

State Health Minister Rajesh Tope had on Saturday said the number of COVID-19 cases in the state is not coming down. "The state is yet to reach a stage where the number of coronavirus cases would stabilise. Till then, we cannot take the risk of allowing people to gather at public places in large numbers, Tope said.

The minister, however, said the state government would take a collective decision on what to do once the nationwide lockdown ends on May 3.

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The total number of Covid-19 cases in the country mounted to 26,917 on Sunday evening, the Union Health Ministry stated. Of the total cases, 20,177 are active cases, 5,913 people have recovered, and 826 people have succumbed to the disease.

Maharashtra remained the worst hit state with a total number of cases rising to 7,628, followed by Gujarat which reported 3,071 cases and Delhi which has reported 2,625 cases, according to the Health Ministry data.

Besides the trio, other states which have jumped the 1,500 mark are Madhya Pradesh (2,096), Rajasthan (2,083), Tamil Nadu (1,821) and Uttar Pradesh (1,843).

Maharashtra has recorded 323 deaths, the highest number of casualties among all the states. The western state is followed by Gujarat at 133, Madhya Pradesh at 99 and Delhi at 54.

Among other major cities, Andhra Pradesh has reported 1,097 and 31 deaths, Bihar stood at 251 cases and two deaths, Haryana at 289 and three deaths, Jammu and Kashmir at 494 cases and six deaths, Karnataka at 501 and 18 deaths and Kerala was docked at 458 and four deaths.

States which have reported less than 10 cases are - Tripura, Mizoram, Puducherry, Manipur, Goa and Arunanchal Pradesh. On the global front, the total number of cases has crossed 2.9 million mark and over two lakh people have died so far.

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Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' address, has given a direction to the Indian citizens for fighting the battle against Coronavirus.

"PM Modi in his 'Mann ki Baat' has said that the battle against Coronavirus has to be won within one month. He had said that by the time Eid comes we will defeat Coronavirus," Javadekar said.

He further said, "Modi had also said that society has shown humanity by ensuring that no one goes hungry during the lockdown." "In today's address, the PM gave a proper direction that is necessary to fight the battle against Coronavirus," he added.

Modi while addressing the nation during his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' had said that India's fight against the Coronavirus is "people-driven" and is being fought by the masses and the administration together.

He also informed that the government has come up with a digital platform to link volunteers of social organisations, representatives of civil society and local administration.

Tamil Nadu under major lockdown

The complete lockdown in the major urban centres of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai and Coimbatore, came into force on Sunday with groceries and vegetable shops also shutting down as civic bodies intensified disinfection work in their respective regions. While police patrol vehicles and flying squads of civic bodies alone could be seen in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem and Tirupur, people in some localities in north Chennai loitered around.

Standalone shops open up in Delhi

The Delhi government has allowed the standalone shops in the national capital based on the Union Home Ministry's order but the markets and complexes will remain shut, Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal said. He also said that no other relaxation will be given to the city till May 3 — lockdown deadline. "Last Sunday we decided to continue the lockdown without any relaxation. We are giving one relaxation today. The Centre on Friday announced to open some shops and we are implementing it."

Shops sell PPE for as cheap as Rs 198

As they fight the deadly Coronavirus pandemic 24/7, frontline healthcare workers are facing a severe crunch of personal protection equipment (PPE) suits or hazmat suits. Suddenly, several retail shops have cropped up across the country, offering such specialised medical suits at cheap prices. Shops in Tirupur — also called the knitwear city of India — in Tamil Nadu are offering such suits for as low as R198 and R225, take minimum order for 50 suits with courier charges extra.

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The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 872 and the number of cases climbed to 27,892 in the country on Monday, according to the Union Health Ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 20,835 while 6,184 people were cured and discharged, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said. The total number of cases include 111 foreign nationals. A total of 46 deaths were reported since Sunday evening of which 19 fatalities were reported from Maharashtra, 18 from Gujarat, four from Madhya Pradesh, two from West Bengal and one each from Punjab, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Of the 872 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 342 fatalities, followed by Gujarat at 151, Madhya Pradesh at 103, Delhi at 54, Rajasthan at 33 and Andhra Pradesh at 31. The death toll reached 29 in Uttar Pradesh, 26 in Telengana, 24 in Tamil Nadu, 20 in West Bengal while Karantaka has reported 19 deaths. Punjab has registered 18 fatalities so far. The disease has claimed six lives in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Kerala while Jharkhand and Haryana have recorded three COVID-19 deaths each. Bihar has reported two deaths, while Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Assam have reported one fatality each, according to ministry data. According to the ministry's data updated in the morning, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 8,068 followed by Gujarat at 3,301, Delhi at 2,918, Rajasthan at 2,185, Madhya Pradesh at 2,096 and Tamil Nadu at 1,885.

The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 1,868 in Uttar Pradesh, 1,097 in Andhra Pradesh and 1,002 in Telangana. Cases have risen to 649 in West Bengal, 523 in Jammu and Kashmir, 503 in Karnataka, 458 in Kerala, 313 in Punjab and 289 in Haryana. Bihar has reported 274 coronavirus cases, while Odisha has 103 cases.Eighty-two people have been infected with the virus in Jharkhand and 50 in Uttarakhand. Himachal Pradesh has 40 cases, Chhattisgarh has 37 cases and Assam has registered 36 infections each so far. Andaman and Nicobar Islands has 33 COVID-19 cases while Chandigarh has 30 cases and Ladakh has reported 20 infections so far. Meghalaya has reported 12 cases, and Goa and Puducherry have seven COVID-19 cases each. Manipur and Tripura have two cases each, while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported a case each. "Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR," the ministry said on its website. States wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it said.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to interact with Chief Ministers on Monday, via conferencing, on the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country.

"At 10 AM, Shri Narendra Modi will be interacting with state Chief Ministers via video conferencing. They will be discussing aspects relating to the COVID-19 situation," PMO tweeted.

Today's meeting comes just a week ahead of the scheduled ending of nationwide lockdown. On March 24, the Prime Minister had announced a 21-day lockdown as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown was later extended till May 3.

Meanwhile, speaking on the forthcoming meeting with the Prime Minister, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said, "The CMs will explain the situation in their respective states at the conference. There will be some estimate on the situation in the country and in the states. Opinions on how the next plan of action will also be figured on Monday's conference. Hence, there will be clarity on the future course of action."

The Prime Minister has already held two such interactions with the Chief Ministers over the COVID-19 situation in the country.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a video conference with Chief Ministers over the COVID-19 situation, was seen covering his face with a traditional 'gamcha on Monday.

The Prime Minister's 'gamcha' was a plain white colour with a sea green check pattern. Covering the mouth and nose with a traditional 'gamcha' has been the go-to option for Modi in a bid to make people aware of how they can easily take precautions against coronavirus.

Modi wore a 'gamcha' previously for his address to the nation on April 14 during which he announced the extension of the national lockdown till May 3. During a video interaction with Sarpanchs on April 24, Modi again opted for a 'gamcha'. He was seen wearing a homemade white cloth mask in his previous meeting with Chief Ministers on April 11.

With 1,396 more COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's count of coronavirus cases has reached 27,892, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday. Out of the total cases, 20,835 patients are active cases and 6,185 cases have been cured, discharged, or migrated. The death toll stands at 872, with as many as 48 fatalities reported in the last 24 hours.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the impact of coronavirus will remain visible in the coming months and masks and face covers will be part of life while asserting that the country needs to give importance to the economy as well as continue the fight against COVID -19. The remarks came during his interaction with Chief Ministers via video conferencing to discuss the emerging situation and plan ahead for tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The country has seen two Lockdowns till now, both different in certain aspects, and now we have to think of the way ahead. As per experts, the impact of coronavirus will remain visible in the coming months," Modi said, according to an official release.

COVID-19 impact will remain visible in coming months, need to fight it with impetus on economy: Modi

Read @ANI Story | https://t.co/6eX7vLdAgn pic.twitter.com/aBYrrrTzQy

— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) April 27, 2020

Reiterating the mantra of 'do gaz doori', he said that "masks and face covers will become part of our lives in the days ahead". "We have to give importance to the economy as well as continue the fight against COVID -19," Modi said. The Prime Minister underlined that the lockdown has yielded positive results as the country has managed to save thousands of lives in the past one and a half months.

"India's population is comparable to that of the combined population of several countries. The situation in many countries, including India, was almost similar at the start of March. However, due to timely measures, India has been able to protect many people," he said.

Prime Minister Modi, however, forewarned that the danger of the virus is far from over and constant vigilance is of paramount importance. "Prime Minister Modi added that under the circumstances, everyone's aim must be rapid response. He pointed out that many people are self-declaring whether they have cough and cold or symptoms, and that this is a welcome sign," the release said.

Prime Minister said that we have to give importance to the economy as well as continue the fight against COVID -19. He emphasized on the importance of usage of technology as much as possible and also to utilize time to embrace reform measures: PMO on PM's meeting with CMs pic.twitter.com/cjk9KaY6IQ

— ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2020

The Prime Minister emphasised on the importance of usage of technology as much as possible and also to utilize time to embrace reform measures and on the significance of ensuring that more people download the AarogyaSetu app to bolster the efforts of the country in the battle against COVID-19.

"We have to be brave and bring in reforms that touch the lives of common citizens. People associated with Universities can be integrated on devising ways to fight the pandemic and strengthen research as well as innovation," he said. He also highlighted the importance for states to enforce guidelines strictly in the hotspots i.e. the red zone areas. "The efforts of the states should be directed towards converting the red zones into orange and thereafter to green zones," he said.

On the issue of getting back Indians who are overseas, the Prime Minister said that this has to be done keeping in mind the fact that they don't get inconvenienced and their families are not under any risk. He also urged Chief Ministers to factor in the changes in weather - advent of summer and monsoon - and the illnesses that can potentially come in this season, while strategizing ahead. Union Home Minister Amit Shah reaffirmed the need to enforce lockdown so that maximum lives are saved.

"The Chief Ministers praised the leadership of the Prime Minister during this period of crisis, and also highlighted the efforts undertaken by them in containing the virus. They spoke about the need to keep a close vigil on international borders, and also on addressing the economic challenge and ways to further boost health infrastructure. The leaders expressed gratitude towards the police force and medical staff for the exemplary work done by them in the fight against COVID-19," read the release.

Impact of Coronavirus will remain visible in the coming months, masks & face covers will be part of our life: PM Narendra Modi in his video conference meeting with Chief Ministers pic.twitter.com/aEhVdXnuBx

— ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2020

This was the fourth such interaction of the Prime Minister with the Chief Ministers, the earlier ones had been held on March 20, April 2, and April 11. Today's meeting comes just a week ahead of the scheduled ending of the nationwide lockdown. On March 24, the Prime Minister had announced a 21-day lockdown as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown was later extended till May 3.

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As many as 1,396 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 27,892 in India, said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, here on Monday. He said that a total of 381 people have recovered in the past day and the recovery rate now stands at 22.17 per cent.

Briefing the press here, Agarwal said: "1,396 new positive cases were reported in the last 24 hours, which takes our total confirmed cases to 27,892." "20,835 people are under active medical supervision. 381 patients got cured in the past one day. The total number of cured people is 6,184. Recovery rate has surged to 22.17 per cent," added Agarwal.

"16 districts in the country, which earlier had cases, have not reported any fresh cases for the last 28 days. The three new districts, which got added to this list are -- Gondia in Maharashtra, Devangere in Karnataka and Lakhisarai in Bihar," said Agarwal. Apart from that, 85 districts in States and Union Territories have not reported any new cases in the last 14 days, he said.

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As India battles COVID-19, the corona cases on Monday soared to 28,380 with 1,463 new cases and 60 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, as per the data shared by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday evening. The total coronavirus cases in India are inclusive of 6,361 cured and discharged patients, one migrated and 886 deaths. At present, there are 21,132 active COVID-19 cases in the country.

Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, here on Monday said that 16 districts in the country, which earlier had cases, have not reported any fresh case for the last 28 days. The three new districts, which got added to this list are -- Gondia in Maharashtra, Devangere in Karnataka and Lakhisarai in Bihar. Apart from that, 85 districts in States and Union Territories have not reported any new cases in the last 14 days, he said.

Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has advised the State governments to go for the RT-PCR test, which "detects the virus early and is the best strategy to identify and isolate the individual." The advisory with the subject line -- 'Advisory on Rapid Antibody Blood Tests Regarding' -- states: "ICMR advocates that RT-PCR throat/nasal swab test is the best use for diagnosis of COVID-19. RT-PCR test detects the virus early and is the best strategy to identify and isolate the individual."

"Several states have procured rapid antibody test kits and on their demand, the ICMR has also provided these kits with clear instructions that they are to be used only for surveillance purpose. Some States have raised issues regarding their performance during the testing exercise that they have undertaken." The States have also been advised by the ICMR to stop using these kits procured from the two companies -- Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech and Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics -- and return them to be sent back to the suppliers.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday also asserted that not a single rupee was lost on rapid antibody test procurement. "After the receipt of some supplies, the ICMR has again conducted quality checks on these kits in field conditions. Based on the scientific assessment of their performance, the order in question (Wondfo) along with the order in respect of another make found under-performing have been cancelled.

It needs to be stressed that ICMR has not made any payment whatsoever in respect of these supplies. Because of the due process followed (not going for procurement with 100 per cent advance amount), the Government of India does not stand to lose a single rupee," said a press release from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Lockdown has yielded positive results as the country has managed to save thousands of lives in the past one and a half months, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday while interacting with Chief Ministers via video conference on the prevailing COVID-19 situation.

"Lockdown has yielded positive results as the country has managed to save thousands of lives in the past one and a half months. India's population is comparable to that of the combined population of several countries. The situation in many countries, including India, was almost similar at the start of March. He, however, he warned that the danger of the virus is far from over and constant vigilance is of paramount importance.

During the video conference, various Chief Ministers put forth their views and suggestions to contain the coronavirus and mitigate the resultant woes. Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy sought an economic package, saying that majority of the Chief Ministers wanted the continuation of the lockdown after May 3 due to the rise in coronavirus cases in the country.

"Most of the Chief Ministers told the Prime Minister that the lockdown should continue and that some economic activity should be started slowly," he said. "These Chief Ministers were of the view that the way in which cases are increasing, there should be a cautious approach and the Prime Minister should take a call on the basis of their observation. Even most of the BJP-ruled states' CMs said that lockdown should be continued and economic activities should be started slowly," said Narayanasamy.

In a significant move, Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde on Monday said that the apex court has given proper directions to the Centre to provide food, shelter, psychological counselling and other basic necessities to the needy people during the lockdown.

"We have given proper directions to the Central government to provide food, shelter, psychological counselling and other basic necessities to the needy people during this COVID-19 lockdown," CJI Bobde told reporters here. He said that the judiciary is doing whatever it can at this time of crisis.

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With 1,543 more COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's tally of coronavirus cases has reached 29,435 cases, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday.

The tally includes 21,632 patients who are active cases, 6,868 patients have been cured/discharged with one patient migrated.

With 62 more deaths reported in the last 24 hours, making it the sharpest rise in the number of deaths so far, the number of deaths due to coronavirus stands at 934.

According to the ministry, Maharashtra has the most number of cases at 8,590 of which 1,282 have been cured/discharged with 369 fatalities.

Gujarat has the second-highest number of positive COVID-19 cases with 3,548 cases of which 394 patients have been cured/discharged while 162 patients have died due to the deadly virus.

Delhi's tally has also crossed the 3,000 mark with 3,108 cases with 877 patients cured and 54 patients who died due to the highly contagious virus.

Meanwhile, Goa (seven cases and all seven patients recovered), Tripura and Manipur (two cases and both cases recovered) and Arunachal Pradesh (with one case who has recovered now) have reported no new cases, as of Tuesday.

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Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Monday raised the issue of low salary paid to the intern doctors performing their duty amid the nationwide lockdown to combat coronavirus and demanded that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should raise their pay.

"Intern MBBS doctors in UP are performing their duty in this crisis with all sincerity. Their lives are also in danger. And they get only Rs 250 per day. Chief Minister Yogi Aditynathji, their salary is very low. In my understanding, it is your duty to increase the salary of intern doctors at this time of crisis," Priyanka Gandhi, who is also the party in-charge for eastern Uttar Pradesh, said in a tweet.

Her remarks came after several intern doctors in the state raised the issue of getting Rs 250 per day. On Monday, the total number of Covid-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh rose to 1,955 with 31 people losing their lives due to the pandemic across the state. A total of 335 people have been cured in the state so far.

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Restrictions enforced in West Bengal to fight Covid-19 will continue till May 21 with curbs on normal life varying in intensity based on the extent of spread of the viral infection in a particular area, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday.

"We want the restrictions to continue till May 21. We have to be careful till that time," Banerjee told media persons at the state secretariat Nabanna.

The Chief Minister, however, clarified that she was not announcing any extension on lockdown, as that decision will be taken by the central government. "I am talking of restrictions, which is different from the lockdown," she added.

Banerjee said while the restrictions would be strictly implemented in every red zone (areas with a large number of corona positive cases), the impact will be less severe in orange zones (areas with a limited number of cases in the past and with no surge in positive cases recently, where restricted activities would be allowed).

Districts with no coronavirus positive cases are included in green zones.

"If an area which is now an orange zone, shows an increase in the prevalence of the disease and enters the red zone, the restrictions will be made stiffer, and vice versa. There will be more relaxations given in the green zones, but the areas will be placed under stiffer restrictions if more positive cases are detected putting them under orange or red zone categories," she said.

The Chief Minister announced the formation of a cabinet committee on COVID management, chaired by Finance and Industries Minister Amit Mitra. Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, and Minister of State for Health Chandrima Bhattacharya will be part of the committee. Mitra and Chatterjee will work from home.

The Chief Secretary, the Health Secretary, and the Home Secretary will be among the committee members. Banerjee said her government was discussing on resuming more activities in rural areas that come under the green zone.

She announced that home delivery companies, which were so long allowed to ferry only essential goods, would now be permitted to reach non-essential items also.

"We have to think of giving relaxations that won't harm the people," she said. She said though relaxations have been given on 100 days' job guarantee scheme, the problem was in getting labourers.

The Chief Minister appealed to the centre to ensure international borders were closed, and not allow domestic and international flights, and train services till the situation normalises. Inter-state bus services or travel also should not be allowed, except for emergencies.

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With 1,594 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the last 24 hours and 51 deaths, India's total count of coronavirus cases surged to 29,974, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday.

1594 new cases and 51 deaths reported in last 24 hours. India's total number of #Coronavirus positive cases rises to 29,974 (including 22010 active cases, 7027 cured/discharged/migrated and 937 deaths): Ministry of Health and Family Welfare pic.twitter.com/XKEarSluZm

— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2020

The total cases are inclusive of 7,026 cured and discharged patients, one migrated and 937 deaths. At present, there are 22,010 active COVID-19 cases in the country.

Addressing a press conference here, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, said that in the last 28 days, 17 districts have had no new Covid-19 cases. "This means we need to maintain constant vigil," he added.

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New Delhi: The Health Ministry on Tuesday said currently plasma therapy is at the experimental stage and there is no evidence yet to support that it can be used as a treatment for COVID-19.
Addressing a press briefing, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said currently there are no approved therapies for COVID-19 and there is not enough evidence to claim that plasma therapy can be used for the treatment of the disease.

"ICMR has launched a national-level study to study the efficacy of plasma therapy in the treatment of COVID 19," he said.

"Till ICMR concludes its study and a robust scientific proof is available, plasma therapy should be used only for research or trial purpose. If plasma therapy is not used in a proper manner under proper guidelines, then it can also cause life-threatening complications," said Agarwal.

The official said that the doubling rate of coronavirus cases now stands at 10.2 days.
He further said that in the last 24 hours, 1,543 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported, taking the total cases to 29,435.

"6,868 COVID-19 patients, which is 23.3 per cent of total cases, have recovered so far," he added.

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A total of 6,869 people have been cured of coronavirus in India so far, taking the recovery rate to 23.3 per cent, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday.

A total of 1,543 new cases of coronavirus have been identified, which take the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 29,435, said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry,
here on Tuesday.

On Monday, the ministry had put the recovery rate from COVID-19 at 22.17 per cent. Addressing a press conference here, Agarwal said: "With 1,543 new cases, there are 29,435 positive cases in India till now. So far, 6,869 people have recovered including 684 people who recovered yesterday. This takes our recovery rate to 23.3 per cent. This is a progressive increase in the recovery rate."

Agarwal said that in the last 28 days, 17 districts have had no new case. "This means we need to maintain constant vigil," he added.

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The Coronavirus outbreak has infected scores of people across the globe and claimed many lives. As people stare into uncertainty, many doctors, nurses and other healthcare staffs have been battling the pandemic on the frontline to ensure things go back to normal as soon as possible. Amid such a time, a video of doctors across the country dancing to Pharrell Williams’ hit song, Happy, has been made the internet smile with hope.

Posted by the Ministries of Memories on Instagram, the makers of the video said in the caption that they were trying to bring ‘some sunshine and raising awareness for mental health.’ The video has 60 doctors from cities such as Pune, Surat, Nagpur, Bengaluru, Prayagraj, Indore, Agra, Gurugram, Delhi, Kochi, Lucknow and Kolkata busting some gracious moves.

The wide-shared video has been conceptualised by Dr Pooja Nadkarni Singh, Dr Sheetal Sawankar and Dr Unnati Mamtora and they are calling the video, a ‘Song of Hope’.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Puja & Rahul Kedia (@theministryofmemories) onApr 24, 2020 at 10:35pm PDT

Posted on Saturday, the video has garnered more than 36,102 views on Instagram and has received 2,646 likes. The users commenting on the video lauded the makers of the video for sending the message through such a peppy song.

A user said, "Take a bow, respected Medicos! You and your dedicated, lovely staff are performing divine Seva! May God help you always grow from strength to strength! Love you all! Thank you for stretching that bit more to make this amazing video and regaling our hearts!." Another user said, "Absolutely loved this....Thank you for bringing a smile in such anxious times." One user said, "Great job on spreading some smiles, kudos to the whole team."

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India's tally of COVID-19 cases has reached 31,332, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday. With 73 more deaths reported, the number of deaths due to coronavirus in the country breached the 1,000 mark and stood at 1,007. The tally is inclusive of 22,629 active coronavirus cases, 7,695 patients who have been cured/discharged and one patient migrated.

According to the Ministry, Maharashtra has the most number of COVID-19 cases with 9,318 cases of which, 1,388 patients have been cured/discharged while 400 patients have succumbed to the virus. Gujarat has the second-highest number of positive cases in the country with 3744 cases including 434 patients cured/discharged and 181 deaths.

Delhi's tally stands at 3314 cases of which, 1078 patients have recovered while 54 patients have succumbed to the virus. Madhya Pradesh has a total of 2387 positive cases including 377 patients recovered/discharged and 120 fatalities.

Meanwhile, Goa (seven cases; all seven recovered), Arunachal Pradesh (one case; now recovered), Manipur (two cases; both recovered), Tripura (two cases; both recovered) have reported no new cases of COVID-19.

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Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases in India, the health ministry on Tuesday, issued home quarantine guidelines for people who have very mild symptoms of COVID-19. According to the guidelines, those with mild syptoms can opt for home isolation but will have to be in constant communication with the District Surveillance Officer, and a hospital and will have to sign an undertaking.

The present guidelines were issued in addition to guidelines on appropriate management of suspect/confirmed cases of Covid-19 issued by the Health Ministry on April 7

.@MoHFW_INDIA has issued guidelines for Home Isolation of very mild/pre-symptomatic COVID-19 cases: Media briefing on #COVID19

Details: https://t.co/koNEShuVZ7 pic.twitter.com/6wUPLNg9Ne

— PIB India #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) April 28, 2020

As per the revised guidelines, patients who have mild symptoms or are pre-symptomatic can now opt for self-isolation at their homes but they need to follow the norms laid down by the Health Ministry. 

Who is eligibile for self isolation at home?

COVID-19 patients who have been clinically assigned as a very mild case or pre-symptomatic case by the treating medical officer are eligible for self-isolation at home.

What are the pre-requisites in order to self-isolate at home?

• Patients who are eligible for self-isloation at home must have a requisite facility at their place of residence for self-isolation. More so, the patients must also ensure that there is enough space for other members of the family to quarantine at home.
• The patient must have a caregiver who can look after the patient and provide care 24x7. 
• Another prerequisite is that there should be a communication link between the caregiver of the patient and the hospital during the entire duration of home isolation.
• The caregiver and all the close contacts of the COVID-19 patient should take Hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis as per the protocol and as prescribed by the treating medical officer.
• The patient has monitor his or her health and regularly inform their health status to the District Surveillance Officer for further follow up by the surveillance teams.
• Finally, the patient needs to fill an undertaking on self-isolation stating that they shall follow all home quarantine guidelines laid down by the Health Ministry.

When should a COVID-19 patient seek medical attention?

According to the revised guidelines issued by the Health Ministry, mild or pre-symptomatic patients shall seek immediate medical attention on the following grounds.

• When they face difficulty in breathing
• If they experience persistent pain/pressure in the chest
• Feel mentally confused or inability to arouse
• If they develop bluish discolorations of lips or face
• And if advised by treating medical officers

When will home isolation end?

Home isolation for COVID-19 patients can only be discontinued when the symptoms are clinically resolved and the surveillance medical officer certifies the mild or pre-symptomatic patient to be free of infection after the necassary laboratory testing.

Do's and don'ts for self-isolation patients and caregivers

• Caregivers must wear triple layered medical mask when in the same room with the COVID-19 patient.
• Caregivers should avoid direct contact with body fluids of the patient, especially oral or respiratory secretions.
• Caregivers must use disposable gloves while handling the patient. Hand hygiene should be undertaken done before and after removing gloves.
• Caregivers should pay strict attention to hand hygiene before and after preparing food, before eating, after using the toilet, and whenever the hands look dirty.
• Caregivers should avoid sharing cigarettes, eating from the same utensils, or exposing themselves to used towels or bed linen.
• COVID-19 patient should wear triple layer medical mask at all times. The patient must discard the mask after eight hours of use or earlier if they have become wet or visibly soiled.
• The patient must isolate themselves in a room and stay way from people.
• Patient must stay away from the elderly who maybe suffering from co-morbid conditions like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, renal disease.
• During self-isolation, mild or pre-symptomatic patients must drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated and follow respiratory etiquette all the time.

With inputs from Agencies

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Chandumama Sonawane Hospital and Meera Hospital in Pune have been declared as dedicated hospitals for COVID-19 positive pregnant women, said Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Chandumama Sonawane Hospital is run by the PMC while Meera Hospital is a private hospital Meanwhile, the total number of positive cases in Pune district has climbed to 1,491 and the death toll stands at 83, informed the Health Department, Zilla Parishad, Pune on Tuesday.

Maharashtra, one of the most affected states in the country, has reported 9,318 COVID-19 cases so far The state reported 729 new cases on Tuesday, as per the latest data provided by the state Health Department.

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 A Qatar Airways special flight carrying 267 people onboard departed for London from Amritsar Airport on Wednesday morning. "Amritsar International Airport. Qatar Airways departed today morning: ATQ-Doha-LHR; Pax details as below: British 222, Indian 44, Chinese 01. Total 267," KBS Sidhu, Special Chief Secretary, Punjab, tweeted.

A relief flight of the British Airways had operated chartered flights to carry out several round of evacuation last week for its people who have been stranded in India due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Special flights from Bengaluru via Ahmedabad to London, Goa to London, and Mumbai to London have also operated on several dates this month. 

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India's tally of COVID-19 cases has reached 31,332, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday. With 73 more deaths reported, the number of deaths due to coronavirus in the country breached the 1,000 mark and stood at 1,007.

The tally is inclusive of 22,629 active coronavirus cases, 7,695 patients who have been cured/discharged and one patient migrated.

According to the Ministry, Maharashtra has the most number of COVID-19 cases with 9,318 cases of which, 1,388 patients have been cured/discharged while 400 patients have succumbed to the virus.

Gujarat has the second-highest number of positive cases in the country with 3744 cases including 434 patients cured/discharged and 181 deaths.

Delhi's tally stands at 3314 cases of which, 1078 patients have recovered while 54 patients have succumbed to the virus.

With 1813 new cases & 71 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of #COVID19 positive cases in India rises to 31787 (including 22982 active cases, 1008 deaths, 7797 cured/discharged and 1 migrated): Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare pic.twitter.com/Vu77dQ3K2m

— ANI (@ANI) April 29, 2020

Madhya Pradesh has a total of 2387 positive cases including 377 patients recovered/discharged and 120 fatalities.

Meanwhile, Goa (seven cases; all seven recovered), Arunachal Pradesh (one case; now recovered), Manipur (two cases; both recovered), Tripura (two cases; both recovered) have reported no new cases of COVID-19.

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A 45-day-old baby boy, said to be India's youngest Covid-19, patient has recovered from the disease and was discharged from a hospital here on Wednesday. Officials clarified that the infant was just 20-day-old when he contracted the infection from his father and was admitted to state-run Gandhi hospital here. After undergoing treatment for 25 days, the baby boy from Mahabubnagar district was discharged on Wednesday. "He is probably the youngest person in the country to have contacted the infection and recovered successfully," the health department said.

Carrying the baby in her arms, the mother was seen walking out of the hospital with a smile. The hospital staff gave warm send-off to the youngest Covid-19 patient and 12 other children who were also discharged with him. The 13 children were among 32 patients discharged in Telangana on Wednesday while the state recorded only seven new cases.

Health Minister Eatala Rajender expressed happiness over the recovery of the youngest patient and other children. He congratulated the doctors, nursing staff and paramedics of the hospital. This was the third straight day in a row that Telangana reported new cases in single digit. With this the total number of cases rose to 1,016.

The number of recoveries has also moved up to 409. The fatalities stand at 25. A total of 582 persons are currently undergoing treatment. Rajender said 10 of the patients at Gandhi Hospital were undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). One of them is on a ventilator while four are on oxygen.

The minister said while the mortality rate in the country is 3.2, the same in Telangana stands at 2.5.

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India's COVID-19 tally has reached 33,050, including 1,074 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday. 1,718 more coronavirus cases were reported and 67 people succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours. Currently, there are 23,651 active cases while 8,324 COVID-19 positive patients have been cured/discharged.

Maharashtra has the highest number of cases with 9,915, followed by Gujarat with 4,082 cases and Delhi with 3,439 cases.

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A 28-year-old woman, infected with COVID-19, has given birth to a baby girl on Wednesday at Nagpur's Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH). The infant will be screened for the virus after three days. "A woman who tested positive for COVID-19 in IGGMCH has given birth to a baby girl. The baby's corona test will be conducted after three days," said Dr Sagar Pandey, Deputy Superintendent, IGGMCH Nagpur while speaking to media.

Recently, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) had launched a mobile dispensary to screen pregnant women for COVID-19 in containment zones.

"We have already screened tuberculosis patients. Now, health workers are screening pregnant women," Nagpur Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe had said.

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The number of coronavirus cases in Nashik district of Maharashtra has gone up to 276 as 71 more people have tested positive for the disease, an official from the district administration said on Thursday. Most of the new cases are from the district's Malegaon town, he said. The new patients include six police personnel and three children - aged three months, 5 years and 11 years.

Out of the total 276 cases, 253 have been reported from Malegaon, 10 from Nashik city, 11 from other parts of the district and two patients are from outside the district who are undergoing treatment in hospitals here.

There was no change in the death toll which stood at 12, the official said. Till date, 11 people have recovered from the disease in the district and discharged from hospitals, he added.

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As many as 1,718 COVID-19 cases were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 33,050 in the country, said the government on Thursday. The total cases are inclusive of 23,651 active cases and 8,324 cured/discharged/migrated ones, said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, while addressing media persons here.

1823 new cases and 67 deaths reported in the last 24 hours
The total number of COVID19 positive cases in India rises to 33610 including 24162 active cases, 8373 cured, discharged, migrated and 1075 deaths: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare pic.twitter.com/G0RbjT1ONT

— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2020

Agarwal said: "A total of 1,718 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 33,050." A total of 630 patients have been recovered in the last 24 hours.

As far as testing and treatment protocol is concerned we have to use RTP-CR test only, Agarwal said.

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With 1,993 more COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's tally of coronavirus cases stands at 35,043 on Friday, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The total tally is inclusive of 25,007 active cases, 8,888 patients cured/discharged and one patient migrated. With 73 more deaths in the last 24 hours, the total number of deaths due to the coronavirus rises 1,147.

According to the ministry, Maharashtra has the most COVID-19 cases with 10498 cases including 1773 patients cured/discharged and 459 patients dead. Gujarat is second on the list with 4,395 cases that include 613 patients cured and 214 patients succumbing to the deadly virus. Delhi's tally of positive coronavirus cases stands at 3,515 cases of which 1,094 patients have been cured while the death toll stands at 59.

Goa (seven cases), Tripura (two cases), Arunachal Pradesh (one case) and Manipur (two cases), all patients who were infected by the virus in these states have been cured and no new case has been reported.

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The current doubling rate for COVID-19 cases has improved to 11 days as against 3.4 days before the lockdown was imposed, while the case fatality has been recorded at 3.2 per cent, the health ministry said. Addressing a press briefing, health ministry Joint Secretary, Lav Agarwal said the doubling rate of COVID-19 cases was found to be between 11-20 days in Delhi, UP, Jammu and Kashmir, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Punjab.

Doubling rate between 20-40 days has been seen in Karnataka, Ladakh, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Kerala, he added. In the last 24 hours, 1,718 new cases of COVID-19 were reported, taking the total number to 33,050 in India, he said.

Agarwal further said that the current case fatality rate is 3.2 per cent for COVID-19 in the country, with 65 per cent of it males and 35 per cent females.

No way to withdraw the lockdown: Tripura CM

Dilip Ghosh, Bengal BJP chief

'I was dumbstruck on hearing the CM say that she was not involved in the formation of the death audit committee. The CM says she even doesn't know who all are in the panel. Then who is running the govt? It must be a ghost. Otherwise, she wouldn't have made such a remark'

Biplab Kumar Deb, Tripura chief minister

'We do not find any way to withdraw the lockdown as it is the only viable means to break the chain of the Coronavirus outbreak. It seems we have to continue with the lockdown andwe have to withdraw some restrictions in a phased manner'

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A special non-stop train with 1,200 stranded migrants started from Telangana to Jharkhand's Hatia, officials said on Friday. According to the railway officials, a special non-stop train operated as a one-off service on Friday morning from Telangana to Hatia in Jharkhand. Railway sources said the train carrying 1,200 migrant workers from Telangana left from Lingampalli station at 5 a.m.

Speaking to IANS, Railway Protection Force (RPF) Director General Arun Kumar said, "A non stop train from Telangana to Jharkhand started this morning with 1,200 migrants." He said the train will reach Hatia around 11 p.m. on Friday. According to officials in Jharkhand, the state government has made adequate arrangements for the testing and quarantine of the migrants returning to the state from the special non-stop train.

A one-off special train was run today from Lingampalli (Hyderabad) to Hatia (Jharkhand) on request of the Telangana Government & as per the directions of Union Railway Ministry. pic.twitter.com/9YptotxcbV

— ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2020

The railways have suspended the passenger, mail and express train services in a bid to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Last month, hundreds of migrants reached Bandra terminus railway station in Mumbai after rumour was spread that train services were resumed.

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A 68-year-old COVID-19 patient died in Pune on Saturday, taking the total toll to 100 in the district, a health official said. The cause of the patient's death is acute respiratory failure due to ARDS with myocarditis with coronavirus infection.

"A 68-year-old patient who had tested positive for COVID-19 passes away in Pune. The cause of death is acute respiratory failure due to ARDS with myocarditis with COVID-19 infection. Total death toll in Pune district is now 100," an official said.

According to the Union Health Ministry, the total number of COVID-19 cases across the country surged to 37,336, including 26,167 active cases, 9,951 cured/discharged/migrated and 1,218 deaths.

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Twenty persons currently residing in Gurdwara Langar Sahib at Nanded in Maharashtra have tested coronavirus positive, an official said on Saturday. Swabs of total 97 people residing in the gurdwara had been collected for testing. Of them 20 have tested positive for the infection, civil surgeon Dr Neelkanth Bhosikar said. "They have been admitted to NRI Bhawan COVID Care Centre," he said.

The samples had been collected on April 30 and May 1, he said. Reports of 25 others have tested negative, while those of 41 others are awaited. Reports of 11 others are undecided, Bhosikar said in a statement.

With this, the number of COVID-19 patients in Nanded has reached 26, he added. "Two of them have died during treatmen

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t," he said.

With 2,644 more COVID-19 cases and 83 deaths in the last 24 hours, the number of people infected from coronavirus in the country has reached 39,980 including 1,301 deaths, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.

Currently, there are 28,046 active cases while 10,633 COVID-19 positive patients have been cured/discharged. The coronavirus cases in Maharashtra have reached 12,296, including 2,000 discharged cases and 521 deaths.Gujarat is in second place with 5054 coronavirus cases. The state has reported 262 deaths, while 896 people have been discharged.Delhi's count stands at 4,122 of which 1,256 patients have recovered, while 64 patients have lost their lives.

While Tamil Nadu's COVID-19 figure stands at 2,757 with 1,341 patients recovered and 29 fatalities, Rajasthan has reported 2,770 cases of which 1,121 has recovered and 65 patients are dead.Madhya Pradesh has reported 2,846 positive cases so far of which 624 patients have recovered and 151 patients have lost their lives due to the virus. In Uttar Pradesh, as many as 2,487 people have confirmed COVID-19, of which 689 recovered and 43 people succumbed to it.

In Kerala, which reported the country's first COVID-19 case, 499 people have been detected positive for coronavirus.

The Centre on Friday extended the ongoing nationwide lockdown till May 17, while allowing different sets of relaxations in red, orange and green zones.

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Indian Air Force choppers on Sunday showered flower petals on the National Police Memorial here and hospitals treating COVID-19 patients to express gratitude and appreciation towards doctors, medical professionals, police officials and paramilitary forces who are at the forefront in the battle against the coronavirus. This aerial salute was part of planned activities by India's armed forces, which includes activities such as fly-pasts by fighter jets and transport aircraft of the IAF, playing of bands by the military and flashing warship lights, to express gratitude and honour the "corona warriors" of the country.

Early on Sunday morning, two C-130J Super Hercules special operations transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force conducted a fly-past over the Dal Lake in Srinagar followed by another over Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh. The aircraft took off from Srinagar and will fly all the way to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala to show gratitude towards COVID-19 warriors. IAF's SU-30 aircraft conducted flypast across Marine Drive in Mumbai.

Indian Air Force aircraft SU-30 flypast Marine Drive to express gratitude towards medical professionals and all frontline workers. Picture/Bipin Kokate

The Indian Air Force (IAF) choppers showered flower petals over hospitals treating coronavirus positive patients in Delhi, among locations across the country in order to express gratitude and appreciation to the COVID-19 warriors in the country. "The list of hospitals include AllMS, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, GTB Hospital, Loknayak Hospital, RML Hospital, Safdarjang Hospital, Ganga Ram Hospital, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Max Saket, Rohini Hospital, Apollo Indraprastha Hospital, and Army Hospital R&R," as per a statement by the Defence Ministry.

IAF also aircraft showered flowers on King George's Medical University in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. This flying activity is combined along with the training activity of IAF and opportunity flight for transport planes and helicopters, which are involved in moving supplies related to the COVID-19 task The IAS also conducted a flypast over Rajpath among other locations in the national capital as a mark of respect for those at the frontline in the fight against coronavirus.

Flower shower above J J hospital by Indian Navy in respect of Corona fighters. Picture/Shadab Khan

About 10 helicopters of Indian Coast Guard (ICG) will shower flower petals on COVID-19 hospitals at 5 locations. Apart from this, as many as 46 Coast Guard ships will carry out illumination, fire green flares and sound ships siren at 25 locations, including, the remote sites and far-flung island territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands, covering the coastline of 7516 km.

Indian Naval Aviation assets will be flying over the hospitals treating corona patients and shower flower petals at Mumbai, Goa, Kochi and Vizag.

The activities planned by the defence forces were delayed by over an hour due to rains in parts of the country early this morning.

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Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said that India's COVID-19 mortality rate of 3.2 per cent is the lowest in the world and over 10,000 coronavirus patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the disease so far.

Today more than 10,000 COVID19 patients have been discharged. Those still admitted at hospitals are on the road to recovery. If in last 14 days doubling rate was 10.5 days, then today it's around 12 days.Our mortality rate of 3.2% is the lowest in the world: Union Health Minister pic.twitter.com/YnQpnJ9IeJ

— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2020

"Today more than 10,000 COVID-19 patients have been discharged. Those still admitted at hospitals are on the road to recovery. If in last 14 days doubling rate was 10.5 days, then today it is around 12 days," the Minister told ANI after visiting Lady Hardinge Hospital.

"Our mortality rate of 3.2 per cent is the lowest in the world," he said. With 2,644 more COVID-19 cases and 83 deaths in the last 24 hours, the number of people infected from coronavirus in the country has reached 39,980 including 1,301 deaths, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.

Currently, there are 28,046 active cases while 10,633 COVID-19 positive patients have been cured/discharged.

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India's count of COVID-19 cases has reached 42,533, including 1,373 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday.

2,553 more coronavirus cases were reported and 72 people succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours.

Currently, there are 29,453 active cases while 11,706 COVID-19 positive patients have been cured/discharged and one migrated.

Maharashtra has the highest number of cases with 12,974, followed by Gujarat with 5,428 cases and Delhi with 4,549 cases.

The country is under lockdown till May 17 to curb COVID-19 cases.

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At a time when the country is reeling under the Lockdown 3.0 phase, a viral video of a doctor returning home after treating COVID-19 patients is winning hearts for all the right reasons. The video, which has gone viral now was shared by BJP Karnataka's official Twitter handle with their 3 lakh 50 thousand followers.

This is how the residents of an Apartment in Namma Bengaluru honoured Dr Vijayashree who returned home after treating #COVID patients.

Let us respect and appreciate the great services rendered by Our Doctors.#ThankYouCoronaWarriors#IndiaFightsCoronavirus pic.twitter.com/7yEWlckO6v

— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) May 2, 2020

In the 39-seconds video clip, a woman doctor identified as Vijayashree can be seen given a standing ovation and welcomed home by her neighbours amid thunderous applause and cheers as she returns after her COVID-19 duty. While sharing the video, BJP Karnataka wrote, "This is how the residents of an Apartment in Namma Bengaluru honoured Dr Vijayashree who returned home after treating #COVID patients. Let us respect and appreciate the great services rendered by Our Doctors."

What a feeling..Goosebumps!really awesome 👏

— Mahesh PA (@MaheshPA85) May 2, 2020

The viral video shows Dr. Viajyshree entering her society after a long time as she was equipped with COVID-19 duty and treating coronavirus patients at the hsopital. In the video, Dr. Vijayshree can be seen entering her residential apartment as her neighbours and society members throng to their balconies to welcome her amid thunderous appaluse and cheer.

ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ಕಾಣುವ ದೇವರು!

Dr. Vijayashree of Bengaluru received a heroic welcome when she returned home after tending to #COVID19 patients in MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital.

A big thank you to all the #CoronaWarriors working selflessly on the frontline of this pandemic. We SALUTE you! pic.twitter.com/COHT4KYYE1

— M Goutham Kumar (@BBMP_MAYOR) May 2, 2020

M Goutham Kumar, Mayor of Bengaluru also shared the video and informed that Dr. Vijayshree is treating COVID-19 patients at MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, situated in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Since being shared online, the video has garnered over 15,000 views with hundreds of netizens lauding the doctor for her selfless commitment towards the country amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Salute to Dr. Vijayashree and all the medical teams taking care of our brothers and sisters in the country and abroad...#CoronaWarriorsIndia working 24x7 selflessly and relentlessly 👏👏👏👏

— Anwar Karakulangara (@karakulangara) May 3, 2020

One user wrote, "May be this is the awesome moment of her life. Great work," while another user commented, "Dr. Vijayashree is the real hero for the front line of COVID-19," A third user said, "They are the real warriors...BIG SALUTE...!" While thanking the Dr. Vijayshree, a fourth user stated, "What a feeling...Goosebumps! Really awesome!"

Here's how netizens reacted to the video:

May be this is the awesome moment of her life. Great work.

— Shivaraj B M (@Shiva2105) May 3, 2020

Superb 👌. Great gesture by public.

— Vishwanath Shetty (@VishKodlady) May 3, 2020

Well this is human culture for humanity. Thanks for share this video.

— Mohammed moosa (@Mohamme73738356) May 3, 2020

Dr. Vijayashree is the real hero for the front line of covid-19

— Siva Kumar .A (@SivaKum97095133) May 3, 2020

बहुत खूब ।। इसी तरह डॉक्टर्स को मोटिवेट रखने की जरूरत है।। They are the real warriors.. BIG SALUTE ..

— Naveen Suman (@NaveenBoB22) May 3, 2020

I salute to such society and the civilization and the doctor for their achievements in surrounding

— Arvind Narsingrao Marpak (@ArvindMarpak) May 3, 2020

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With 1,074 COVID-19 patients getting cured in the last 24 hours, India's recovery rate has further moved to 27.52 per cent, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday. Talking to media persons here, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said: "A total of 1,074 people have been cured in the last 24 hours. This is the highest number of cured patient in a day. 11,706 people have been cured till to date. The recovery rate is 27.52 percent."

Till now, 11,706 people have been cured. In the last 24 hours, 1074 people have been cured.This is the highest number in terms of cured patients noted till date. Our recovery rate is now 27.52%. Total number of COVID19 cases is now 42533: Lav Agrawal, Joint Secy, Health Ministry pic.twitter.com/cyf6HDy5VK

— ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2020

On April 30, 630 COVID-19 patients had recovered in the 24 hours, taking the recovery rate to 25.19 per cent in the country which was 23.3 per cent on April 28.

According to the official data, India has registered 2,553 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, which have surged the total number to 44,532.

"A total of 2,553 cases have been increased in the last 24 hours which led the total number of cases to 44,532," Agarwal said.

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The total number of COVID-19 cases in the country climbed to 46,433 on Tuesday morning, the Union Health Ministry said.

Of the total cases, 32,138 are active, 12,726 people have recovered, and 1,568 have succumbed to the disease.

Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state with the total number of cases rising to 14,541 and 583 deaths, though 2,465 people have recovered from the deadly virus.

Gujarat has reported 5,804 cases so far followed by Delhi with 4,898 cases, according to the Health Ministry data.

The other states which have seen a sharp rise in cases are Madhya Pradesh (2,942), Rajasthan (3,061), Tamil Nadu (3,550) and Uttar Pradesh (2,766).

Maharashtra has the highest number of fatalities, among all the states, followed by Gujarat with 319 deaths, Madhya Pradesh 165, Rajasthan 77 and Delhi 64.

Among other major states, Andhra Pradesh has reported 1,650 cases and 36 deaths so far, Bihar 528 cases and four deaths, Haryana 517 and six deaths, Jammu and Kashmir 726 cases and eight deaths, Karnataka 651 and 27 deaths and Kerala 500 cases with four deaths.

The states which have reported less than 10 cases are Tripura, Mizoram, Puducherry, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

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Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday registered an FIR against independent MLA from Nautanwa Aman Mani Tripathi and his six associates for stepping out without having a valid pass during COVID-19 lockdown.

They were returning from Uttarakhand and were detained in the Nazibabad area of Bijnor district. Superintendent of Police (SP) Bijnor Sanjeev Tyagi said, "He was not authorised by Uttar Pradesh government to go to Uttarakhand. He was out unnecessarily and did not have a valid pass. Action is being taken. He will be quarantined and tested."

No weapons were recovered from the seven, added the SP. Tripathi and others were earlier arrested by the Uttarakhand Police on Sunday allegedly for violating lockdown norms and misbehaving with government officials.

After the arrest, they were served a notice and were sent back to Uttar Pradesh. The incident had occurred at Gauchar of Chamoli district where his entourage was stopped for screening by the officials on duty. Tripathi, along with 10 others, was on a trip to Badrinath and Kedarnath.

Uttarakhand DG, Law and Order, Ashok Kumar had told ANI that an FIR has been registered against Tripathi and 11 other persons under Sections 188, 269 and 270 of the Indian Penal Code, Disaster Management Act and Epidemic Disease Act.

The Uttar Pradesh government had clarified on Monday that it did not authorise Tripathi to travel to Uttarakhand.

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The COVID-19 epidemic has caused shock and grief to Pune Police after a 58-year-old cop lost his life in the battle against the novel coronavirus. Taking to Twitter, the Pune Police handle, which is known for its witty tweets and informative posts, on Monday announced the sad news to its followers.

ASI Shri Dilip Popat Londhe (57) from Faraaskhana Police Station lost his life this afternoon, battling Coronavirus.
Pune Police prays for his his soul to rest in peace and offers its condolences to the bereaved family. pic.twitter.com/XuGFTjqkIG

— PUNE POLICE (@PuneCityPolice) May 4, 2020

In its tweet, the official handle of Pune Police said that they lost ASI Dilip Popat Londhe from Faraaskhana Police Station due to the COVID-19 crisis. While paying tribute to the cop, the Pune Police also offered condolences to the deceased's family.

फरासà¤Â–ाना पà¥Â‹लà¥Â€स सà¥Âà¤ÂŸà¥Â‡शनà¤Âšà¥Â‡ सहायà¤Â• पà¥Â‹लà¥Â€स फà¥ÂŒà¤Âœदार शà¥Âरà¥Â€ दिलà¥Â€प पà¥Â‹पà¤ÂŸ लà¥Â‹à¤Â‚ढà¥Â‡ हà¥Â‡ à¤Â•रà¥Â‹ना रà¥Â‹à¤Â—ाशà¥Â€ बाधित à¤Â…सलà¥Âयानà¥Â‡ à¤Â‰पà¤Âšार à¤Â˜à¥Â‡त à¤Â…सताना à¤Â†à¤Âœ रà¥Â‹à¤Âœà¥Â€ तà¥Âयाà¤Â‚ना वà¥Â€रमरण पà¥Âरापà¥Âत à¤Âालà¥Â‡ à¤Â†हà¥Â‡.
भावपà¥Â‚रà¥Âण शà¥Âरदà¥Âधाà¤Â‚à¤Âœलà¥Â€ 🙏 Our Prayers pic.twitter.com/7oNIOY14fq

— CP Pune City (@CPPuneCity) May 4, 2020

As per the tweet by Pune Police, ASI Dilip Londhe, who had been fighting the novel coronavirus for the past few days succumbed to the deadly virus on Monday afternoon. While speaking to ANI, Dr. Jitendra Oswal, Deputy Medical Director of Bharati Hospital, where the cop was admitted said, "He was on the ventilator for the last 12 days. He was suffering from hypertension and obesity."

To date, Pune has reported 2,051 positive cases of the COVID-19 infection. Amid the lockdown being extended till May 17, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has identified 69 containment zones where all shops carrying essential services shall remain open between 10 am and 2 pm.

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The total number of novel coronavirus cases in India mounted to 46,711, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday. In an evening update, the Health Ministry said of the total cases, 31,967 are active cases, and 1,583 have succumbed to the disease. However 13,160 people have recovered so far.

Total number of #COVID19 positive cases in India rises to 46,711 including 31,967 active cases, 1,583 deaths, 13,160 cured/discharged and 1 migrated: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare pic.twitter.com/xbeWihMr6H

— ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2020

The total number of deaths suddenly saw a spike in West Bengal. The Ministry said the total toll reported from West Bengal was 133. It was 61 on Monday. Earlier at a presser, Joint Health Secretary Lav Aagarwal had said that states should report on time about the number of cases and fatalities in order to ensure better management of cases.

Maharashtra continued to top the chart with a total 14,541 cases followed by Gujarat with 5,804 cases and Delhi with 4,898 cases. Other states which saw a surge in cases are Madhya Pradesh (3,046), Tamil Nadu (3,550), Rajasthan (3,061), Rajasthan (3,061) and Uttar Pradesh (2,859). States which reported over a thousand cases are Andhra Pradesh (1,717), Punjab (1,233), Telangana (1,085) and West Bengal (1,259).

States which saw a significant number of cases are Bihar (529), Haryana (517), Jammu and Kashmir (726), Karnataka (659), Kerala (500), Odisha (170), Chandigarh (102) and Jharkhand (115).

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The number of COVID-19 cases in the country reached 49,391, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday morning. This includes 33,514 active cases, and 1,694 deaths due to the infection so far.

However, 14,182 persons have been cured and discharged so far, according to the Health Ministry. One patient has migrated. Maharashtra with 15,525 cases is the worst-affected state, while Gujarat with 6,245 cases is second on the list.

Delhi with 5,104 COVID-19 cases is the third most-affected by the infection.

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Token system has been introduced for the purchase of alcohol from liquor stores in Pune, said Divisional Commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar on Tuesday. He said there will be an implementation of a token system at these stores and without a token, no liquor can be purchased.

On Tuesday, Pune Police registered cases against nine liquor stores for not following the COVID-19 health guidelines.

The move comes as liquor stores witnessed huge rush across the country after the relaxation of lockdown norms by several state governments over the past few days.

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The Maharashtra government has appealed to all central government departments to make available their hospitals for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in the state. "Anticipating higher numbers of patients in the coming days, Maharashtra govt has appealed to all Central govt departments like Railways, Port Trust, Army, Navy etc to make available their hospitals for treatment of COVID patients in Maharashtra," said a statement from Maharashtra Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

As a part of planning, the State Government has requested hospitals, institutions & buildings under the management of the Railways, Mumbai Port Trust, Indian Army, Navy and other Central Gov. undertakings to make their facilities available across Maharashtra.

— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) May 6, 2020

According to the Maharashtra CMO, "Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is himself in talks at the highest level in central govt." A CMO press note confirmed that the Maharashtra government has set up several quarantine and isolation centers at Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Nehru Planetarium, Bombay Exhibition center, Richardson and Cruddas company and at various other places in the state.

But as the Center has warmed about a spike in cases during May, Maharashtra wants additional ICU beds and other medical facilities. So it has requested the central government departments which have hospitals in Maharashtra to make them available for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

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Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday said that he will hold a meeting with the Maharashtra Chief Minister to discuss the worsening COVID-19 situation in the state, as 34 out of its 36 districts are affected by the infection.

"The situation in Maharashtra is certainly a matter of concern right now as 34 out of 36 districts are affected by COVID-19. I will hold a meeting with the Chief Minister as well to discuss further course of action to control spread of the virus in the state," the Minister said at a press conference here.

The situation in Maharashtra is certainly a matter of concern right now as 34 out of 36 districts are affected by #COVID19. I will hold a meeting with CM as well to discuss further course of action to control spread of the virus in state: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan pic.twitter.com/g2Ez09pNLM

— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2020

"Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, Solapur, among the 34 districts are a cause of concern for us," he added. The Union Health Minister further said the Centre's aim was to ensure that no new cases come up from districts in Maharashtra and assured all help to the state in the coming days.

"There are 1,026 containment zones in Maharashtra right now, as per my knowledge. The team from Centre and doctors are stationed there and we will give further help to Maharashtra as per the need," the Minister said.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Maharashtra had 15,525 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday morning, including 617 deaths. However, 2,819 patients have been cured and discharged after receiving treatment for the disease.

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106-year-old Mukhtar Ahmed, a resident of Central Delhi's Nawabganj, has recovered from coronavirus and been discharged from Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital. The centenarian was admitted in Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital on April 14 after been infected with the coronavirus. He was discharged on May 1. Dr BL Sherwal, Medical Director, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, a designated COVID-19 hospital said, "Whenever a patient recovers it is a proud moment for us. However, this case, due to the age of Ahmed, is inspiring news for all of us."

"Our doctors who were treating him had noticed his stern will to fight against the virus. It is the will that is important in the battle against coronavirus. Ahmed fought with the disease as bravely." On being asked about Ahmed's immunity, Dr Sherwal said, "The recovery depends on whether one's body has a mild or severe coronavirus infection."

"He has set an example that even people above hundred years can too fight coronavirus and emerge victoriously," he added.

Ahmed got the infection from his son who is still undergoing treatment. However, Ahmed is now fit and is maintaining social distance from his family members, thus, obeying the prescribed instructions.

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The total number of COVID-19 cases in the country mounted to 52,952 on Thursday evening, with 3,561 new cases and 89 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry stated. Of the total cases, 35902 are the active cases, 15266 people have recovered, and 1,783 people have succumbed to the disease.

Maharashtra remained the worst hit state with a total number of cases rising to 16,758, followed by Gujarat which reported 6,625 cases and Delhi with 5,532 cases, according to the Health Ministry data.

Maharashtra has also recorded 651 deaths, the highest number of casualties among all the states.

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As per the modeling data and the way India's COVID-19 cases are increasing, it is likely that peak can come in June and July, said AIIMS-Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria on Thursday. "According to modeling data and the way our cases are increasing, it is likely that peak can come in June and July. But there are many variables. With time only, we will know how much they are effective and the effect of extending the lockdown," said Dr Guleria.

COVID-19 is likely to peak in June-July: AIIMS-Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria

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— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) May 7, 2020

India's count of COVID-19 cases reached 52,952, including 1,783 deaths on Thursday, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Currently, there are 35,902 active cases while 15,266 patients have been cured or discharged and one is migrated.

Maharashtra has the highest number of cases -- 16,758 -- followed by Gujarat 6,625 cases and Delhi 5,532 cases.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever