At least 199 people have died due to the deadly Coronavirus outbreak in India, according to latest Thursday numbers on Worldometre, while the total number of cases has risen to 6,588.
However, news agency PTI reports 225 deaths and 6624 cases of infection in India as it prepares for an extended nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19.
In its most recent update, the union health ministry placed the total number of cases at 5865 and the death toll at 169. The ministry said that 478 people have so far recovered from the infection.
Meanwhile, the Centre on Thursday announced Rs 15,000 crore for 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package.' The funds sanctioned will be utilised for immediate COVID-19 Emergency Response - Rs 7,774 crore and rest for medium-term support (1-4 years) to be provided under mission mode approach.
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In a statement, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said the key objectives of the package include mounting emergency response to slow and limit COVID-19 in India through the development of diagnostics and COVID-19 dedicated treatment facilities, centralised procurement of essential medical equipment and drugs required for treatment of infected patients, strengthen and build resilient national and state health systems to support prevention and preparedness for future disease outbreaks.
It will also focus on setting up of laboratories and bolstering surveillance activities, bio-security preparedness, pandemic research and proactively engage communities and conduct risk communication activities. These interventions and initiatives would be implemented under the overall umbrella of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
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The worldwide number of fatalities from the novel coronavirus pandemic has risen to 88,981, according to a tally compiled by AFP from official sources.
More than 1,519,260 declared cases have been registered in 192 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December. Of these cases, at least 312,100 are now considered recovered.
The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organisation (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.
Many countries are only testing the most serious cases.
Italy, which recorded its first death in late February, has had the most fatalities with 17,669 from 139,422 infections.
Spain has recorded 15,238 fatalities from 152,446 infections.
The death toll in the United States is the third highest, at 14.817 from 432,132 infections -- the highest number of cases in the world.
France has reported 10,869 deaths and 112,950 infections followed by Britain with 7,097 deaths and 60,733 cases.
China -- excluding Hong Kong and Macau -- has to date declared 3,335 deaths and 81,865 cases, with 77,279 recoveries.
Since 1900 GMT on Wednesday, Somalia announced its first coronavirus-linked death.
Europe has listed 787,744 cases and 62,402 deaths to date, the US and Canada together have 451,315 cases with 15,273 deaths, Asia 127,727 cases and 4,504 deaths, the Middle East 88,295 cases and 4,354 deaths, Latin America and the Caribbean 45,523 cases with 1,814 deaths, Africa 11,519 cases with 577 deaths and Oceania 7,146 cases with 57 deaths.
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(With inputs from AFP)
