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Home > News > India News > Article > COVID 19 in India Amid rising SOS calls daily deaths hit 3689

COVID-19 in India: Amid rising SOS calls, daily deaths hit 3,689

Updated on: 03 May,2021 07:37 AM IST  |  New Delhi
Agencies |

At least 3,92,488 more people tested positive; hospitals in Delhi send out desperate calls for help to authorities to replenish their dwindling oxygen stocks

COVID-19 in India: Amid rising SOS calls, daily deaths hit 3,689

Health workers attend to COVID-19 patients in a centre of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) village on Sunday. Pic/AFP

A record 3,689 daily COVID-19 fatalities pushed India’s death toll to 2,15,542, while the infection count reached to 1,95,57,457 with 3,92,488 more people being confirmed positive for the disease, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday. 


The active cases have crossed the 33-lakh mark, the data updated at 8 am showed.


Registering a steady increase, the active cases have increased to 33,49,644, comprising 17.13 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has further dropped to 81.77 per cent. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1, 59,92,271, while the case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.10 per cent, the data stated.


2 hospitals ring oxygen alarm bells

Battling an acute shortage of oxygen, some hospitals in Delhi on Sunday sent out desperate SOS calls to authorities to replenish their dwindling stocks, with one healthcare facility even “crying out” to the government to shift out its patients.

Family members of COVID-19 patients wait to fill their empty cylinders with liquid medical oxygen outside an oxygen filling agency in New Delhi on Sunday. Pic/PTI
Family members of COVID-19 patients wait to fill their empty cylinders with liquid medical oxygen outside an oxygen filling agency in New Delhi on Sunday. Pic/PTI

Madhukar Rainbow Children’s Hospital in Malviya Nagar on Sunday sounded an alarm about their depleting stocks around noon, saying 50 people, including four newborns, were “at risk”.

An official of the hospital said in the afternoon there are around 80 patients, including those suffering from COVID-19, at the hospital. It also has 15 newborns, he said. “There are 50 people, including four newborns, on oxygen support. They are at risk,” the official said.

Aakash Healthcare in Dwarka appealed to government authorities to shift patients to other facilities “so that they can be saved”. “CRY FOR HELP: Received only 5 #oxygen cylinders after running around the entire day, not more than 60 mins left to save lives of more than 250 patients,” a tweet posted from the hospital’s handle read.

Dr Deepali Gupta from Triton Hospital in Kalkaji said they have been struggling to arrange oxygen for their neonatal intensive care unit. “We have been scrambling for oxygen for over a week. A major tragedy may occur if a continuous supply is not ensured soon,” she said.

Centre says 122 crore doses needed

The Centre has told the Supreme Court that a total of 122 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be required to vaccinate a population of 59 crore in the age group of 18 to 45 years.

Government says 104, crematoriums say 2,557

Crematoriums in Bhopal claim that the last rites of as many as 2,557 coronavirus victims from Bhopal district were performed in April, sharply contradicting the BJP-led state government’s data which puts the COVID-19 deaths in the district last month at 104. The mammoth mismatch has given credence to claims of massive under-reporting of COVID-19 fatalities in the city.

Health minister’s father dies of COVID-19

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain has lost his father to Covid-19, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on Sunday. “Our health minister Satyendra Jain lost his father today to COVID,” he said, terming it “very very sad”. “Satyendra himself has been working tirelessly round the clock for the people of Delhi. God bless his soul and my heartfelt condolences to the family,” Kejriwal added in his tweet.

12 journalists test positive

As many as 12 journalists, who had undergone RT-PCR tests to cover the Belgaum Lok Sabha bypoll counting, have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Sunday. A total of 29 journalists had undergone the tests as mandated by the Election Commission, said the officials.

Poonawalla says will return to India in a few days

Adar Poonawalla
Adar Poonawalla

Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla, who has been in the UK on extended stay to evade alleged threats in India over ever-increasing demand for COVID-19 vaccines, has said he will return in a few days. In a late night tweet on Saturday, he said the production of Covishield - the Oxford/AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine that is being produced by Serum Institute in India - was in full swing at SII’s facility in Pune. “Pleased to state that COVISHIELD’s production is in full swing in Pune. I look forward to reviewing operations upon my return in a few days,” Poonawalla said. He, however, did not give a timeline for his return to India.

Retiring officers to get extension

Around 200 Short Service Commission (SSC) officers with the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS), due for retirement over the next seven months, will get an extension till December 31 in view of the COVID-19 situation in the country, a senior Army officer said on Sunday. The Army on Sunday also said it has reduced attendance in its offices and cancelled all physical conferences and meetings till the end of this month in order to contain the spread of COVID-19.

1,95,57,457
Total no. of coronavirus cases in India so far

2,15,542
Total no. of deaths due to the virus in India so far

1, 59,92,271
Total no. of patients Recovered and discharged in india so far

15,68,16,031
(Total no. of people vaccinated so far)

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