India records over 3 lakh new Covid-19 cases for second day in row

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, April 23, 2021:       India recorded over 3 lakh cases for the second straight day on Friday, clocking 3,32,730 cases in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry informed. With this, India’s trend of registering the world’s highest daily tally continues, pushing the country’s total infection count to 16,263,695 cases. As many as 2,263 people also died of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, mounting the coronavirus death toll to 186,920.

 

Amid this surge, a fire at a Covid-19 hospital in Vasai on Friday claimed the lives of at least 13 patients. The fire broke out in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Vijay Vallabh Hospital, which is treating Covid-19 patients. The started in the air conditioning unit of the hospital’s ICU, where as many as 17 patients were admitted at the time. The incident occurred after 3 am and within 5 minutes, the Vasai Virar Corporation fire brigade reached the spot.

In Delhi, at least 25 critically ill patients who were on high flow oxygen at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital died in the last 24 hours, sources at the hospital said. The hospital, one of the biggest private ones in the national capital, said on Thursday morning that it was running dangerously low on oxygen and had only about an hour’s supply left. Another source said, “Ventilators and Bipap have not been working effectively. We had to resort to manual ventilation in ICUs and emergency department.” There are over 700 Covid-19 patients admitted in the hospital.

Meanwhile, in the middle of an unprecedented Covid situation in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a series of meetings today, including one with chief ministers of states with high burden of coronavirus cases. As per official sources, he will review the Covid-19-related situation in an internal meeting at 9 am followed by the meeting with the CMs an hour later via video conference. At 12:30 pm, he is set to hold a meeting with leading oxygen manufacturers in the country. Earlier in the day, the PM had held a high-level meeting on oxygen supply and availability across India and called for using innovative ways to provide oxygen support to health facilities.

Courtesy:Indian Express