India sees dip in daily case, Delhi seeks Army's help to fight Covid

The daily COVID-19 cases in India showed a slight dip with 3,68,147 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, taking the total tally of cases to 1,99,25,604, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. The death toll increased to 2,18,959 with 3,417 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.While the country recorded 4,01,993 new cases on May 1, it had registered 3,92,488 cases on May 2. The top five states that have registered the maximum cases in the past 24 hours are Maharashtra with 56,647 cases, followed by Karnataka with 37,733 cases, Kerala with 31,959 cases, Uttar Pradesh with 30,857 cases and Andhra Pradesh with 23,920 cases.

About 49.2 per cent of the 3.68 lakh new Covid-19 cases have been reported from these five states, with Maharashtra alone responsible for 15.39 per cent of the new cases. The maximum fatalities due to the Covid-19 virus were reported in Maharashtra (669), followed by Delhi with 407 daily deaths. Meanwhile, the third and largest phase of the Covid-19 vaccination drive to inoculate people in 18-45 age group began in Delhi on Monday. Pre-registration is mandatory for vaccination in the 18-45 age group, and there will be no walk-ins under this category for now. Punjab has made negative reports mandatory for those entering the state via air, rail or road. Cinema halls, bars and gymnasiums are to be shut and no dine-in is allowed in restaurants.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia wrote to defence minister Rajnath Singh seeking Army's help in creating additional ICU and non-ICU beds in the Capital. "Since the entire health infrastructure machinery is overwhelmed with the management of the existing hospitals and the upcoming Covid hospitals, it will be a timely help to the people of Delhi if the ministry of defence, with the considerable resources at its command, is tasked with the responsibility to provide and man the additional Covid health facilities as per the current projections," Sisodia wrote, requesting the defence ministry to arrange for the supply for medical oxygen for the Covid health facilities to be set up. Delhi is recording over 25,000 new cases every day and about 10 per cent of these new cases require some form of hospitalisation, the additional health infrastructure will soon be at its capacity, Sisodia wrote.