Coronavirus update: Delhi records more than 4,000 infections for 5 consecutive days

Maharashtra may impose fines on those who violate COVID-19 rules, says chief minister Uddhav Thackeray

Delhi recorded more than 4,000 cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for five consecutive days.

• The national capital added 4,039, 4,308, 4,266, 4,321 and 4,235 cases on September 9, 2020, September 10, September 11, September 12 and September 13 respectively, according to data from private tracker covid19india.org.
• A total 56,656 tests, including 10,116 Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and 46,540 rapid antigen tests, were conducted September 13, according to news agency Press Trust of India.
• The Delhi government September 13 ordered 28 private hospitals to reserve 80 per cent of their total intensive care unit (ICU) beds for COVID-19 patients, said a September 13 report from news agency Press Trust of India, quoting Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain.
• S&P Global Ratings said September 14 it expected India’s economy to shrink by nine per cent in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021, greater than its previous estimate of five per cent contraction, reported news agency Reuters.
• Twenty-five Members of Parliament (MP) tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 on the first day of Parliament’s monsoon session, reported news channel NDTV. There comprised of 17 MPs from the Lok Sabha and five MPs from the Rajya Sabha.
• The COVID-19 situation in Maharashtra will likely become more severe in the coming days, said the state’s chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on September 13.
• Thackeray said the state government can take “harsh decisions” to ensure social-distancing norms and may impose fines on those who violated COVID-19 rules.
• Maharashtra remained the most affected state, recording 22,543 cases September 13, with a total 1,060,308 cases, 290,344 active cases and 29,531 deaths, according to covid19india.org.
• India added 93,125 fresh cases September 13, even as testing dipped for the third day straight, to 978,500 tests conducted September 13.
• This was a drop from 1,163,542 tests on September 10, 1,091,251 tests on September 11 and 1,071,702 tests on September 12, according to data from the Indian Council of Medical Research.
• The country has 4,846,689 total cases, 986,315 active cases, 3,779,927 recoveries and 79,773 deaths as of September 14, according to covid19india.org.
• American pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc said it was working with a possibility of making its vaccine candidate against COVID-19 available in the American market before the end of the current year, according to a September 14 Indian Express report.
• “We (have) already started manufacturing, and we have already manufactured hundreds of thousands of doses, so we will be ready,” company CEO Albert Bourla said in an interview on CBS television network.
• Only 34 per cent people were likely to eat restaurant food in the next two months as they were concerned about contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 at restaurants, according to a survey conducted in the United States.
• People instead preferred to order food, said the survey — conducted between September 1 and September 8 by LocalCircles, a community social media platform — part of a study conducted by the US’ Centers for Disease Control released on September 11.
• The total number of global COVID-19 cases reached 29,185,779, with total deaths at 928,287 and recoveries at 21,031,016, according to data from tracker worldometers.info.