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India suffers record jump in COVID-19 cases, becomes third country to pass two million mark
India, the country hardest hit in Asia by the coronavirus pandemic, reported on Friday a record daily jump in infections, taking its total number of cases over two million.
It is the third nation to pass that unwanted milestone, lagging behind only the United States and Brazil.
Health workers in protective suits wait outside the emergency ward of a hospital after bringing a suspected coronavirus patient in an ambulance in Kolkata, India.Credit:AP
With infections spreading further to smaller towns and rural areas, experts say the epidemic in India is likely to be months away from hitting its peak, putting more strain on an already overburdened healthcare system.
And authorities are having to deal with multiple outbreaks across a nation of 1.3 billion people.
"A country of India's size and diversity has multiple epidemics in different phases," said Rajib Dasgupta, head of the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.
The health ministry said on Friday there were 62,538 new infections, taking the country's total to 2.03 million.
India has been posting an average of around 50,000 new cases a day since mid-June, but experts say its testing rate at 16,035 per million people is far too low.
Still, the government has taken some solace from the relatively low death rate, at about 2 per cent, with 41,585 deaths so far, though that figure will be understated as only deaths of people who have been tested for the virus are counted.
Epidemiologists say the epidemic in India is likely to be months away from hitting its peak, which will put an already overburdened healthcare system under more strain.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed a strict lockdown on March 25, during the initial stages of the outbreak, causing mass movement of migrant workers from cities back to their villages.
Several states including Bihar in the east, where many migrants returned, have witnessed a surge in cases in recent weeks as the lockdown has been eased to salvage a sagging economy.
Reuters
Only slight increases in Victorian aged care facilities
By Benjamin Preiss
Of the outbreaks in aged care, most facilities recorded only slight increases of two or three cases at most. Some recorded no increase at all.
There are now an extra 66 mystery cases in total bringing total to 2454 while 408 remain under investigation.
The two largest meatworks outbreaks remained unchanged from yesterday with 196 cases linked to Bertocchi Smallgoods in Thomastown and 164 cases linked to Somerville Retail Services in Tottenham.
However, the DHHS figures include an increase of five cases at the Golden Farms chicken abattoir in Geelong bringing the total to 36.
Figures at large outbreaks are as follows:
• 196 cases linked to Bertocchi Smallgoods in Thomastown
• 164 cases linked to Somerville Retail Services in Tottenham
• 121 cases have been linked to JBS Brooklyn
• 90 cases linked to Melbourne Health Royal Park Campus
• 83 cases linked to Australian Lamb Company in Colac
• 60 cases linked to Woolworths Distribution Centre Mulgrave
• 44 cases linked to the Linfox warehouse in Truganina
• 44 cases linked to Nino Early Learning Centre in Bundoora
• 37 cases linked to Catholic Regional College in Sydenham
• 36 cases linked to Golden Farms Poultry in Breakwater
• 31 cases linked to Respite Services Australia in Moonee Ponds
Latest figures from Victoria
By Benjamin Preiss
The latest figures from the Department of Health and Human Services show there are 7637 active COVID-19 cases across the state.
The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital in Victoria has almost doubled in a week, rising from 349 last Friday to 607 today.
Of the total cases 12,713 cases are from metropolitan Melbourne, while 839 are from regional Victoria.
There are 1548 active cases in aged care facilities.
Infections in the aged care sector include:
- 172 cases linked to Epping Gardens Aged Care in Epping
- 161 cases linked to St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Fawkner
- 144 cases linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Ardeer
- 119 cases linked to Kirkbrae Presbyterian Homes in Kilsyth
- 94 cases linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Heidelberg
- 84 cases linked to Arcare Aged Care Facility in Craigieburn
- 80 cases linked to BaptCare Wyndham Lodge Community in Werribee
- 74 cases linked to Aurrum Aged Care in Plenty
- 73 cases linked to Glendale Aged Care Facility in Werribee
- 70 cases linked to Outlook Gardens Aged Care Facility in Dandenong North
Hotel quarantine problems? 'I found out in the media,' says Sutton
By Rachael Dexter and Marissa Calligeros
Victoria's Chief Health Officer says he first learnt about major problems with security contractors employed to guard Melbourne's quarantine hotels when he read it in newspapers.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton on Friday.Credit:Justin McManus
A $3 million inquiry is now investigating the links between Victoria's second coronavirus wave and the hotel quarantine program, which was designed to shield the state from the virus by placing returned travellers in 14-day isolation in hotels manned by private security companies.
Professor Brett Sutton has previously revealed that genomic sequencing carried out by Melbourne's Doherty Institute shows a significant proportion – if not all – of Victoria's second-wave cases may be traced back to quarantine breaches at hotels.
Premier Daniel Andrews and his ministers have come under fire over security guards who became infected with the virus, and their refusal to reveal further details about the scheme due to the ongoing inquiry.
Never too old: 96-year-old graduates from university with honours
Rome: Six weeks shy of his 97th birthday, Giuseppe Paterno fulfilled the dream of a lifetime: a university degree.
"Don't get lost because you find obstacles — because there will always be obstacles," Paterno told reporters after he graduated with honours from the University of Palermo, where he received a degree in history and philosophy. "You have to be strong."
Giuseppe Paterno, 96, right, graduated from University of Palermo with a degree in history and philosophy, becoming the oldest person in Italy to do so.
Paterno's graduation has inspired news coverage around the world, partly because of his age. But he has also drawn attention because his life story speaks of commitment, a theme that has resonated as millions of schoolchildren in Italy and elsewhere face extraordinary uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Paterno "transmits faith in the future," said Rossella Cancila, his thesis adviser and a professor of history at the university. "He's a model to follow."
He has been honoured by his former employer, the State Railways system, and by the city of Palermo. Interview has followed interview. For Paterno, it's all starting to feel like a bit much.
"Too many interviews, too many compliments," he said, acknowledging that perhaps he was overwhelmed.
Langer, Broncos staff placed in COVID-19 hold after attending 'private function'
By Sam Phillips
Allan Langer and two other Broncos staff have been stood down after attending the Caxton Hotel last weekend.
The Herald can reveal the Broncos legend, who has been a key part of Brisbane staff since he retired, and two other Brisbane staff members attended the Caxton Hotel to celebrate Langer's birthday after the club's 36-26 loss to Cronulla.
"Three Broncos staff members will undergo COVID-19 testing after attending a private function in Brisbane," a Broncos statement read.
"The club became aware of the matter today involving football staff Allan Langer, Ryan Whitely and Blake Duncan and contacted the NRL immediately.
"As a precaution, those staff have been placed on COVID holds and will undergo testing before returning to the Project Apollo bubble.
"To adhere to best practice, the staff members won't travel for tonight's game in Sydney against the Rabbitohs."
COVID busters: Just how deep is a deep clean?
By Sherryn Groch
Sandra Pankhurst and Trudi Brown are trauma cleaners. Usually, they’re donning their hazmat gear to scrub down crime scenes or shuttered meth labs. But in recent months they’ve been lending their decontamination expertise to a new (and booming) market: coronavirus "deep cleans".
Trudi Brown (with steaming machine) is part of a team of "trauma cleaners" at STC Services who normally decontaminate crime scenes across Melbourne now turning their attention to COVID-19.Credit:Eddie Jim
This may well be the year of the big clean. As the pandemic rages around the world, offices, shops, hotels and homes are being wiped down like never before – sometimes three, four, even five times a day. Airlines have pulled out the kinds of chemicals usually reserved for nuking superbugs and herpes in a bid to keep passengers safe from the contagious new virus that causes COVID-19.
"Up until now, people haven't understood what cleanliness really meant," Pankhurst says. "It's not just about [visible] mess."
So what's the difference between clean and deep clean?
Foot traffic down 90 per cent in Melbourne CBD
By Benjamin Preiss
Foot traffic in Melbourne’s CBD has plunged to record lows under stage four restrictions with just 10 per cent of normal levels recorded on Thursday this week.
Melbourne lord mayor Sally Capp said the CBD’s streets had been almost deserted since the latest round of restrictions began.
Flinders Street Station on Thursday.Credit:Joe Armao
“Pedestrian counts are down about 90 per cent compared to this time last year.
The city hasn’t been this empty for this long in living memory,” she said."As the lockdown changes were announced we saw the impact happening in real-time across the city.”
The levels of pedestrian activity are gathered by 60 sensors across the city. Cr Capp said the plummeting foot traffic was devastating for businesses and trading conditions would remain challenging for quite some time yet.
The council figures show that before the lockdown up to one million people were moving around the City of Melbourne every day before the coronavirus lockdown.
“The sensor at Flinders Street Station underpass normally records more than 36,000 pedestrian counts a day," Cr Capp said. "It’s currently recording around 3600 pedestrian counts."
Watch: WA Premier Mark McGowan addresses the media
Wesfarmers will pay permanent staff during lockdown
By Dominic Powell
Wesfarmers, the parent company of Bunnings, Officeworks, Kmart and Target, has said it will continue to pay its permanent staff at its shut-down Melbourne stores for the duration of the six-week-long lockdown.
Full and part-time workers who do not work during the period will remain fully paid, the company said.
Casual workers who regularly work 12 hours or more will also continue to be paid for those hours, however, casuals who work under 12 hours will only be paid the equivalent of two weeks of their rostered hours.
Chief executive Rob Scott said the recently announced stage four lockdown had resulted in “enormous hardship and uncertainty to the public” including the company’s 30,000 workers in the state.
“The restrictions on business activity including the temporary closure of in-store retailing has created further anxiety for team members and their families,” he said Wesfarmers is not eligible for the government’s JobKeeper stimulus package as it has traded strongly through the recent lockdowns, so it will pay staff itself.
“We can’t eliminate the uncertainty for our team members, but we can reduce concerns about a sudden and unexpected loss of regular household income that may otherwise occur because of store closures during the restrictions,” Mr Scott said.
“It would not have been possible to provide this support without the strong performance our teams and businesses have delivered through the early months of COVID-19.”
Some staff will continue to work in-store to fulfil online orders and orders for trade and business customers at Bunnings and Officeworks, however, Mr Scott said the company would continue to push for a change in the government’s rules to allow some of Wesfarmers’ businesses to trade.
“We look forward to working with the Victorian government in the coming weeks including on any opportunities to further refine the restrictions to ensure important products remain available to the community, where this can be done safely,” he said.
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2020-08-07 07:18:00Z
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