22 March : : Health Ministry opens Covid-19 helpline on WhatsApp
New Delhi, March 21 The Health Ministry along with the government initiative MyGov on Saturday launched a helpline number on WhatsApp to raise awareness and answer questions about the Covid-19 pandemic.
WhatsApp users across the country can reach out to the Health Ministry on +91 9013151515 for credible information and to verify any uncertain information on precautionary measures or treatment practices, the Facebook-owned platform which has over 400 million users in India, said in a statement.
‘I commend Facebook for this great effort to synergise facts from credible sources and put it in the public domain through a popular messaging platform like WhatsApp. It shall definitely have a resounding positive impact on public health,” said Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.
To contact the helpline, citizens should save the WhatsApp number in their phones, and then start a chat by typing ”Hi” and sending it to the number, which will prompt them to either type in a query or choose from a list of frequently asked questions.
Depending on the question, the users will receive verified information in the form of a video, infographic or text.
”We encourage users across the country to depend on verified sources for any information during this period,” said Abhijit Bose, India head for WhatsApp.
In addition to the MyGov helpline, users can reach out to the fact-checking community, whose details can be found on the WhatsApp Coronavirus Information hub.
”Technology can play a very vital role in India”s efforts against the outbreak. This unique collaboration with the government across multiple ministries is a strong beginning,” said Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India.
21 March : Total coronavirus cases rise to 285 in India, 231 active
New: Delhi, March 21 The Ministry of Health has said that the total number of novel coronavirus cases, on Saturday, rose to 285 in India.
As of 9 a.m., data put out by the Union Health Ministry, out of the 285 cases, 22 were discharged and cured of the virus across India, four have died, while 231 people still remained active.
Of the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, one is a migrated COVID-19 Patient, said the ministry.
Himachal Pradesh made it into the statistics of health ministry by confirming its first Coronavirus case.
Maharashtra remained worst hit state with 52 confirmed cases and one casualty followed by Kerala which has 40 active cases.
Delhi and Uttar Pradesh also have 26 and 24 cases respectively.
In addition to this, at least 14,59,993 passengers were screened at the airport, according to the Ministry of health.
March, 20: Over 86,000 infected people recover from COVID-19 globally
New Delhi, March 20 Amid the panic over the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has put cities after cities under full or partial lockdowns, John Hopkins University”s coronavirus resource centre says that over 86,000 infected patients have been recovered to date.
In Hubei, China which is the original epicenter, 58,382 people have recovered so far; in Iran, 5,979 infected people have been recovered and in Italy, 4,440 people are now coronavirus-free.
Over 1,540 have been recovered in South Korea; 1,323 have been recovered in Guangdong China and 1,107 have been recovered in Spain.
In India, 20 people have been recovered so far while 13 have been declared coronavirus-free in neighbouring Pakistan, according to the current data.
In the US, 121 people have been recovered while in Germany, the number is 115 as of now. In the UK, 65 infected people have been recovered and sent home.
Currently, there are total 246,275 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally while the death toll has crossed 10,000.
Over 1,00,000 people across Europe have tested positive for COVID-19 so far, prompting European governments to unleash fresh measures.
In India, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has crossed 200 and four death have been reported so far.
Italy has become the worst coronavirus-hit country with its death toll overtaking that of China, where the disease was first reported late last year.
-Ians