India witnesses sharp rise in coronavirus COVID-19 cases, infections over 40,000, death toll over 1,300

New Delhi: India continued to see a spike in the number of coronavirus COVID-19 infections within the past day with the total count crossing at 40,263 cases and 1,307 fatalities, the total includes 10,887 recovered cases. 

As many as 2,487 fresh cases and 87 deaths have been reported by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in its latets update on Sunday (May 3, 2020). This has been the sharpest increase in the number of COVID-19 infections for the country. Though, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has maintianed that India`s COVID-19 mortality rate of 3.2% is the lowest in the world.

In Mumbai, 441 new COVID-19 infections and 21 deaths were reported on Sunday taking the city total to 8,613 with the death toll at 343 and the state's tally to 12,296 cases and 521 deaths. While the state government has decided to allow shops selling non-essential items including liquor shops to open in green, orange and red zone areas, which are non-containment zones.

While Delhi has reported 384 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday taking the total number of infections to 4,122 with 64 fatalities. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) headquarters in Delhi has been sealed for sanitisation after the personal staff member of a top-ranking officer was found COVID-19 positive.

In Uttar Pradesh the number of cases rose to 2,645 with 158 fresh cases on Sunday the virus has claimed 43 lives in the state so far.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy joined hands on Sunday to express their gratitude to the healthcare workers, police, and forces who are battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Synchronised  flypasts, lit-up ships and musical tributes by army bands outside hospitals were organised in Delhi, Mumbai, Srinagar, Hyderabad, Itanagar.

As India gears for the third phase of lockdown, several restrictions have been lifted and many states have announced the opening of shops selling non-essential items like clothes, shoes, stationery, paan, ciggarettes and liquor from Monday.