INDIA, KOREAS: After rising for four weeks running, COVID-19 cases in India fell by around 20% in the week ending Sunday as fresh infections dipped substantially in Delhi-NCR.
India is likely to record close to 18,500 new cases during the week (May 9-15), down from just over 23,000 in the previous seven days - arresting a rising trend that had begun in the April 11-17 week.
COVID deaths rose marginally to at least 34 (with a few states yet to report Sunday’s data), up from 20 last week. The rise was mainly on account of Delhi reporting 16 fatalities during the week, the capital’s highest weekly toll from the pandemic since February 21-27.
At the same time, Delhi reported a sharp 37% decline in fresh cases during May 9-15. The city recorded 6,104 fresh cases, down from 9,694 in the previous week as the Covid flare-up in NCR appeared to be on the wane.
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, the two states where most NCR cities are located, too logged a decline in infections. Weekly cases dipped by 28% in Haryana to 2,593, while UP posted 1,351 fresh cases, down 23% from the preceding week.
Meanwhile, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un slammed his country’s pandemic response and ordered the Army to help distribute medicine, as the country said 50 people had died since first reporting an outbreak of COVID-19.
More than a million people have been sickened by what Pyongyang is referring to as “fever”, state media said, despite leader Kim ordering nationwide lockdowns in a bid to slow the spread of disease through the unvaccinated population. Meanwhile, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Monday the country will spare no effort to help North Korea, as the isolated nation battles a COVID-19 outbreak, and reiterated he will remain open for humanitarian aid.
“If North Korea responds (to our support), we will spare no medicines including COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment and health personnel,” said Yoon in a speech at the plenary session of the National Assembly.
- THE HINDUSTAN TIMES, JAPAN TODAY, NDTV
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