Coronavirus: India’s toll touches 109 with 32 deaths in last 24 hours; confirmed cases reach 4,067

New Delhi: With 32 new coronavirus fatalities in the last 24 hours, the death toll due in India has crossed the 100 mark, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday while adding that the virus has affected more than 4,000 people in the country so far.

According to Health Ministry data, the death toll stands at 109 with 4,067 confirmed cases. It also said that 292 people have been cured and discharged from the hospitals.

Maharashtra has been the worst affected state in India with 45 deaths, followed by Gujarat which has reported 11 fatalities so far, says the Health Ministry. Delhi and Telengana have reported seven deaths each while Punjab and Tamil Nadu have reported six and five deaths respectively.

Madhya Pradesh has reported nine deaths while Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal have reported three deaths each. Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir have reported two deaths each.

As per the Health Ministry data, Bihar, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh have reported one coronavirus death each.

In order to control the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, the government has imposed a 21-day lockdown and has urged people to practice ‘social distancing’ to break the chain of the virus. It has also directed all district heads to ensure seamless functioning of pharma units making devices and medicines.

According to the government, the dreadful infection is doubling in 4.1 days in India currently, but if the cases linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation would not have happened, it would have been 7.4 days while adding that there was no evidence that coronavirus was an airborne infection.

Meanwhile, PM Modi has pitched for formulating a common exit strategy to ensure staggered re-emergence of the population once the lockdown ended. On Sunday, the Prime Minister also spoke to several leaders, including his predecessor Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and former president Pranab Mukherjee, on the situation arising out of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Sources said PM Modi also called up various leaders, including Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, DMK’s M K Stalin and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal.

He will also interact with floor leaders of various political parties via video conference on Wednesday.