China's coronavirus death toll touches 3,042; confirmed cases rise to 80,552
Beijing: The death toll in China's novel coronavirus outbreak has touched 3,042 with 30 new fatalities while the confirmed cases have risen to 80,552 amid signs that the dreaded COVID-19 was stabilising, including in the epicentre Hubei province.
China's National Health Commission (NHC) said that it received reports of 143 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 30 deaths on Thursday on the Chinese mainland.
Among the deaths, 29 were in Hubei Province and one in Hainan Province, NHC said in its daily update of the COVID-19 on Friday.
Meanwhile, 102 new suspected cases were reported taking the 482, it said.
The overall confirmed cases on the mainland so far totalled to 80,552 by the end of Thursday. This included 3,042 people who had died of the disease 23,784 patients still being treated and 53,726 patients discharged after recovery, the NHC said.
Also on Thursday, 16 imported cases (those coming from abroad) of novel coronavirus infection were reported on the mainland, including 11 in Gansu Province, four in Beijing and one in Shanghai.
By the end of Thursday, 36 imported cases had been reported, said the commission.
So far 104 confirmed cases including two deaths had been reported in Hong Kong, 10 confirmed cases in Macao, and 44 in Taiwan, including one death.
Forty-six patients in Hong Kong, nine in Macao and 12 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospital after recovery, NHC said.
China's Hubei Province and its capital Wuhan, the epicentres of the novel coronavirus outbreak, reported 126 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 29 deaths on Thursday.
The latest report brought the total confirmed cases in the hard-hit province to 67,592.
While the province and Wuhan continue to report new cases and deaths, local health commission said the situation on the containment of the virus has been further improving.
The daily count of new cured and discharged cases in the province has exceeded the number of new confirmed cases for 15 consecutive days since February 19 Li Yang, deputy director of the Hubei Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention told media in Wuhan.
Wuhan and the entire Hubei province that has over 50 million population has been kept under lockdown by the Chinese government since January 23.
However, with the situation improving by the end of Tuesday, 22 cities and counties in Hubei had been classified as low-risk, 17 as mid-risk while 37 others remained at high-risk, Li said.
There have been 14,770 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 outside China, with over 267 deaths, state-run People's Daily reported on Friday, citing statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In the past 24 hours, 2,098 newly confirmed cases outside China have been reported and five new countries/territories/areas (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gibraltar, Hungary, Slovenia, and occupied Palestinian territory) have reported cases of COVID-19, according to the WHO statistics.
South Korea confirmed 518 more cases of COVID-19 on Friday, raising the total number of infections to 6,284, according to the Yonhap News Agency.
Italy reported a total of 107 deaths of COVID-19 and the total number of infections reached 3,858 on Friday.
The novel coronavirus has now claimed 107 lives out of more than 3,513 cases in Iran on Friday.
France reported a total of 7 deaths of COVID-19 and the total number of infections reached 423 on Friday.
The US' death toll from the COVID-19 rose to 12 on Friday. Nationwide, there are 163 confirmed cases.
The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 80,552 by the end of Thursday, including 23,784 patients who were still being treated, 53,726 patients who had been discharged after recovery, and 3,042 people who had died of the disease.
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Woman shot dead in Delhi; police suspect link to 2023 murder of her husband
New Delhi (PTI): A 44-year-old woman was shot dead at point-blank range in northwest Delhi's Shalimar Bagh on Saturday, with police suspecting the killing to be a fallout of the 2023 murder of her husband, an official said.
The deceased was identified as Rachna Yadav, a resident of Shalimar Bagh and the resident welfare association (RWA) president of her locality. According to police, she was shot in the head and died on the spot.
Police said Rachna was originally from Bhalswa village in north-west Delhi. Investigators suspect that the murder is linked to the killing of her husband, Vijendra Yadav, who was shot dead in 2023. The case concerning that murder is currently under trial.
"In the 2023 case, Vijendra Yadav was allegedly murdered due to previous enmity. Bharat Yadav and five others were named as accused. While five of the accused were arrested and are facing trial, the main accused, Bharat Yadav, is still absconding and has been declared a proclaimed offender," a senior police officer said.
Police said Rachna was the main witness in her husband's murder case, and her testimony was considered vital for the prosecution. Investigators believe her killing may have been aimed at weakening the case and intimidating other witnesses.
CCTV footage has surfaced in the Rachna Yadav murder case, clearly capturing the accused who allegedly shot her. Police said the assailant's accomplice was already waiting nearby on a sports bike bearing a Delhi registration number, facilitating a swift escape, according to an official.
Police said a PCR call was received at around 10.59 am at Shalimar Bagh police station, reporting that a woman had been shot.
Local police teams rushed to the spot and found Rachna lying on the road in a pool of blood. An empty cartridge was recovered from the scene, officials said.
According to the investigation, when Rachna was returning after meeting a neighbour, two assailants intercepted her. One of them allegedly stopped her and asked her name. When she identified herself, the attacker pulled out a firearm and shot her in the head before fleeing the spot along with his accomplice, police said.
Preliminary inquiry suggested that the woman was targeted, and the assailants appeared to have prior knowledge about her identity and movements.
"Crime Team and FSL teams were immediately called, and the scene of the crime was thoroughly examined. CCTV footage from nearby areas is being scanned to identify the assailants," Additional Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Bhisham Singh said.
Prima facie, it appears that the present case is linked to the earlier murder, he said. "We are re-examining all aspects of the 2023 case and the role of the proclaimed offender (Bharat)," Singh said, adding that multiple teams have been formed to trace the shooters and those who may have masterminded the crime.
Speaking to reporters, Kanika Yadav, the deceased's elder daughter, alleged that the murder was planned by Bharat.
"Some of the accused in my father's murder case are lodged in Tihar Jail. Despite that, they are planning such crimes. Bharat Yadav planned and executed my mother's murder," she alleged.
Kanika claimed her mother was killed because she was standing firm as a witness in her father's murder case.
"They were afraid that they would be convicted on the basis of her statement. That is why my mother was killed. My father was murdered in 2023, and the case is still pending before the court," she said.
Police said Rachna is survived by two daughters, one of whom is married, while the younger daughter lived with her. Security has been stepped up in the area, and further investigation is underway, police added.
