New Delhi: The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 603 and the number of cases climbed to 18,985 in the country on Tuesday, registering an increase of 44 deaths and 1,329 cases since Monday evening, according to the Union health ministry.

New Delhi: The Delhi government will start COVID-19 testing for mediapersons from Wednesday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday, after 53 scribes tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Mumbai.

Amid complaints about faulty rapid test kits, the Indian Council of Medical Research on Tuesday advised states not to use them for the next two days, saying it will issue an advisory after their teams carry out field validation of these equipment.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took a swipe at the government over reports that rice would be used to make sanitisers and asked the poor of the country as to when will they wake up.

The Supreme Court Tuesday dismissed a plea seeking direction to the Centre, all states and Union territories to provide free of cost treatment for coronavirus infection till COVID-19 pandemic is contained, saying it is for the government to take a call on it.

At least 25 people, including journalists, working for a Tamil news television channel tested positive for coronavirus here on Tuesday, a health department official said.

Over 100 families residing at the President's Estate are under self-isolation as a preventive measure after a sanitation worker's relative tested positive for coronavirus, officials said Tuesday.

 Days after the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation expressed concern over alleged incidents of "Islamophobia" in India, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday said Muslims are prosperous in the country and those trying to vitiate the atmosphere cannot be their friends.