US coronavirus deaths climb to 100: AFP tally
Washington: The number of deaths due to the new coronavirus in the US has reached 105, with the outbreak spreading to all 50 states, even as President Donald Trump mounted a warlike effort to contain the situation, including an economic stimulus package of USD1 trillion.
The first fatality from COVID-19 was reported from the Washington state on February 26. Less than a month later, the toll has crossed 100. As of March 17, the figure stood at 105 and the number of confirmed infections crossed 6,500.
New York in the East Coast and Washington in the West are the two states that took major hits due to the coronavirus.
The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic. President Donald Trump has said that the crisis in the US might continue till July and August.
According to The Washington Post, most of the deaths have occurred in people over 70 and those with underlying conditions.
"Public health experts believe the initial and ongoing testing problems mean that unknown numbers of cases have gone undetected, and they say the death toll will only continue to rise," Politico reported.
President Trump has urged people to avoid gatherings of more than 10 persons. He asked them to stay indoors and work from home as much as possible. Schools, offices, bars, restaurants and many stores remain closed across the United States.
In the Silicon Valley, more than seven million people have been asked to stay indoors. Curfew has been imposed in New Jersey. Several states and cities are considering taking similar measures.
Trump spoke by telephone with the executives of industrial supply retailers and wholesalers about the national response to COVID-19. He thanked them for providing Americans the goods they rely on every day and asked them to extend his thanks to the incredible employees who are working tirelessly to keep store shelves well-stocked.
The President also announced that Medicare telehealth services will be dramatically expanded. "Medicare patients can now visit any doctor by phone or videoconference, at no additional cost, including with commonly used services like FaceTime and Skype a historic breakthrough," he said.
Several US senators wrote to Trump, urging him to use his authority to help address the widespread shortages of medical equipment caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
"There are widespread reports of shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, diagnostic test kits, and other medical supplies that require medical professionals to ration existing supplies," the Senators wrote.
"The Department of Defense, in collaboration with governors and appropriate federal agencies, should immediately undertake a national assessment of the supply and anticipated needs for PPE, ventilators, diagnostic test kits, and other needed medical supplies to support the use of its DPA authorities, as well as determining the potential use of the Defense Logistics Agency to support the rapid deployment of needed equipment, including from existing reserves," the letter read.
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the military would provide up to five million respirator masks. He said the Pentagon will also provide items of personal protective equipment to safeguard front-line responders and up to 2,000 specialised ventilators.
Pentagon would open up as many as 16 labs to test civilians for the virus and potentially call up more members of the National Guard and Reserve, Esper told reporters.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
