COVID-19: India registers 179 fresh cases, highest in single day; PM announces special fund

India reported 179 fresh COVID-19 cases, highest in a single day, taking the tally to 918, and the death toll climbed to 19 on Saturday, as the government shored up efforts to boost health infrastructure, including procurement of ventilators, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a special contributory fund, amid looming fears of the country entering the third stage of community transmission.

The Centre asked the state governments and Union Territory administrations to utilise Rs 29,000 crore State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for providing food and shelter to migrant workers hit by the 21-day lockdown.

Resources were also being mobilised from private medical establishments, and armed forces while the railways has manufactured a prototype of an isolation ward for treating coronavirus patients by converting non-air-conditioned train coaches.

The armed forces are keeping ready 28 service hospitals to provide treatment to COVID-19 patients apart from five hospitals which are carrying laboratory tests for the infection.

The Union health ministry said out of total 918 cases, 819 were active COVID-19 cases, while 79 people were either cured/discharged and one had migrated. As per the ministry, the total number of cases on Friday stood at 724.

Rejecting suggestions that there maybe a possibility of community transmission, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said the rise in cases is not significant to indicate that the virus is spreading rapidly. ICMR has been