With a recovery rate now standing at 29.36 %, India on Friday registered 3,390 new COVID positive cases with 103 deaths taking the total number to 56,342 cases and 1,886 deaths.
The country currently has 37,916 active cases and so far a total of 16,540 people have been cured.
Data from State Health Departments put the nationwide death toll at 1,963 with a total number of 58,895 cases of which 38,354 are active cases. Maharashtra reported 1,089 new patients, taking the total tally to 19,063. The State also reported 37 more deaths, taking the death toll to 731.
The Hindu has brought out a multi-language e-book on essential COVID-19 information, in addition to covering the developments related to the coronavirus pandemic as it unfolded. Here is a collection of our daily cartoons on COVID-19 .
Here are answers from experts on your queries about the virs, a list of State Helpline numbers , a State-wise tracker for COVID-19 cases, deaths and testing, and a map of confirmed cases in India.
Here are the latest updates:
338 new cases, 2 deaths in Delhi
Two deaths and 338 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Delhi on Friday, taking the total number of deaths to 68 and cases to 6,318, according to the Delhi government.
Of the 6,318 cases, 2,020 people have recovered and there are 4,230 active cases.
Two more test COVID-19 positive in Assam taking the total count to 53. The two are from Cachar district and had arrived Wednesday from Ajmer. Total active cases are 23, dead 2The total active cases are now 23 and two were reported dead.
Three more COVID-19 positive cases in Bihar take the total number to 574 in the state....all male from Nalanda, Nawada and Begusarai districts.
Madhya Pradesh reports 89 new cases
Madhya Pradesh on Friday recorded 89 new COVID-19 cases, taking the State-wide tally to 3,341. Whereas, seven deaths owing to the illness were reported on the day. Three persons died in Indore, two in Bhopal and one in Ujjain and Jabalpur each. As for recoveries, 118 patients were discharged from hospitals across the State. So far, 1,349 persons have been cured.
Migrants in Haryana to be sent back to their hometowns in 100 trains and 5,000 buses free-of-cost over the next seven days. 23,452 migrants already sent back, says Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal.
COVID-19 death toll in Rajasthan crosses 100
COVID-19 death toll in Rajasthan crosses the 100-mark. Four deaths - 2 in Ajmer and 1 each in Jaipur and Jodhpur - reported today, taking the toll to 103. A total of 152 COVID-19 positive cases detected in 14 districts of the State today. The tally of positive cases in Rajasthan is now 3,579. Of them, 2,011 have recovered and 1,770 have been discharged from hospitals. As of now, the State has 1,465 active cases, says the Medical & Health Department.
Death toll in UP rises to 66
Death toll in UP rises to 66, with deaths in Jhansi, Noida, Meerut and Firozabad, according to the state health department.
Total cases now are 3214, while active cases stand at 1761.
With two cases, Fatehpur becomes the 68th district in UP to report positive cases.
Maharashtra reports 1,089 new cases
1,089 new Covid-19 cases reported across Maharashtra today as cumulative tally breaches 19,000 to reach 19,063 cases. 37 deaths were reported today taking the total death toll to 731. 25 of these fatalities were reported from Mumbai city and ten more from Pune. As many as 169 persons were discharged today taking the total number of discharged till date to 3,470. Mumbai's tally has crossed the 120,00 mark to climb to 12,142 with 462 deaths
India to expand ‘Vande Bharat Mission’ beginning from May 15
India will expand from next week its mega mission to evacuate stranded Indians from abroad by including countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Germany, Spain and Thailand, official sources said on Friday.
As on Friday evening, a total 67,833 Indians found eligible under government’s criteria of having “compelling reasons” to be brought back home, have registered for evacuation by flight under the ‘Vande Bharat Mission’, sources said.
Maharashtra to organise trains and buses for migrant labourers, says Uddhav Thackeray
"I am upset after the morning incident of death of labourers today morning. We are in the process of organising trains and buses. Don't fall prey to rumours. These labourers were going to Bhusaval by walking on Railtrack. They were tired and fell asleep and tragedy struck," says Uddhav Thackeray
Rumours are floating in Mumbai about calling army. Why do we need Army? I have done everything by taking you in confidence. Why would we bring army? It will not come to Mumbai. We are jawans in this battle. There will be no Army in Mumbai, adds Mr. Thackeray
Mumbai had conducted around one lakh tests. There will be stopping to that. It will continue. There are over 18000 positive cases in the state, but over 3250 have recovered. This too is important number, says the Chief Minister.
Gujarat reports 390 new cases
Gujarat records 390 Covid-19 infections and 24 deaths. Total cases so far are 7403 and 449 deaths and 1872 recovery including 163 recovery today.
Ahmedabad added 269 new cases and 22 deaths while 115 discharges. Cumulative numbers are: 5260 cases, 343 deaths & 1001 recovery.
AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleriya and Dr Manish Sureja would come to Ahmedabad by special IAF flight tomorrow as per instruction from Home Minister Amit Shah. They would visit Civil Hospital and municipal run SVP hospital to guide medical staff and doctors on treatment being given to the Covid-19 infected patients.
One more COVID-19 death in Punjab
Punjab recorded 87 fresh COVID-19 cases on Friday and reported one more death taking the tally to 29, according to an official statement.
The number of positive cases has reached 1,731 on May 8. The patient who died was from the SAS Nagar district. The Health department said the major chunk of cases, 24 and 11, were reported from Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran districts. The active cases are 1,550 and 152 patients have so far been cured, it added.
Madras HC orders closure of liquor shops in TN a day after they reopened
Madras High Court orders closure of liquor shops in TamilNadu a day after they reopened. It says its guidelines have been violated. The Madras High Court allows sale of liquor through online and door delivery till end of lockdown.
Odisha reports 26 new cases
Another 26 COVID-19 cases were detected in Odisha – 24 in Ganjam and one each in Bhubaneswar and Bhadrak – pushing the State’s tally to 271 on Friday. Twenty-six new cases were reported earlier in the day.
Gautam Buddh Nagar records first COVID-19 related death
Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded first COVID 19 related death as a 60-year-old male passed away in the early hours of Friday, an official release said. “The deceased, a resident of Sector 22 was first admitted to a private hospital and was later transferred to Government Institute of Medical Sciences in Greater Noida,” said Sunil Dohre, District Surveillance officer, Gautam Buddh Nagar. “The cause of death was respiratory failure,” he added. Sources in GIMS said the person was tested positive on Thursday and was shifted to GIMS after that.
The district recorded 12 new cases on Friday, taking the tally of COVID 19 cases to 214. Out of these, 95 are active cases. A red zone, the district has 332 people in institutional quarantine .
-Anuj Kumar
COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu crosses 6,000
Three more persons succumbed to COVID-19, two in Chennai and one in tirunelveli as Tamil Nadu reported 600 fresh cases, taking the tally to 6,009 in the State. As many as 58 were discharged today, taking the total number of discharged to 1605. As of now 40 deaths are reported in the State
COVID-19 cases rise to 569 in Bihar
Six more COVID-19 positive cases in Bihar take the total number to 569. Four male and two female from Khagaria, Darbhanga and East Champaran district are the new cases.
Maharashtra train accident: NHRC issues notice to Maharashtra Chief Secretary a nd Aurangabad District Magistrate
National Human Rights Commission issues notices to the Maharashtra chief secretary and Aurangabad District Magistrate about migrants being mowed down by a goods train. While the incident was an accident, the NHRC observed: "Had some arrangements been made for their shelter or halt during their tiring journey, the painful tragedy could be averted."
30 more BSF men test positive taking total to 235
Thirty more BSF personnel tested positive to COVID-19 on Friday, six in Delhi and 24 others in Tripura.
The total number of infected persons stood at 235 in the 2.5 lakh strong force, two others have recovered.
30 more BSF men test positive taking total to 235
Pending Class 10, 12 CBSE exams to be held from July 1 to 15: HRD Ministry
Pending CBSE class 10, 12 board exams, which were postponed due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown, will now be conducted from July 1 to 15, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ announced on Friday.
“The students have been impatiently waiting for the schedule for pending exams. It has been decided today that the exams will be conducted from July 1 to 15,” he said.
Pending Class 10, 12 CBSE exams to be held from July 1 to 15, says HRD Ministry
74 fresh COVID-19 cases reported in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh reported 74 fresh coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 3,145, an official said.
A total of 3,145 cases have been reported from 68 districts, of which nine have no active cases, Principal Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said.
So far 63 deaths have been reported in the State, Mr. Prasad said, adding that 1,261 people have fully recovered and have been discharged from hospitals while the number of active cases in the State is 1,821.
Mr. Prasad said a decline in number of active cases has been seen in the State since May 4.
--PTI
Delhi HC declines to entertain PIL to involve veterinarians in fight against COVID-19
The Delhi High Court Friday declined to entertain a plea seeking directions to the Centre to involve veterinarians to help prevent spread of coronavirus between humans and animals, claiming that a tiger in the Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh had allegedly died due to the virus.
Teenager dies of COVID-19 in Assam
A 16-year-old girl posthumously became Assam’s second COVID-19 casualty.
The girl, suffering from anaemia, had on April 27 visited the ESI Hospital in Guwahati after complaining of fever and leg pain. “She shifted to the staff quarters of the B. Barooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) where her grandmother works, had similar complications along with vomiting and died,” Mr Sarma said.
The Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Assam’s largest healthcare centre, directed BBCI to conduct COVID-19 test after her death. She was found positive.
The BBCI staff quarters were subsequently declared as a containment zone. Her contacts were also being traced to the other hospitals she had visited.
--Rahul Karmakar
Ten Indonesians who had attended Tablighi event get bail
Ten Indonesian nationals, arrested for not disclosing that they had attended the Tablighi Jamat gathering in Delhi which turned out to be a coronavirus hotspot, were granted bail by a court here on Friday.
The applicants, which included six women, are all members of the Islamic organisation Tablighi Jamat and had attended its meet at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi in March.
--PTI
Over 98,000 cases of lockdown violations registered in Maharashtra
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Friday said as many as 98,774 cases were registered and 19,082 persons were arrested for violating prohibitory orders during the COVID-19 lockdown in the state.
At least 98,774 offences were registered under section 188 (disobeying an order passed by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code, the Minister said.
--PTI
Plea in Kerala HC against Centre’s directive on Aarogya Setu app
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Friday asked the Centre government to respond to a writ petition challenging the Centre’s directive to make the use of Aarogya Setu app mandatory for all employees, including those in the private sector.
The order was passed by the Bench comprising Justices Shaji P. Chali and M.R. Anitha.
Odisha government extends mandatory institutional quarantine period from 14 days to 21 days for all those returning from outside the State. Besides, it orders additional seven days’ home quarantine for the returnees.
--Prafulla Das
LSAT entrance exam to be held online due to COVID-19
US-based The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) has decided to administer the 2020 LSAT-India entrance examination online for the first time ever from June 14 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. LSAC said LSAT-India, which was a paper-pencil test since its inception in 2009, becomes India’s first and only Law Entrance Exam to be entirely online, AI-enabled remote-proctored.
Uber loses $2.9 billion, offloads bike and scooter business
Uber lost $2.9 billion in the first quarter as its overseas investments were hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, but the company is looking to its growing food delivery business and aggressive cost-cutting to ease the losses.
The ride-hailing giant said Thursday it is offloading Jump, its bike and scooter business, to Lime, a company in which it is investing $85 million. Jump had been losing about $60 million a quarter.
--AP
Pune Fire brigade driver tests positive
A fire brigade personnel in Pune city in Maharashtra has tested positive for novel coronavirus, a senior official said on Friday.
The fireman went to a private hospital on Monday to get himself checked for some other ailment, and as part of procedure, his samples were sent for coronavirus testing and the report returned positive on Thursday, Pune fire brigade chief Prashant Ranpise said.
--PTI
Health Ministry pegs recovery rate at 29.36%
An MHA spokesperson said that 222 special trains have so far ferried 2.5 lakh people , including migrant workers, students and tourists, at a daily COVID-19 press conference. Now, efforts are being made to bring in citizens stranded abroad in a phased manner, which has started on May 7.
Travel arrangements have also been made for Green Card holders and OCI card holders and the Indian citizens, who want to travel abroad, the spokesperson said.
"Stardard Operating Protocol has been made for the purpose and an inter-ministerial coordination committee has been formed to ensure implementation of the SoPs.
"Navy ship is bringing back 700 people from Maldives, it will reach Cochi on May 10.
"Flights from Abu Dhabi to Kochi, Dubai-kozhikode brought 354 passengers yesterday.
"Another flight from Singapore to Delhi brought in 250 passengers today, five more flights to come.
"For the stranded OCI card holders and foreigners, certain important decisions have been taken. The multi-entry lifelong visa facility for OCI card holders has been suspended during lockdown. But for the who are stranded here, there card will remain valid.
"During travel ban, if OCI card holders want to travel to India for any important reason, they can contact Indian missions.
"For the foreign nationals, whose visas are expiring, on their online application, their visas will be extended without any fine or additional fee," the spokesperson informed.
Data till yesterday shows that 3.2% patients are on oxygen support, 4.7% on ICU support, 1.1% are on ventilator support, a Health Ministry spokesperson said. The Ministry pegged the recovery rate at 29.36%.
"216 districts have not reported any cases, 42 districts have not reported any case in the 28 days, 29 districts have not reported any case in the past 21 days, 36 districts have not reported any case in the past 14 days and 42 have not reported any case in the past seven days.
"Indian Railway have converted 5231 coaches into Covid-Care centres, which will be kept at 215 railway stations. They will be used for mild and very mild cases," the spokesperson informed.
An ICMR project for plasma trial has got approval from National Ethics Committee. It will be conducted in 21 hospitals: 5 in Maharasthra, 4 in Gujarat and two each in Rajasthan, TN, MP and UP, and one each in Punjab, Karnataka, Telangana and Chandigarh, the Ministry said. Two inter-disciplinary clinical research studies (combined effort of Aayush, Health Ministry, Ministry of Science and Technology and Health Ministry) have also been conducted to explore use of Ayurveda in the management of Covid-19 cases.
The Ministry has issued directions for use of hotels, lodges and service apartments isolation facilities for those returning from abroad, with certain conditions, which includes in-house facility of trained doctors. They should have tie-ups with a test lab, Aarogya Setu App has to be used by all those kept there, the spokesperson said.
"Two days ago, the doubling time was 12. It has decreased since then," the spokesperson added.
-- Devesh Pandey
Guwahati Medical College closed for new patient admissions after PG student tests positive for COVID-19
The Guwahati Medical College will not admit patients for the next few days after a post graduate student of the state-run facility tested positive for COVID-19, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
“A PG student at Guwahati Medical College tested COVID positive last night. Consequently, we are screening everyone who came in contact with him, and the entire premise has been sanitised. We have closed the hospital for new patients for the next few days,” Mr. Sarma said.
--PTI
Air India’s repatriation flight from Singapore lands at Delhi airport with 234 passengers
An Air India repatriation flight from Singapore landed at the Delhi airport on Friday morning with 234 passengers, senior officials of the airline said.
The flight was part of the Vande Bharat mission, which started on Thursday to bring back stranded Indian nationals home amid the novel coronavirus-induced lockdown.
Telangana imposes Rs 1,000 fine for not wearing mask in public places
After making wearing a mask in public places mandatory, the Telangana government has issued orders imposing Rs 1000 as fine for those not complying with it.
“In order to prevent transmission of COVID-19, it shall be mandatory for everyone to wear a face cover/mask in public places. Each violation shall attract a fine of Rs.1,000, an order issued by the state government on Thursday said.
--PTI
ICMR to study prevalence of asymptomatic COVID-19 infected people to check for community spread
Amid a spurt in COVID-19 cases, apex health research body ICMR has decided to conduct a study in 75 affected districts across the country to identify people who were exposed to the novel coronavirus infection and yet showed mild or no symptoms.
The study can help ascertain whether there has been community transmission of the respiratory disease in those areas or not, official sources said.
--PTI
Three truckers stranded for 50 days die of ‘food poisoning’ in Odisha
Three truck drivers, stranded on the road for 50 days owing to the lockdown, died allegedly of food poisoning in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district, 70 km from here on Friday.
On March 18, the three, hailing from Bihar, had come to collect spirit from the Dhenkanal-based Shakti Sugars Limited for a liquor manufacturing factory in Khordha district of Odisha.
Disinfection drive at Srinagar Civil Secretariat after employee tests positive for COVID-19
An entire floor of the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar was cleared and disinfected after an employee posted there tested positive for COVID-19 two days ago, officials said on Friday.
The employee, a resident of the Safapora area in Ganderbal district, was found COVID-positive on Wednesday, prompting the authorities to clear the floor where he was working, they said.
A disinfection drive was carried out in the secretariat building, which houses offices of the top brass of administration and bureaucracy of Jammu and Kashmir.
Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Shahid Iqbal Chaudhary dismissed reports in some sections of the media about the Civil Secretariat being closed.
--PTI
Bihar to do random testing, skill profiling of migrants on arrival
With thousands and thousands of migrants, carrying stories of pain, agony and trauma, are returning back every day to their home districts in Bihar from all over the country, the State government has decided to start their random testing and skill profiling.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has asked the Health Department officials to start random testing by procuring TrueNat machines to contain the spread of COVID-19 .
SC asks states to consider online sales, home delivery of liquor
The Supreme Court Friday asked states to consider non-direct contact or online sales and home delivery of liquor during the lockdown period to prevent the spread of coronavirus on account of crowding at the shops. A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and B R Gavai, which took up the matter through video conferencing, disposed of the plea challenging the guidelines issued by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on May 1, allowing sales of liquor through direct contact sales during the lockdown period.
The Bench directed that States may consider allowing non-direct contact sales or online sales or home delivery of liquor during these times, advocate Sai Deepak, appearing for petitioner Guruswamy Nataraj said after the hearing.
J&K govt arranges special trains to bring back its residents stranded across country
The Jammu and Kashmir government is arranging special trains for its residents stranded across the country due to the lockdown and will bear the cost of the tickets, even as 30,000 people have so far returned there with proper regulation, the Home Department said on Friday.
“Train services are being arranged for stranded persons of J-K, particularly from far off places. These trains will start arriving shortly and necessary coordination with the sending states as also with Railway authorities is going on,” a statement from the J&K Home Department said.
It said the Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to bear the cost of the tickets.
--PTI
Seven more COVID-19 positive cases take the total tally to 563 in the State. The patients are from Darbhanga, Saharsha, Supaul and Katihar districts.
--Amarnath Tewary
Policy of providing buses, trains to transport migrant workers poorly implemented: Chidambaram
The policy of providing buses and trains to transport migrant workers was poorly designed, coordinated and implemented, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram said on Friday, as he slammed the government for the “belated” decision on their transportation while lakhs of people had begun their trek home.
UN and partners launch $6.7 billion appeal for vulnerable countries
The United Nations and partner agencies have launched a USD 6.7 billion global appeal to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, more than trebling an earlier appeal made by the UN chief, with special focus on more vulnerable countries and combating food insecurity and gender-based violence.
The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock launched the USD 6.7 billion appeal on Thursday and updated a global plan to fight the COVID-19 in fragile countries.
54 test positive in Andhra Pradesh
Of the 7,320 samples tested in the last 24 hours, 54 of them tested positive for COVID-19 taking the total tally to 1887 in the State. Three new deaths take the total tally to 41.
The positive cases are being quarantined and of the total number of cases, 842 have been sent home after recovery. 1004 positive cases are undergoing treatment.
--P. Sujatha Varma
45 new cases in Karnataka
As many as 45 new cases have been reported on Friday morning, taking the total number of positive cases in the State to 750.
This is the highest number of positive cases tested on a single day so far. Previously, the highest had been 44 cases detected on April 14.
Of the new cases, a majority - 14 - are from from Davangere, 12 from Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada, 11 from Belagavi, seven from Bengaluru Urban and one from Ballari.
--Afshan Yasmeen
Chennai Metro to do away with tokens, reduce number of train services after lockdown
Chennai Metro Rail will do away with tokens and run trains only every 10 minutes during peak hours and every 15 minutes during non-peak hours, when operations start post the COVID-19 lockdown period. Before the lockdown, trains were operated every five minutes in the peak hours and every seven minutes in the non-peak hours of the day
From strict social distancing rules, to bringing about a rule that passengers have to wear masks, Chennai Metro Rail has a detailed operation plan.
First Shramik train from Goa leaves for Madhya Pradesh
The first Shramik Special train from Goa with 1,200 migrants left for Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior city on Friday morning, a senior official said.
The Railways has been running special trains for migrants who were left stranded in major cities of the country due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
“A Shramik Special train, carrying 1,200 migrants, left Thivim station at around 11 am,” said Kunal (prefers not to use his surname), an officer in charge of the inter-state migrant cell.
The train will reach Gwalior on Saturday morning, he added.
--PTI
SBI shuts Kolkata LHO wing after employee tests positive for COVID-19
State Bank of India has closed down a section of the Local Head Office (LHO) here after an employee tested positive for COVID-19, a senior official said on Friday.
The employee is associated with the Liability Centralised Processing Centre located at the ‘E’ wing of the LHO.
The SBI official said the employee was not attending office for the last 8-10 days and was later found to have contracted the deadly virus.
“Since then, we have sanitised the entire building and the section has been closed till May 11,” he said, adding, other departments are functional.
--PTI
Uddhav Thackeray expresses grief over death of migrants; announces aid
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray expressed grief over the death of migrant workers from Madhya Pradesh in a train accident in Aurangabad district and announced a financial aid of Rs 5 lakh each to their families.
At least 14 migrant labourers from Madhya Pradesh , who were sleeping on rail tracks, were crushed to death by a goods train near Karmad station in Aurangabad district in the early hours of Friday.
Two other labourers were injured in the accident.
In a statement, Mr. Thackeray expressed grief over the tragedy and said aid of Rs 5 lakh to each of the families of the deceased will be given from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
He said the cost of medical treatment of the injured would be borne by his government
--PTI
PM should talk to CMs more, not as a boss, but as a colleague: Rahul Gandhi
Addressing the media on May 8, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi appealed to the Prime Minister to work with Chief Ministers as a colleague.
“If we speak fairly, the situation we are in today is not a normal situation. So, we can't have normal solution. We need to decentralize and take it to the district level, we will win. If we keep it in PMO, we will lose the fight. PM should talk to CMs more, not as a boss but as a colleague,” said Mr. Gandhi.
“PM Modi has a style and that's alright. But in such a situation, I would want many strong CMs, strong DMs and a strong PM working together. For example, these zones of red, green and orange. Our CMs say what they think is green has been marked red by the Centre. So, there is a mismatch between what the States think and Centre marks,” he said.
e-token system launched to buy liquor
A man showing his token to a liquor shop worker in East Delhi.
In a bid to ensure social distancing and to stop overcrowding at liquor shops, the Delhi government has launched e-token system to buy liquor.
People can apply for an e-token through the link https://www.qtoken.in/ . A person will have to enter his/her name and phone number and an e-coupon will be sent to his/her registered mobile number.
The person can then go to the nearby shop, show the e-token and buy liquor. The government said that this will help reduce overcrowding and ensure social distancing at liquor shops.
Indian medical students in Bangladesh to be evacuated in special flight
A large group of Indian medical students stranded in Bangladesh because of the lockdown will be evacuated shortly in a first special flight from Dhaka. The 167 students hailing from Kashmir are enrolled in medical schools in Dhaka and were stuck after India declared the lockdown on March 24.
The special Air India flight will leave at 11 a.m. on Friday from Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport and will reach Srinagar by afternoon. Bangladesh has around 550 medical students from Kashmir who study in various government and private medical colleges in Dhaka and Mymensingh. 67 medical students had tried to leave Bangladesh through the Benapole-Petrapole crossing in West Bengal on March 24 but were not allowed to enter as India had sealed all land borders with neighbouring countries to fight the novel coronavirus.
J&K scales up COVID-19 testing facilities
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has scaled up sampling and testing facilities, with over 3,000 samples and 1.000 tests on a daily basis.
The increased sampling and testing has become all the more important as the migrant workers and students belonging to the Union territory are returning back to their home districts, an official spokesperson said.
Special sample collection centres have been set up in Lakhanpur in Kathua, Thandi khui in Samba, Tikri in Udhampur, one in Doda. All migrant labourers and truck drivers are being tested at Lakhanpur. - PTI
103 death in the past 24 hours, says Health Ministry
India has registered 3,390 new COVID-19 positive cases and 103 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to an update from the Union Health Ministry on Friday.
With this, the total number of cases in the country is now 56,342, according to Union Ministry data. Of this, 37,916 are active cases. As many as 1,886 people have succumbed to the infection while 16,539 people have been cured.
Six more COVID-19 positive cases have been detected in Bihar on Friday. With this, the total number of cases in the State is 556.
All the new patients are men hailing from Samastipur district.
Fresh COVID-19 case in HP, tally rises to 48
One more person tested positive for coronavirus in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur district on Friday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 48, an official said.
Hamirpur had become coronavirus-free on April 29 after the last two patients in the district tested negative for the infection.
Himachal Pradesh has seven active cases with two in Chamba, and one each in Hamirpur, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur and Kangra districts, according to officials.
While 34 people have recovered, three have died. Four people were shifted to other States for treatment.
- PTI
Seven zones in Chennai account for most cases
The Greater Chennai Corporation has identified seven zones that have reported a majority of COVID-19 positive cases, said Corporation special nodal officer J. Radhakrishnan.
On Thursday, 316 positive cases were reported in the city. As many as 451 containment zones have been created to prevent the spread of infection.
Vitamin C has lately been of interest to researchers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Large doses of intravenous Vitamin C are being tried in COVID-19 critical patients on ventilators in China. Can it help combat coronavirus infection?
26 new cases in Odisha
Odisha has registered 26 new COVID-19 cases, taking the State's tall to 245. Of this, 181 cases are active. As many as 62 people have recovered and two have died of the infection.
Of the new cases, 19 were detected in Ganjam, 5 in Kendrapara and 2 in Bhadrak districts.-
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