COVID-19 cases in India hit 59,662 as death toll rises to 1981; recovery rate at 29%

Union Health Ministry has stated that the number of coronvirus cases in India has increased to 59,662 with the death toll rising to 1981. In it's daily update, the Central government data also added that 17,846 patients had recovered from the virus.

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Caes continue to rise 

With 19,603 cases, Maharashtra is the worst hit in the country. The state has recorded 731 deaths. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has reported that 15,23,213 samples have been tested across the county.

During the press briefing on Friday, Joint Secretary of Health, Lav Aggarwal stated that recovery percentage of COVID-19 cases now stands at 29.36% i.e., almost 1 in 3 hospitalized persons has recovered.

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Meanwhile, the Central government's 'Vande Bharat' mission, focused on bringing back citizens stuck in other countrties started on Friday, with flights landing from Bangladesh, Bahrain, Malaysia etc landing in different cities. 

The Central government will be using flights and ships to bring back Indians stranded abroad and both, INS Jalashwa and INS Magar are equipped with proper PPE kits with medical and administrative support staff to provide care to people onboard. Many stranded Indians will also be brought back from countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia among others.

Air India will operate flights from Riyadh, London, San Fransisco, Washington DC, Singapore between May 8 to 14. The cost of travel by air will have to be borne by passengers, the external affairs ministry said. Most flights with evacuated Indians will land in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, and Chennai. 

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MHA said priority will be given to compelling cases in distress including migrant workers/labourers who have been laid off, short term visa holders faced with the expiry of visa, persons with medical emergencies/ pregnant women/ elderly, those required to return to India due to death of family member and students. The cost of travel, as specified by the MoCA and DMA will be borne by such travellers.

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