1st Train For Migrants Starts, Plasma Therapy Patient Recovers: Corona Updates You Must Track

On Day 38 of the nationwide lockdown, the first special train carrying over thousand migrant workers back to their homes in Jharkhand left from Hyderabad. In another welcome development, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the first COVID-19 patient who received plasma therapy has fully recovered. Meanwhile, the number of total confirmed coronavirus patients in the country now stands at 35,043 even as the Ministry of Home Affairs extended the lockdown by another two weeks, till 17 May.  

Find all the important coronavirus-related developments here:

India cases and toll: The number of COVID-19 cases in India continues to rise, with active cases going up from 23,651 on Thursday morning to 25,007 on Friday morning, a jump of 1,356, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Similarly, 73 deaths due to coronavirus have been reported in the last 24 hours—1,147 people have succumbed to the illness so far.

States working on evacuating migrants: With government giving the go-ahead for movement of migrants back to their home states, a special train from Hyderabad started for Jharkhand carrying 1,200 migrants on Friday morning, reported Mint. Earlier, states like Bihar, Punjab and Telangana had asked for special trains to ferry stranded workers back to their homes. According to various estimates, close to 1 crore migrant workers are stranded in various parts of the country.

Maharashtra crosses 10,000 cases: Maharashtra is the first state in the country to report over 10,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 583 fresh cases in the last 24 hours. Of the 10,498 confirmed cases in the state, 1,773 have been discharged while 459 people have died.The numbers in two other western states, Gujarat (4,395) and Rajasthan (2,584), are also growing steadily.

Plasma therapy trails underway: In a positive development, Delhi’s first COVID-19 patient to have received plasma therapy has recovered fully, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted Friday noon, while adding trials are still on. However, in Maharashtra, a 53-year-old patient who was the first in the state to undergo plasma therapy died at Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital on Wednesday.

Global corona update: The pandemic continues to wreak havoc across countries, with the total confirmed cases reaching 33.18 lakh. A little over 10.45 lakh people have recovered but 2.34 lakh people have also lost their lives to their virus.Even as India prepares an exit strategy post 3 May, Italy, Spain and France, the European countries hit hardest by the virus, are looking at easing restrictions. While Italy plans to start manufacturing soon, Spain is likely to allow people to go out for walks from 2 May, reported The Guardian.

Story of hope: The lockdown has affected each one of us in a different way. In Raigad, Maharashtra, close to a hundred donkeys and their owners have been stranded since the lockdown was announced. The donkeys, brought from neighbouring districts to help with the restoration work of the Raigad Fort, were not getting enough fodder. To ensure the donkeys didn’t go hungry, their owners decided to reach out for help. But thanks to the coordinated effort of the district administration and a small village, 100 stacks of hay reached the famished donkeys, reported The Indian Express.