Coronavirus live updates: WHO says Wuhan market had role in coronavirus outbreak, but more research needed

22 of them are admitted at hospitals. Eight were discharged after making full recovery and one lost his life, an official said.

Russian health officials reported more than 11,000 new coronavirus cases on Thursday — a new record daily spike which brought the country's total over 177,000 confirmed cases. Russia's official caseload has thus surpassed that of Germany and France, becoming the 5th largest in the world.

These are the first cases of death in the BSF due to coronavirus infection and the second among paramilitary forces after a 55-year-old sub-inspector of the CRPF had succumbed to the disease last month.

"We have gathered the particulars of all those hailing from Bihar and West Bengal including patients at CMC Vellore and migrant guests. They will be sent by a special train today or tomorrow," the nodal officer appointed by Tamil Nadu government to oversee the movement of persons stranded due to the lockdown said. A Tahsildar in Vellore, engaged in enumerating the stranded persons said initial figures indicated that about 1,500 migrant workers from Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand are still stranded in the district

A total of 24 Tablighi Jamaat members from Karnataka and Assam were booked for staying in a mosque without giving information to police in Kairana town in Shamli district, a police official said. According to SHO Yashpal Dhama, a case was registered on Wednesday against 24 people of the Jamaat under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. The accused were found residing in Patwari mosque in Kairana town in Shamli district since April 23.

In Surat, vegetable and fruit shops will remain closed from May 9 midnight to May 14 midnight, municipal commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani said in an order, adding that such a step is necessary to contain spread of the viral infection. He said large crowds were gathering at vegetable shops and people were also not adhering to physical distancing norms while making purchases.

The total number of cases stands at 3,400 in the state; death toll at 95. Active cases in the state are 1,565

This reliance on HCQ must immediately stop, the experts say, adding their voices to the growing debate to stress that there is no scientific evidence to prove that it is beneficial in treating Covid-19. It is only on anecdotal evidence that doctors are using HCQ along with other antiviral medication (used in HIV and other viral infections) as empiric therapy to treat Covid-19 patients as there is no definite treatment available yet, an expert said.

Environmental scientists have warned that the potential spread of COVID-19 via sewage "must not be neglected" since the viruses shed from the digestive system of infected individuals tend to last longer than those from the respiratory tract. The research noted that while response to pandemic is focused on preventing person-to-person transmission, the virus might also spread in wastewater.

Indonesia reported 338 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number to 12,776, a health ministry official told reporters on Thursday. Thirty-five more people who tested positive for the virus have died, taking the total number of deaths to 930, the highest death toll in East Asia outside China. As of Thursday, 96,717 people had been tested and 2,381 had recovered.

Air India has opened bookings for eligible foreign nationals and valid visa holders of UK, USA and Singapore for outbound repatriation flights that will be operated between May 7 and May 14 under the Vande Bharat mission, officials said. Foreign nationals or valid visa holders will be charged the same fare as Indian nationals who want a seat on the inbound repatriation flights, they said.

"The clinical trials of Ayush medicines like Ashwagandha, Yashtimadhu, Guduchi Pippali, Ayush-64 on health workers and those working in high-risk areas has begun today," Union health minister Harsh Vardhan told reporters. "It is being done by the Ministry of AYUSH, Health Ministry, and CSIR (which comes under the Ministry of Science and Technology) all three together, with the technical support of ICMR," he added.

INA Jalashwa entered Male port in Maldives on Thursday morning for evacuating Indian nationals as part of Samudra Setu programme. The Indian Naval ship will leave for Kochi on Friday carrying nearly 1,000 stranded Indian nationals in Maldives due to lockdown imposed to contain the deadly coronavirus.