Here are top 10 developments on coronavirus cases in India:
The country has recorded a huge jump in COVID-19 cases in a week's time. From nearly 16,000 cases reported last Sunday, the COVID-19 count has crossed the 26,000-mark today. The government, however, has said that the recovery rate, indicating the number of people who have successfully fought off the illness, has improved over the last 10 days.
More than 5,800 coronavirus patients have recovered so far. This morning, the recovery rate stood at 21.09 per cent as compared to 14.19 per cent last week; 741 patients recovered in the last 24 hours.
An intense lockdown begins today in five cities - including Chennai - of Tamil Nadu, the state that has reported nearly 1,800 COVID-19 cases so far. People are not allowed to step outside their homes during this period of intense shutdown, which ends on Wednesday in Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore. In Tirupur and Salem, the stringent restrictions are in place till Tuesday.
In Mumbai, the worst affected city in India, the coronavirus count has crossed the 5,000-mark. On Saturday, Maharashtra, the state with the highest number of COVID-19 patients, reported 811 new coronavirus cases, taking the total to 7,628. Of these, nearly 240 cases have been recorded from Mumbai's Dharavi, Asia's largest slum.
In a huge relief to shopkeepers and buyers, the central government in a late-night order on Friday allowed all shops in residential areas - except those in malls - to open amid a nationwide shutdown to check the spread of virus. Barber shops, salons, liquor stores continue to remain shut.
In Delhi, which has recorded 11 per cent of country's total coronavirus cases, the largest hospital in the northern part of the city - Hindu Rao Hospital - has been sealed after a nurse was found COVID-19 positive.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that no public gatherings will be allowed in the state, one of India's most populous, till June 30. "Chief Minister Yogi Adityanathji has given strict instructions to the officers that no crowd of any kind can be gathered by June 30. This decision has been taken with the intention of keeping the corona under control," Mrityunjay Kumar, the media advisor to the Chief Minister, tweeted.
Plasma therapy trials - which involve the transfusion of plasma from a convalescent coronavirus patient to a critical patient - have produced encouraging results in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday. Karnataka and Maharashtra too are set to use the plasma therapy for COVID-19 patients.
Worldwide, over 2 lakh people have died due to the novel coronavirus, which originated in China's Wuhan city in December. More than 28 lakh have got infected so far. Hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world are observing the holy month of Ramadan out of mosques and avoiding large family meals to break the fast because of sequestration and social distancing policies.
The World Health Organization warned on Saturday that people who test positive and survive infection cannot be certain they will not be hit again by the coronavirus. The warning came as some governments study measures such as "immunity passports" for those who have recovered as one way to get people back to work after weeks of economic shutdown. "There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection," the UN health body said in a statement.
From FLiRT To FLuQE: What To Know About The Latest Covid Variants Covid Still Kills 1,700 A Week Around World: WHO EPFO Changes Major Withdrawal Rule. Read Details Kolkata Rape-Murder: Fractures, 150 mg Semen, Other Claims Denied By Cops CBI Team At Kolkata Hospital For Digital Mapping Of Crime Scene Doctors Halt OPD Services Amid Nationwide Strike Over Kolkata Rape Horror BHU Undergraduate Admission Round 1 Seat Allotment Result To Be Out Today US Teen Robs Convenience Store, Then Kills Man Of Indian Origin On CCTV, Stray Dog Goes On Biting Spree In UP, 17 People Attacked In 1 Hour Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.