Coronavirus India: The government on Tuesday said plasma therapy for coronavirus is still in an experimental stage and can even prove “life threatening” for a patient

New Delhi, April 29:

 1,007 people have died of coronavirus in India and 31,332 cases have been reported in the country so far, according to the latest figures from the Union Health Ministry. 73 people have died in the last 24 hours, recording the biggest jump in the number of deaths in a day. The number of cases as well as the death count have doubled in the last 10 days. The government on Tuesday said plasma therapy for coronavirus is still in an experimental stage and can even prove “life threatening” for a patient, amid a surge of hope brought in by the first successful test in Delhi.

Here are the top 10 updates on coronavirus in India:

A CRPF battalion in Delhi has reported 47 cases of coronavirus, including one jawan who died yesterday. The entire battalion of nearly 1,000 people have been quarantined. The 31st battalion of the CRPF in east Delhi’s Mayur Vihar has seen a massive spike in the number of cases in the last couple of days.

Maharashtra, the state with the highest number of COVID-19 cases, recorded 729 new cases on Tuesday. The state’s tally has touched 9,318. Maharashtra also reported its highest single-day death count of 31, pushing the total to 400. Nearly 1.55 lakh people in the state are in home quarantine and around 10,000 in institutional quarantine. So far, 1,388 recovered patients have been discharged. Mumbai figures also touched a 6,000-mark yesterday.

Tripura has become the fifth state in the northeast to become COVID-19 free. The state had two cases – both have been cured and discharged. Tripura had isolated the cases and after rigorous contact tracing, testing was scaled up. The state now has the highest per million tested for coronavirus infection in the country.

In Tamil Nadu, the “intense lockdown” in two cities – Salem and Tirupur – ended last night. Coronavirus cases in the state crossed the 2,000-mark. 25 people have died in the state.

Across the country, 7,696 patients have recovered so far; the recovery rate stood at 24.56 per cent this morning.

The Union Health Ministry on Sunday said coronavirus patients who have only either very mild symptoms of the infection or  are “pre-symptomatic” can be under home isolation. The ministry put out a set of guidelines listing out the eligibility for home quarantine.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan had said on Tuesday that the doubling rate of COVID-19 cases has slowed to 10.9.

In a video meeting with Chief Ministers on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi indicated that the coronavirus lockdown could continue beyond May 3 in parts of the country worst affected by the pandemic identified as hotspots.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to economic devastation and millions of people across the world losing jobs. In the latest sign of big business woes, British Airways is set to slash up to 12,000 jobs, its parent company said. The carrier, which has approximately 45,000 employees, has already furloughed nearly 23,000 staff.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, the top medical body in the US, has added new symptoms of the highly infectious novel coronavirus to a list of known ones. These include chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache and new loss of taste or smell. Worldwide, more than 31 lakh people have coronavirus, 2,17, 152 lakh people have died.