In its most recent update, the union health ministry placed the total number of cases at 52,952 and the death toll at 1,783. The ministry said that 15297 people have so far recovered from the infection.

Following is a state-wise tally of the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in India at 6:45pm as per information provided by respective governments.

• Andaman & Nicobar 33
• Andhra Pradesh 1833
• Arunachal Pradesh 1
• Assam 45
• Bihar 547
• Chandigarh 135
• Chhattisgarh 59
• Delhi 5532
• Goa 7
• Gujarat 6625
• Haryana 604
• Himachal Pradesh 47
• Jammu & Kashmir 775
• Jharkhand 127
• Karnataka 705
• Kerala 502
• Ladakh 45
• Madhya Pradesh 3138
• Maharashtra 16758
• Manipur 2
• Meghalaya 12
• Mizoram 1
• Odisha 206
• Puducherry 11
• Punjab 1644
• Rajasthan 3400
• Tamil Nadu 5409
• Telangana 1107
• Tripura 64
• Uttarakhand 61
• Uttar Pradesh 3059
• West Bengal 1456

Frontline workers worthy of praise: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed people leading the fight against coronavirus, saying their selfless work for others during the pandemic is worthy of praise.

He said India is standing firmly with those facing difficult times, both in the country and abroad.

Speaking at a virtual global Buddha Purnima event, Modi said, 'People world over working selflessly for others in these difficult times are worthy of praise.'

'India is standing strong and selflessly in these difficult times with those facing trouble in India or abroad. India's growth will always be aiding global growth,' he said.

Buddha Purnima celebrations are being held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Video shows deceased virus victims' body lying near patients

A video purportedly showing bodies of Covid-19 victims lying unattended near other coronavirus patients at a civic-run hospital in Mumbai has surfaced, following which a BJP MLA hit out at the Shiv Sena-ruled Brihanmummbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Latching on to the video, BJP legislator Nitesh Rane said this shows the BMC does not pay attention to the safety of patients.

The video purportedly showed some bodies lying near Covid-19 patients undergoing treatment at the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital in Sion area of Mumbai.

Rane tagged the video in a tweet on the micro-blogging site on Wednesday night.

'The Sion hospital has shown utmost negligence by letting Covid-19 patients sleep among the bodies of those who died of the same disease. The BMC boasts of being the richest civic body but pays no attention towards the safety of patients,' the BJP leader said on Thursday.

Pay cut for Kotak Mahindra employees

Private sector lender Kotak Mahindra Bank has decided on a 10 per cent pay cut for the employees earning above Rs 25 lakh per annum, in a business sustainability move amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a communication.

The move comes weeks after the top management voluntarily surrendered 15 per cent of their payments for 2020-21.

The Covid-19 crisis is expected to have a heavy impact on the economy and many corporates have been cutting salaries. Some have also retrenched staff, with the unorganised sector being hit the most.

The unemployment rate in India touched 27 per cent in the week to May 3, according to think-tank CMIE.

Medics examines police personnel in the wake of coronavirus pandemic at Karnalganj police station, during the nationwide lockdown, in Gonda district, Thursday, May 07, 2020 PTI

Karnataka minister seeks report on origin of virus at hospital

Karnataka fisheries minister and Dakshina Kannada district-in-charge Kota Srinivas Poojary has given instructions to the district deputy commissioner and district health officer to trace the origin of Covid-19 infection at the First Neuro hospital at Padil in Mangaluru and submit a report to the government.

The minister gave the direction at an emergency meeting of officials and health department authorities after three positive cases were reported on Wednesday, all of them with links to people who have been treated at the hospital.

He sought an immediate report from the six-member team of experts formed for the purpose to clear the apprehensions in the minds of the public.

The district health officer Ramachandra Bairy said the team is collecting information from the patients about their contacts at the hospital.

A number of tests are being done on patients and their contacts who were treated at the hospital for other diseases.

Covid-19 testing kit developed by researchers in West Bengal gets ICMR nod

A low-priced Covid-19 testing kit designed by a group of researchers in West Bengal has received the approval of ICMR, and would soon be employed to examine samples, an official statement said on Thursday.

The kit 'DiAGSure nCOV-19 Detection Assay' can meet the growing demand for testing equipment across the country to a certain extent.

Priced around Rs 500, the device has demonstrated a near-100 per cent accuracy in detecting the virus in a short span of 90 minutes, the statement said quoting an ICMR report.

Developed indigenously, one kit can test up to 160 patients, it said.

The researchers, under the guidance of former CSIR scientist Samit Adhyay, put together the kit in a matter of one-and-half months with logistic support from Koustubh Panda, the head of the biotechnology department, University of Calcutta, the statement said.

The equipment was then developed by GCC Biotech (India) Private Ltd, a company based in Bakrahat, South 24 Parganas, following rigorous clinical trials, it added.

Former Punjab top cop denied entry

A former Punjab director general of police (DGP) was stopped at the Himachal Pradesh border in the early hours of Thursday after he tried to enter the hill state without a curfew pass amid the lockdown, the police said.

Sumedh Singh Saini was travelling in a car with two others and tried to cross the Khaira Mora check post at 4am but was stopped, Bilaspur superintendent of police Devakar Sharma said.

Sharma said the two other persons accompanying the former DGP identified themselves as an inspector and an assistant sub-inspector to the personnel at the check post on the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border near Swarghat in Bilaspur district.

Molest cry

A coronavirus patient was allegedly molested by two staffers at a private hospital in Greater Noida where she was undergoing treatment with police on Thursday arresting the accused, officials said.

The 20-year-old woman, who had recently given birth to a child, was admitted to the Sharda Hospital for Covid-19 treatment, the officials said.

An FIR was registered at the Knowledge Park police station against the two staffers -- a sanitation worker and a store worker -- on a complaint by the hospital authorities.

“Accused Luvkush and Praveen were booked under IPC Section 354 (attempt to outrage modesty) and have been arrested,” a police spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for Sharda Hospital, a dedicated Covid-19 facility, said the two staffers were hired by another agency engaged by it and they have been removed from their jobs.