Out of the total tally, 17,915 are active cases and 4,814 patients have been cured, discharged or migrated. With 37 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of deaths due to the deadly virus rises to 724.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that India has the least number of corona positive cases among some major countries.
"At the 5 lakh tests mark, India has of the least number of COVID-positives among some major countries," the Prime Minister tweeted.
He further informed that NaMo app users can now see interesting facts and steps taken by the Centre to contain corona spread.
"More such interesting facts and steps of Modi Govt to contain the virus can be found in #IndiaFightsCorona on Your Voice section of Volunteer module on NaMo App. Check it out!" he tweeted.
According to the Union Health Ministry, Maharashtra has the most number of COVID-19 cases with a tally of 6430 cases of which 840 patients have recovered and 283 patients have died due to the virus.
Gujarat stands in second place with 2,624 cases of which 258 patients have recovered and the fatalities stand at 112.
Delhi stands at third position with 2376 cases, out of which 808 patients have recovered and 50 have succumbed to coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Goa has seven COVID-19 cases of which all patients have recovered and no new case has been reported, according to the ministry.
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday urged State Health Ministers to ensure that no unnecessary stigma is attached to COVID-19.
In a video conference with them today, Dr Vardhan urged them to ensure that no unnecessary stigma is attached to COVID-19 and said that we need to identify people having COVID-19 and treat them.
Randeep Guleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has said that Convalescent Plasma Therapy is one form of treatment and it should not be looked at as magic bullets.
"There are a few important things. Plasma therapy is not the only treatment strategy and it is not that it will be effective in all patients because there is a number of other things happening in people affected with coronavirus. Also, patients willing to give blood after 14 days of recovery must contain a good amount of antibodies," Guleria said.
He continued, "We have to be careful about what treatment we are giving because that needs to have an adequate amount of antibodies. It is one form of treatment and should not be looked at as magic bullets. We need to look at it with a research type of treatment modality rather than something which can be done for all patients suffering from Covid-19."
The Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Friday met V. Ramgopal Rao, the director of IIT Delhi to discuss about COVID-19 detection assay.
"I am happy that orgsations such as IIT, IIIT and various other orgsations have started researches to help in the fight against COVID-19. They have made a testing kit at a low cost, for which we use to depend on other countries," said Ramesh Pokhriyal.
"I would like to congratulate the director of IIT and his team that ICMR approved the testing kit. This is the first testing kit which is made in India that gives the result in less time and at a cheaper cost," added Pokhriyal.
On the other hand, the Walajah Big mosque in the Triplicane area of Chennai remained closed, even as Ramzan began today, due to the nationwide coronavirus lockdown. Mosques across the country are closed in view of the COVID-19 crisis.
Ramzan, the holy Islamic month of fasting and prayers, is being observed from today at some places while it will begin tomorrow for others. The start of Ramzan is decided as per moon sighting.
With almost all the shops closed on the main road of Old Delhi and very few people on the streets, the area wears a deserted look. Following the Central government's strict order to maintain social distancing, people will be observing fast in their homes with their family members.
A few shops on Daryaganj main road, which are open, are selling essential items such as beverages and dates for the evening iftar.
Here's a quick read on the COVID-19 related updates:
1. The blood sample of a 14-year-old tigress, which died at the Delhi Zoo on Wednesday from kidney failure, has been sent for coronavirus testing at Bareilly by authorities.A zoo official said, "A 14-year-old tigress named Kalpana died of kidney failure on Wednesday. Her remains were cremated the next day. We have collected blood samples that have been sent for corona testing at Bareilly."
2. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday reviewed the operational preparedness as well as measures to fight COVID-19 in a video conference with operational commanders of the armed forces along with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat.
Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane, Chief of Navy Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar and Secretary Defence (Finance) Gargi Kaul participated in the conference.
3. Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday wrote to states and Union Territories (UTs) clarifying that no legal action would be taken against CEOs of companys in case employees were found COVID-19 positive.
The recovery rate from the coronavirus on Thursday had been put at 19.89 per cent by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
4. Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday appealed to people to cooperate with Anganwadi workers doing door-to-door screening, and requested them not to visit any mosque during Ramzan amid the coronavirus lockdown.
5 The Delhi High Court has said that Centre and Delhi governments are doing their best to provide food, dry ration and other essential items to people in need, particularly the migrant and daily wage workers, who are going through a tough time due to the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19.
6. The Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) on Friday wrote to West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha, asking him to explain the methodology used by 'committee of doctors' in the State to ascertain deaths due to COVID-19 and also if it is in line with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines.
In the letter to Sinha, the IMCT head Apurva Chandra, Additional Secretary with the Central government, said that they are not convinced with the West Bengal government's reasoning that if a COVID-19 patient in the State dies in a road accident, then he/she cannot be said to have died of the coronavirus.
7. In order to help frontline warriors battling COVID-19 pandemic, inmates of the Paraplegic Rehabilitation Center (PRC) in Mohali are making masks and distributing it to police personnel, healthcare and station workers for free.
8. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Dr SK Sarin, Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences on Friday requested the recovered coronavirus patients to donate blood plasma so that the critical patients can be saved from organ failure.
9. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the biggest lesson that the coronavirus crisis has taught the country is to become self-reliant and asserted that citizens have taken up the challenge instead of succumbing to difficulties, despite having limited resources and facing several problems.
While interacting with Sarpanchs from across the nation via video conferencing, on the occasion of Panchayati Raj Diwas, the Prime Minister said Gram Panchayats are the centres of the united power of the country's democracy.
10. At least 40 healthcare staff including doctors, nurses and paramedics at AIIMS are under self-quarantine after a 35-year-old male nurse tested positive for COVID-19, informed All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) authorities on Friday.
All these health professionals were posted at the Gastroenterology Department of AIIMS, New Delhi.
( With inputs from ANI )