Passengers struggle to board a bus in Delhi as a limited number of passengers are allowed to travel.

The total number of recoveries among Covid patients in India stood at 13,28,336 on Thursday, pushing the recovery rate to 67.62 per cent, while the case fatality rate dropped to 2.07 per cent, the Union health ministry said. The recoveries exceeded the number of active cases of the coronavirus infection by 7,32,835, it stated. There are 5,95,501 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, which as a percentage of the total cases has seen a “significant drop from 34.17 per cent on July 24 to 30.31 per cent as on date”, the ministry said.

A total of 46,121 COVID-19 patients have been discharged in a span of 24 hours. “The recovery rate has continued its upward journey to reach another record high of 67.62 pre cent amongst COVID-19 patients,” the ministry said.

India’s proactive and graded multi-level institutional response to Covid resulted in maintaining “very low cases and deaths per million” population, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said Thursday. While speaking at a virtual meeting of the regional director of WHO for South-East Asia (SEA) with ministers of health of the member nations, he added that this could be achieved and maintained despite high population density, low fractional GDP spending and per capita doctor and hospital bed availability compared with developed nations, reported PTI.

Here are some interesting stories on day 6 of Unlock 3.0:

Four COVID-19 patients, accused of spitting on Tripura doctor, surrender

Four corona patients, accused of spitting on a doctor at a medical facility in Tripura, surrendered before the police on Thursday after their interim bail was cancelled by the High Court.

Rejecting the bail granted by a lower court, Justice Arindam Lodh on Wednesday asked the accused persons to surrender. The high court directed the lower court to issue an arrest warrant if they don’t surrender within the next two days.

West Tripura District Surveillance Officer Dr Sangita Chakraborty had gone to the Covid Care Centre set up at the Bhagat Singh Youth Hostel on July 24 to admit five women with newborn babies, when a group of patients said they would not allow any new admission, alleging that the facility had reached full occupancy, according to police. When doctors at the centre tried to convince the patients, they allegedly abused and spat at Chakraborty and also threatened to infect her with coronavirus, police said. (PTI)

‘Yagna’ performed for speedy recovery of Amit Shah

Members of Shiv Parivar group, which is headed by Gujarat Cabinet Minister and Vadodara MLA Yogesh Patel, perform a “Maha Mrityunjya Yagna” at a temple in Vadodara for speedy recovery of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Shah had tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week and is currently being treated in a Delhi hospital. (Express Photo: Bhupendra Rana)

Problem of COVID positive parents: where to keep their uninfected children?

A number of couples in Kolkata, who tested positive for COVID-19 and require hospitalisation, are facing a common problem: how to take care of their children who did not contract the disease. Such parents are calling up doctors and hospitals to get a solution, but there is none so far. Relatives and friends are not ready to welcome their children owing to the fear of getting infected. “We have been getting calls from couples who tested positive for coronavirus infection but their children did not. They don’t have anybody at home to look after their children when they are hospitalised,” a senior executive of a private hospital told PTI on Thursday.

A state government official and his wife had to leave their 17-year-old son alone in their two-room flat in Garia area after testing positive for COVID-19. “We called up our relatives, close friends and neighbours to allow our son to stay with them for a fortnight or so till we are discharged from hospital. But everyone denied citing one reason or the other. We had no other option and he stayed alone at home,” the agriculture department official said. (PTI)

Parade & precaution: Kolkata Police personnel rehearse for I-Day

West Bengal Police personnel belonging to various departments take part in a rehearsal in the run-up to their Independence day parade on Red Road, Kolkata, on Thursday morning. The personnel were seen taking adequate precautions in view of the prevailing coronavirus situation. After instructions from the Centre, the West Bengal government has decided to scale down Independence Day celebrations, to ensure a smaller crowd. (Express Photo: Partha Paul)