Fifty-six people have died after being infected by the novel coronavirus, India’s Union Health Ministry said today, with six of those deaths being reported in a 24-hour period, reports NDTV.
Across the country the number of confirmed cases is now 2,301, with 336 new cases detected in the past 24 hours. A total of 157 people have been discharged from hospitals after receiving treatment.
This morning Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation, via a brief video message, for the second time since a nationwide 21-day "total lockdown" was initiated.
Worldwide the number of COVID-19 positive cases has crossed 1 million, with over 50,000 dead.
On Thursday the World Bank approved $1 billion in emergency financing for India to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, while warning the world that the impact of the pandemic would hit economies hard.