Here is a look at the latest updates on the outbreak of coronavirus from India and around the world —

Number of Covid hotspot districts decreases from 170 to 129 in a fortnight

'0.33% on ventilators, 1.5% on oxygen support, 2.34% in ICU': Health minister

85% correlation between temperature rise & cut in virus spread: Study

First experiment of plasma therapy successful: Maharashtra health minister

Boeing to reduce workforce by 10% as air travel ‘falls off a cliff’

UP govt planning ordinance to punish those who misbehave with Covid-19 workers

Government starts e-retail chain for rural India

Kedarnath portals open today amid lockdown

Iran death toll from coronavirus outbreak reaches 5,957

Railway employee under quarantine commits suicide in UP

3 out of 529 journalists tested for COVID-19 turn out to be positive: Delhi CM

Kerala govt to issue ordinance for cutting salary of its staff

HCQ to be given to health workers treating COVID-19 patients

300 districts Covid-free, another 300 have very few cases: Govt

Global lobbying groups call for delay in India's new digital tax

Kerala braces for 3 lakh expats waiting to return to their homes

Graded lockdown exit in 22 districts of Karnataka

85% correlation between temperature rise & cut in virus spread: Study

7.4 lakh pull out additional Rs 2,400 crore from EPF in 1 month

Plasma therapy not approved as treatment, use only for trial: Govt

No. of coronavirus cases in US crosses 1 million

ADB approved $1.5 billion loan to India

China's delayed Congress to convene next month

Pakistan: 14,885 cases; death toll 327

South Korea: Nine new cases; tally rises to 10,761

(With inputs from agencies)

NEW DELHI: India's tally of Covid-19 cases has reached 31,787, said the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Wednesday. With 74 more deaths reported, the number of deaths due to coronavirus in the country breached the 1,000 mark and stood at 1,008. The tally is inclusive of 22,982 active coronavirus cases, 7,797 patients who have been cured/discharged and one patient migrated.The number of Covid-19 hotspot districts in India as on Wednesday morning has come down to 129 from 170 a fortnight ago, but in the same period the number of infection-free districts or green zones too decreased from 325 to 307, according to official sources. During this time, the number of non-hotspot districts, also known as orange zones, increased from 207 to 297, they said."Only 0.33% patients are on ventilators, 1.5% patients are on oxygen support and 2.34% patients are in ICU, which reflects the quality of care being provided across the country," Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said.A study by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute in Nagpur has found a “very strong” correlation — up to 85% — between the increase in the average day temperature and the reduction in Covid-19 spread for select cities in the country and for states like Maharashtra and Karnataka as a whole. The institute studied the average real time temperature and relative humidity and their relationship with the rising Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra and Karnataka.The first experiment to use plasma therapy for treating a Covid-19 patient has been successful in Maharashtra, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said here on Wednesday."The first plasma therapy has been successful in Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital. We are carrying out a second experiment on another patient in BYL Nair hospital, also in Mumbai. We are hopeful that it will be successful as well," he told reporters.US aerospace major Boeing is going to cut its workforce by 10% due to the sharp fall in demand for air travel that has led to airlines grounding planes and deferring future deliveries. Commercial aircraft division of Boeing, the worst hit part of the enterprise, will see higher layoffs at 15%. Read full storyThe state government is mulling over bringing an ordinance called the 'Uttar Pradesh Epidemic Disease Control Ordinance, 2020' which will have provisions for strict punishment against those running away from quarantine centres and for people caught violating lockdown orders, sources said. Attacking medical workers, sanitation workers, police personnel, spitting in public places, breaking isolation will be made punishable. The government is planning provisions of imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine up to Rs 5 lakh for those misbehaving and acting indecently with frontline Covid-19 workers.It’s the desi, rural version of Flipkart and Amazon, and is promoted by the government. Concerned over the severe restrictions on mobility and lack of adequate supplies in times of Covid-19, the government has facilitated the creation of a village-level online retail chain, planning massive supplies of essentials through fast-expanding outlets that are taking orders online and offline, and carrying out home deliveries. The ambitious plan is being led by the Common Service Centres, the rural digital outreach vehicle of the government that reaches over 60 crore people through its nearly 3.8 lakh outlets.The portals of Kedarnath Temple were thrown open at 6.10 am on Wednesday after a six-month-long winter break. Amid the nationwide lockdown, pilgrims are prohibited from visiting the shrine. Covered in a thick layer of snow, the temple was decorated with 10 quintals of marigold flowers. The process of opening the doors of Kedar Dham began at 3 am. Shiva Shankar Linga, the chief priest of the shrine, carried out the tradition of opening the doors. The first ''pooja" was performed in the name of the PM Modi, said a statement.The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Iran rose by 80 in the past twenty four hours to 5,957, health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said in a statement on state TV on Wednesday. The total number of diagnosed cases of new coronavirus in Iran, one of the countries hardest hit by the outbreak in the Middle East, has reached 93,657, he said.A 55-year-old railway employee, who was under quarantine at a medical college in Firozabad allegedly committed suicide on Wednesday, police said. His body was found hanging in the medical college. The victim, a resident of Railway Colony Tundla, was sent into quarantine on April 20 after his senior tested positive for coronavirus, the officer said. His sample was taken on April 23 but the test could not be conducted then another sample was taken for testing on Tuesday and its report is awaited, said authorities.Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said three out of 529 media persons, who gave their swab samples recently, have tested positive for COVID-19. He wished a speedy recovery to those found to be infected with novel coronavirus. Last week, the Delhi government had set up a centre for testing of media persons working in the national capital, after 53 scribes tested positive for COVID-19 in Mumbai.The Kerala govt on Wednesday decided to issue an ordinance empowering it to deduct salaries of its employees to mobilise funds to fight Covid-19 in the state. The move comes a day after the High Court had stayed an order of the govt for deducting employees' salary for six days every month for the next five months, observing that the order lacked legal backing.Health workers involved in the treatment of coronavirus patients will be given hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) tablets as a preventive medication, the Maharashtra government said and issued guidelines on the use of the drug. State health secretary Pradeep Vyas in a recent circular said the medicine will be given to doctors, nurses and medical staff involved in the treatment of COVID-19 patients and suspects, as well as contacts of those testing positive for the disease.Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday said that 300 districts in the country were unaffected by Covid-19. He added that another 300 districts had very few cases and 129 districts had hotspots. According to government reports that spell out Covid-19 status, there are 739 districts in the country. Vardhan also said no fresh case was reported in 80 districts in the past seven days and no case was reported in the last 14 days in 47 districts.Nine lobbying groups including the US Chamber of Commerce have urged India to delay a new digital tax that will hit firms such as Facebook and Google as they are battling the fallout of the coronavirus, as per reports. From April 1, the govt imposed a new 2% tax on foreign transactions where companies take payment abroad for digital services provided in India.Around 2.76 lakh Keralites, among those stranded in 150 countries, have registered with non-resident Keralites Affairs (Norka) department, seeking an opportunity to return home in special flights. CM Pinarayi Vijayan asserted that the govt is ready to welcome any number of NRKs. Directives have been given to make elaborate arrangements at airports and seaports.Signalling a partial exit from the Covid-19 lockdown in 22 out of 30 districts, the state government allowed neighbourhood and standalone shops and industries to reopen from Wednesday in the green and orange zones. The relaxations — aimed at reviving economic activity in the state — will not apply to eight red-zone districts, including Bengaluru city and Mysuru.A study by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri) in Nagpur has found a “very strong” correlation — up to 85% — between the increase in the average day temperature and the reduction in Covid-19 spread for select cities and Maharashtra and Karnataka as a whole. Neeri sourced data from WHO, IMD and based its research on a mathematical model.Around 7.4 lakh EPFO (Employees Provident Fund Org) subscribers have tapped their provident fund accounts to withdraw close to Rs 2,368 cr in one month, using a special window created due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Under the special facility, a non-refundable withdrawal of three months’ salary or up to 75% of the balance (whichever is less) has been provided.The health ministry on Tuesday came out with an emphatic warning that it has not approved plasma therapy for the treatment of coronavirus and this should be used only for research and trial purposes for now. The announcement came as a surprise as some private hospitals have used plasma or immune therapy on patients needing enhanced respiratory support.The United States on Tuesday became the first country in the world to have more than one million cases of coronavirus. It accounts for nearly one-third of the 3.1 million cases globally. The fatalities jumped to nearly 59,000 with several states initiating the process to reopen their economies amidst signs of decline in both new cases and deaths.Asian Development Bank (ADB), the regional development bank, on Tuesday said it had approved a $1.5 billion loan (nearly Rs 11,400 crore) to India to help fund its fight against coronavirus pandemic. The loan has been sanctioned with a view to support immediate priorities such as disease containment and prevention, as well as social protection for the poor and economically vulnerable sections.China's top legislature will hold its annual session next month after postponing the meeting for the first time in decades due to the virus outbreak, official news agency Xinhua said Wednesday. The rescheduled session on May 22 will be seen as a sign of confidence by the leadership that the country has largely brought its outbreak under control. Top Communist Party leaders including President Xi Jinping attend each year's gathering with delegates from across the country, to rubber-stamps bills, budgets and personnel moves already decided by the party.Pakistan's coronavirus cases have climbed to 14,885 while the death toll from the pandemic has reached 327, the health ministry said on Wednesday. As per govt data, 3,425 people have recovered and 129 are still in critical condition. The ministry said that Punjab reported 5,827 cases; Sindh 5,291; Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 2,160; Balochistan 915; Gilgit-Baltistan 330; and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 65 cases. So far 165,911 tests have been conducted.Nine new positive cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in South Korea, taking the country's tally to 10,761, health authorities said on Wednesday. The daily caseload hovered around 10 for the 11th straight day. The death toll stood to 246 with fatality rate of 2.29 per cent. With recovery of 8,922 patients, the total recovery rate was 82.9 per cent.