Here is a look at the latest updates on the outbreak of coronavirus—

Situation 'especially serious' in five cities: MHA

Tamil Nadu announces total lockdown in five corporations

UP to bring back stranded migrants from all other states

Covid-19's biggest lesson is to become self-reliant: PM Narendra Modi

India may see second wave of Covid-19 outbreak in monsoon, say scientists

About 3 million jobs at risk due to Covid impact on Indian airline industry: IATA

Mumbai can see 70,000 cases by May-end: Study

No shortage of Hydroxychloroquine in India: IDMA Gujarat Chairman

US nears 50,000 virus fatalities after 3,176 deaths in 24 hours

India faring better than other countries at the 5L-test mark: Committee chief

The stigma attached to Covid can cause more deaths: AIIMS head

Italy to ease lockdowns over next 4 weeks

Pakistan coronavirus cases rise to 11,155; 79% cases locally transmitted

Sunlight destroys coronavirus quickly, say US scientists

'80% chance of success': Human trials of Covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University begin in UK

There are currently 17,610 active Covid-19 cases in the country: Health Ministry

NEW DELHI: The death toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 723 with 37 fatalities reported since Thursday evening, while the number of cases saw a record jump of 1,752 to go up to 23,452 cases on Friday, according to the Union health ministry.The previous highest single day increase was on April 20 when 1,540 cases were reported. The number of active Covid-19 cases stood at 17,915 as 4,813 people were cured and discharged, and one patient migrated, the ministry said. Thus, about 20.52 per cent of the cases have recovered so far, an official of the ministry said.Union ministry of home affairs on Friday said that the pandemic situation was 'especially serious' in Ahmedabad, Surat, Thane, Hyderabad, Chennai. In a statement, the home ministry said that violations of lockdown measures reported in some parts of the country pose a serious health hazard to public and may lead to the spread of Covid-19. Earlier the day, the home ministry sent four interministerial teams to Gujarat, Telangana and Tamil Nadu to asses the ground situation, in addition to six teams already constituted.Tamil Nadu govt on Friday announced total lockdown in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai corporations from 6 am on April 26 till 9 pm on April 29. In Salem and Tirupur corporations, the total lockdown will be in effect between 6 am on April 26 and 9 pm on April 28. Only certain essential services would be allowed. Wholesale vegetable markets will be allowed but no other shops.The Uttar Pradesh government will bring back labourers stranded in other states, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday. Following screening and testing, labourers will be sent to their villages. "But first, they will be kept in quarantine in their districts for 14 days," the chief minister said adding that those who have completed 14-day quarantine in the state will be sent home with ration and Rs 1,000.The biggest lesson the Covid-19 pandemic has taught India is to become self-reliant, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said while interacting with gram panchayat members. He complimented them for describing social distancing in simple words 'Do Gaz Ki Doori' (maintaining distance of two yards) so that people can understand it easily.The trajectory of Covid-19 cases could have plateaued and might even fall for some weeks after the lockdown is lifted but India is likely to see a second wave in late July or August with a surge in the number of cases during the monsoon, say scientists. The timing of the peak will depend on how India is able to control physical distancing and on the level of infection spreads after restrictions are relaxed, they said.Even as the global airline industry battles to survive the Covid pandemic, airlines’ trade body, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Friday forecast that the crisis would have a potential impact on 3 million jobs in India. IATA’s latest forecast states that the COVID crisis could impact 2.93 million jobs in India, while there will be a 47% reduction in passenger demand — a drop of 89 million in passenger volumes in 2020 as compared to last year, that is — due to demand impact at destination and origin airports.Keeping in mind a mathematical projection that the Mumbai city’s cases could hit 70,000-odd in about a month from now, the BMC is on an overdrive to set up at least 3,000 Covid-care beds for patients with moderate to severe symptoms of the viral infection, that is about 5% of the projected caseload. The plan includes BMC’s ‘takeover’ of at least 600 beds in the state government-run G T Hospital and St George’s Hospital near CSMT. “It’s better to handle Covid-19 cases if hospitals work under one command,” said a BMC official, adding that the state government has added oxygen support and ventilators at these hospitals.The chairman of Indian Drug Manufacturers' Association, Gujarat chapter has asserted that there is no shortage of Hydroxychloroquine in India and the country's current production of HCQ is 35 to 40 crore tablets a month.The novel coronavirus has killed nearly 50,000 people in the United States, after one of the deadliest days of the pandemic which saw 3,176 deaths, according to a tally Thursday from Johns Hopkins University. The US, the worst-hit country in the world, now has 866,646 confirmed cases of coronavirus, up 26,971 from the previous day.Though the number of Covid-19 patients in India is rising, the graph is linear and not exponential and could indicate a flattening of the curve as the country's positive rate remains largely unchanged at 4.5% of those tested even as the number of tests conducted daily since March 23 has risen consistently crossing 5,00,000 overall on Wednesday. As of now, on average, more than 35,000 tests are conducted daily.Stigmatising of Covid-19 patients and their families is resulting in cases turning up late at hospitals, with heightened breathlessness, and this could mean increased morbidity and mortality, Dr Randeep Guleria, director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), said on Thursday. According to Dr Guleria, the disease can be treated successfully in most cases and 80% of patients need only supportive care, while 20% would require enhanced attention and of these only 5% need ventilators.Italy is to ease its coronavirus lockdown, the toughest and longest in Europe, over the next four weeks, media reported on Friday although there was no official confirmation. Building sites as well as the textile and fashion industry can restart on May 4, followed a week later by clothing, shoe and other shops. Finally, bars, restaurants and hairdressers can reopen on May 18, the paper said.About 79 per cent of the total coronavirus cases in Pakistan are now locally transmitted as the number of people affected by the deadly virus rose to over 11,000. According to the Ministry of National Health Services, 13 more patients died due to the novel coronavirus, taking the toll to 237 and another 2,527 recovered.The new coronavirus is quickly destroyed by sunlight, according to new research announced by a senior US official on Thursday, though the study has not yet been made public and awaits external evaluation.Human trials of an eagerly-awaited vaccine, developed by the prestigious Oxford University against the novel coronavirus began in the UK on Thursday, with scientists giving it an 80 per cent chance of success. The UK government has pledged 20 million pounds to support the "ChAdOx1 nCoV-19" coronavirus vaccine trial programme, with UK health secretary Matt Hancock saying the government would "throw everything at" finding a vaccine against the deadly virus.