Over 3,000 Indians in 53 countries infected by coronavirus, 32 dead

A total of 3,336 Indians in 53 countries have been infected by the coronavirus while 25 have lost their lives due to the disease, PTI reported. 

Quoting government sources, the agency reported that Indians stranded abroad will have to be patient as the government is not evacuating them as part of a larger policy decision to check spread of the virus in the country. The sources said India has decided to supply anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to 55 countries on a commercial basis as well as grants.

Over $1 million has already been disbursed out of the $10 million fund set up by India to enable Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs had said earlier. 

India had conducted several evacuation missions in China, Iran to rescue stranded Indian citizens before the lockdown was announced. The evacuees were then sent to quarantine camps upon arrival in the country. Both the Indian Air Force and Air India had been roped for rescue missions by the government. 

A man wearing protective suit checks the temperature of people standing in a queue to get free food at IYC headquarters, during the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, in New Delhi

India received 5 lakh rapid COVID-19 testing kits from China

India received the much-awaited five lakh rapid COVID-19 testing kits from China on Thursday. The Head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at ICMR, Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar, however, said these testing kits will be used for surveillance and to monitor whether coronavirus hotspots in the country are increasing or decreasing.

Regarding concern over the efficacy of the rapid antibody testing kits, he said if an antibody test of a person turns out to be positive, one cannot necessarily be sure the person would not get infected ever again. "This means, even if the antibody is present, that doesn't mean it will necessarily be effectively able to fight the virus."

"Rapid antibody tests are for monitoring surveillance, not for a diagnosis. Hence there is no concern with respect to the testing kits being faulty, that concern was with respect to immune response alone," Dr Gangakhedkare explained.

The government has maintained that it is procuring coronavirus testing kits from South Korea as well. India is looking at procuring medical equipment from Germany, the US, the UK, Malaysia, Japan, and France to fight COVID-19.