Highlights: Telangana's Covid-19 case tally rises to 41,018

Punjab govt has fixed rates for Covid-19 treatment. For moderate sickness requiring isolation beds, including supportive care and oxygen, rates per day of admission are fixed at ₹10,000 for all private medical colleges and ₹9,000 for NABH accredited hospitals: State govt, reports ANI.

Rajasthan health minister Raghu Sharma said that the state government has decided to create a data bank of patients that have recovered from coronavirus and convince them to donate plasma for the treatment of others who have been infected, reports ANI.

We have decided to create a data bank of COVID19 recovered patients in the state and convince them to donate plasma for treatment of COVID19 patients: Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma pic.twitter.com/GWwNW555JZ

— ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2020

Uttar Pradesh reported its highest single day spike of 2,061 Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of cases in the state to 43,444 which includes 15,723 active cases. The total deaths stand at 1,046, reports PTI.

Officials said that Meghalaya will close all entry points to the state from July 24-July 31 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, reports PTI.

Civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri during a press briefing said that there will be 55-60 per cent of pre-Covid domestic flights operating in India by this Diwali, reports PTI.

2,593 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in Andhra Pradesh in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the state to 38,044. The death toll stands at 492 whereas 19,393 people have been discharged so far, reports ANI.

In last 24 hours, 2593 new #COVID19 positive cases and 40 deaths have been reported in Andhra Pradesh. Total number of cases rise to 38044 including 18159 active cases, 19393 discharged cases and 492 deaths: State COVID Nodal Officer pic.twitter.com/3iJjxqR5Xc

— ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2020

Spain honoured its tens of thousands of victims at a state ceremony joined by top EU and World Health Organization figures. The memorial took place barely three weeks after Spain ended its months-long state of emergency, reports AFP.

Civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday underlined that bilateral air bubbles will be the way to resume international travel amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “Till international civil aviation can reclaim its pre-Covid numbers, I think the answer will lie through bilateral air bubbles which will carry a possible number of people but under defined conditions as countries are still imposing entry restrictions including India,” Puri said at a press conference.

According to a draft agreement between the federal and regional governments, Germany has planned to allow for tougher lockdown measures to contain local outbreaks and ward off the threat of a second coronavirus wave, reports AFP.

6,428 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in Russia, taking the total number of cases in the country to 752,797. The death toll is nearing the 12,000-mark. Moscow has registered 531 cases in a 24-hour period, which is more than any other region in Russia, reports ANI.

Air India CMD Rajiv Bansal also mentioned that 85,289 passengers have been ferried across the globe under the Vande Bharat Mission. The airline has operated flights to 71 cities in 53 countries till now.

Air India CMD Rajiv Bansal during the joint briefing with the aviation ministry said that as part of the Vande Bharat Mission, the airline operated 1,103 flights through which more than two lakh Indians have been brought back.

As on July 13, Air India & Air India Express operated 1103 flights, bringing back 2,08,000 Indians under #VandeBharatMission. On many of these flights, we ferried back 85289 passengers to various countries across the world: Air India CMD Rajiv Bansal pic.twitter.com/tnBUEOjkUZ

— ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2020

Far greater numbers of Swedish citizens have tested positive for Covid-19 than elsewhere in the Nordic region. But Sweden remains a long way off achieving so-called herd immunity, according to the latest data, reports Bloomberg

Civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri during a press briefing this afternoon said that a total of 687,467 Indians have been repatriated back to India till now.

As part of the #VandeBharat Mission for Repatriation Flights for Stranded Indians, Air India group (@airindiain & Air India Express) has operated 1103 flights and brought back 2,08,724 Indians & helped repatriate 85,289 individuals@MoCA_GoI

Watch here: https://t.co/9DcJBduht6 pic.twitter.com/PrpPbQVLF0

— PIB India (@PIB_India) July 16, 2020

Hong Kong authorities reported 63 locally transmitted Covid-19 cases on Thursday, stoking further concern about a third wave of infections in the global financial hub. Including imported cases, the number of new cases in the past 24 hours was 67, taking the tally to 1,656 patients, ten of whom have died, reports Reuters.