New Delhi [India], May 3 (ANI): Former President of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Doctor KK Agarwal on Sunday thanked the Armed Forces for the floral salutes on healthcare professionals and said that it was meant as a tribute to all others as well who are in the forefront of the battle against COVID-19."I thank and salute the Armed Forces for the floral salutes to those on the forefront in this battle against COVID-19. I think this is a tribute to everybody, not only the doctors but also the policymakers, the media persons, who are creating awareness at a one-to-one level to the public and making information viral. So we are grateful to everybody, and we want the Army to concentrate on the border and don't allow terrorists from outside the border to come inside India and let the medical fraternity look after the COVID-19 terrorist which is inside the border and creating war," Agarwal told ANI here.On Sunday, in several parts of the country, showers of flowers trailed down from the sky, as choppers flew over hospitals treating coronavirus patients offering floral salutes to healthcare professionals and others in the forefront of the battle against COVID-19.IAF choppers flew over various hospitals across different cities and showered them with flowers as a tribute to personnel for continuing to serve in such difficult times.The choppers were seen in Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Kolkata and Patna among other locations.Dr Agarwal further said that the fight against the disease was a combined effort of the "policymakers, policemen, medical fraternity, policymakers, media and the public, which are obeying the rules."Speaking about the number of COVID-19 cases reaching the 40,000 mark in the country, Dr Agarwal said that the numbers are going to rise further but the rate at which it doubles is suggestive of the fact that the infection is slowing down."We have to live with corona, we have to fight with corona. If it is 40,000 today it is going to become 80,000 over a period of time. Now if it doubles in four days then it is a worrisome situation. If it is in seven and a half days then we are doing ok, but if it is doubling 11 or 12 days then the virus is slowing down. Currently, the doubling time is between 11 and 12 days which says we are on the right track as long as it is staying above ten days," he said.He further said that a recent study done by the Heart Care Foundation of India had revealed that the number of cases is much higher in places where the population density is more than a 1,000 persons in a square kilometre."We have to decongest and the government is doing the right thing by decongesting the various high-risk areas," Dr Agarwal said.With 2,644 more COVID-19 cases and 83 deaths in the last 24 hours, the number of people infected from coronavirus in the country has reached 39,980 including 1,301 deaths, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.Currently, there are 28,046 active cases while 10,633 COVID-19 positive patients have been cured/discharged. (ANI)

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