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Updated April 23rd, 2020 at 22:01 IST

Union Health Minister details measures taken to fight COVID-19, says 'we are prepared'

Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that India is prepared to face the worst of circumstances, adding that all citizens are in the loop since day one

Reported by: Gloria Methri
Health Minister
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On Thursday, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that India is prepared to face the worst that might arise of the COVID-19  pandemic, adding that all 130 crore citizens of the country are in the loop since day one of the pandemic.

Detailing the steps taken by the government to ensure prevention of the deadly disease, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) to keep a check on measures to contain COVID-19. Additionally, PM has also formed 11 empowered groups to look after various issues concerning the lockdown. The Centre has also ensured that senior officials are sent to different states to take stock of the situation.

READ | Empowered Group Chairman Reveals Success Of India's COVID-19 Fight During The Lockdown

Developments to fight COVID-19 in India

The Health Minister also noted that the country had only one laboratory for testing COVID-19 samples back in January, but today India has more than 130 labs and 16,000 collection centers.

The Union Health Minister also said that nearly 15.25 lakh passengers have been screened at airports to date. Along with this, 2,544 Indians and 49 foreign nationals brought back to India. The country has a capacity of testing 55,000 samples each day and it aims to ramp up the capacity by one lakh test per day. He noted that rapid testing has begun on symptomatic patients in containment zones.

The Health Minister added that India is committed to creating COVID-19 exclusive hospitals to avoid mingling of other patients with Coronavirus patients.

READ | India's COVID-19 Statistics: Reading The Tea Leaves

India flattens the curve

In a major boost to India's battle against COVID-19, Union Joint Health Secretary Lav Agarwal, on Thursday, stated that India's recovery rate has increased to 19.89%. Moreover, he added that the country witnessed a growth of 1409 cases in the past 24 hours and the tally stands at 21,393 cases. Moreover, he revealed that 78 districts have not reported a single COVID-19 case in the past 14 days.

READ | Here Is How The World Responded To India’s Tackling Of COVID-19 So Far

READ | Def Min Rajnath Singh Unveils Mobile Virology Lab To Test COVID-19 Samples

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Published April 23rd, 2020 at 22:01 IST

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