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Covid-19 Update: India’s coronavirus cases touch 8,447, 34 people dead since Saturday
The Health Ministry has identified 14 national institutes including AIIMS and NIMHANS to mentor both government and private medical colleges and expand the country’s Covid-19 testing capacity.
India’s coronavirus cases climbed to 8,447 on Sunday with the death toll at 273 across the country, the Union Health Ministry said.
At least 34 people have died since Saturday and 764 Covid-19 patients have recovered from the infection and been discharged from various hospitals nationwide. The health ministry data also indicated that 909 new cases have been reported in the last 24 hours.
The Health Ministry has identified 14 national institutes including AIIMS and NIMHANS to mentor both government and private medical colleges and expand the country’s Covid-19 testing capacity.
“We are putting in a great deal of effort to hike our testing capacities and both private and government medical colleges are being roped in. National institutes of repute such as AIIMS and NIMHANS have also been identified to mentor other institutes in testing procedure. Our major focus is also on the proper clinical management of coronavirus positive patients,” Health Ministry’s Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said at a news briefing.
On the frantic research by Indian scientists for a vaccine for the deadly pathogen, an ICMR official said that work was being carried out at various research facilities. “More than 40 vaccines are being developed but none of them have reached the next stage. As of now, there is no vaccine for the disease, “Dr Manoj Murhekar, Indian Council of Medical Research said.
According to ICMR officials, a total of 1,86,906 samples have so far been tested across the country, of which 7,953 have been found positive for Covid-19.
“In the last five days, on an average, 15,747 samples were tested per day and 584 of those were found to be positive per day,” an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) official said at the news briefing.
A day earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had held a four-hour meet with 13 chief ministers via a video conference and indicated that the nationwide lockdown would be extended by two more weeks.
PM Modi is also likely to address the nation once again to announce the extension of the lockdown, which began on March 25 to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
