Expansion of health infrastructure of utmost priority: Modi on COVID-19
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired a meeting with the Chief Ministers of 15 states and union territories over the coronavirus crisis. The meeting was aimed at addressing the handling of the outbreak in 15 worst-hit states/UTs. Earlier on Tuesday, the PM had discussed the situation post-Unlock 1.0 with the leadership of 21 states/UTs. Here are more details.
Don't panic, recoveries more than active cases: PM Modi
Speaking during the meeting, PM Modi said that there is no need to panic as more and more people are recovering from COVID-19. He said that the number of recoveries has now surpassed the number of active cases. According to the Health Ministry, India reported 3,54,065 cases till Wednesday morning, including 11,903 deaths, 1,55,227 active cases, 1,86,934 recoveries.
'Expansion of health infrastructure should be our utmost priority'
PM Modi said, "The expansion of health infrastructure should be our utmost priority." India reported a slew of record spikes in June, threatening the health infrastructure in many states. He added, "This will happen when each COVID-19 patient will get proper treatment, for this we will have to emphasize on testing so that we can test, trace, and isolate infected persons."
1 crore PPEs, N95 masks sent to state governments: Modi
PM Modi said, "We have been able to fight COVID-19 and control its spread because of the timely measures taken by us." He added that India has been able to send more than one crore PPEs and N95 masks to state governments. Presenting an optimistic outlook, he said that of all patients, a small fraction requires ventilator and ICU care.
PM Modi calls to expand testing; pushes Aarogya Setu use
PM Modi also stressed on the importance of the Aarogya Setu app and telemedicine during these times. He claimed states where the app had more downloads are seeing more positive results. He called to expand the existing testing capacity, which has already reached 3 lakh tests a day. Further, he said that a focus on combating the stigma around the disease is also important.
What happened in yesterday's meeting with CMs?
In the Tuesday meeting, PM Modi said that India's timely decisions helped the country limit the spread of the virus. He said that green shoots were already visible in the economy, as India emerges out of the over two-month-long lockdown. He hailed the rise in power consumption, bouncing back of exports, etc. as signals encouraging us to forge ahead.
