By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, MAY 13: DR Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, held a high level meeting here yesterday with Mr Girish Chandra Murmu, Lieutenant Governor of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. R. K. Mathur, Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Ladakh, Mr Trivendra Singh Rawat, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, and Mr Jai Ram Thakur, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh in presence of Mr Ashwini Kumar Choubey, MoS, Health and Family Welfare.

At the outset, Dr Harsh Vardhan informed the States/UTs that as on 12th May 2020, a total of 70,756 cases have been reported from the country in which 22,455 persons have been cured and 2,293 deaths had occurred. In the last 24 hours, 3,604 new confirmed cases have been added and 1538 patients were found cured. While the doubling time in the past 14 days was 10.9, it has improved to 12.2 in the last three days, he noted. He added that the fatality rate is 3.2% and recovery rate is pegged at 31.74%. He also added that (as of yesterday) there are 2.37% active COVID-19 patients in ICU, 0.41% on ventilators and 1.82% on oxygen support. Dr. Harsh Vardhan highlighted that the testing capacity has increased in the country and it is 1, 00,000 tests per day with 347 Government laboratories and 137 private laboratories. Cumulatively, 17, 62,840 tests have been done so far for COVID-19. Whereas, 86,191 samples were tested yesterday.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan stated, “Appropriate measures are being taken to combat COVID-19 and with the cohesive efforts of both Centre and States/UTs, adequately growing numbers of dedicated COVID hospitals, Isolation & ICU beds and Quarantine centres being identified and developed so far provides us the assurance that the country is well-prepared to face any eventuality due to COVID-19”. Centre is also supporting by providing sufficient number of masks & Personal Protective Equipments, etc., to the States/ UTs / Central Institutions, he further added.

After a brief presentation on the status of COVID-19 cases in the States/UTs and its management, Dr. Harsh Vardhan stated, “In view of the surge of returning migrant labourers, States/UTs need to focus on more effective surveillance, contact tracing, adequate testing and timely treatment of all the returnees. This also includes the ones that shall be returning from abroad”. Various Satets/UTs outlined the preparations being made for their testing at the point of disembarking, quarantining them, testing and further treatment.  He also suggested that the downloading of Aarogya Setu should be made compulsory for all returnees for better contact surveillance and suitable medical interventions.