Aatmja Kumari(Intern Journalist): Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan chaired the 20th meeting of the High-Level Group of Ministers (GoM) on covid-19 here today. In this meeting he was accompanied by External Affairs Minister Shri S. Jaishankar, Civil Aviation Minister Shri Hardeep S. Puri, Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge) and Minister of State for Chemicals and Food, Mr. Mansukh Lal Mandaviya, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Mr. Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Minister of State for Home Mr. Nityanand Rai were present. NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr. Vinod Paul attended this meeting in a virtual manner.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan expressed satisfaction with the various efforts made at the beginning of the meeting with mutual coordination between the Central Government and the State / Union Territory Governments. He said that since the last meeting of the Group of Ministers on 31 July, we have made tremendous efforts to deal with this disease. A total of 26.4 lakh people have already been cured of this disease.
He said that the Covid death rate (case fatality rate) in the country is at its lowest level at 1.81 percent and the recovery rate has steadily increased to 76.47 percent. He told the Group of Ministers that health infrastructure in the country has been rapidly strengthened with the creation of adequate health facilities. He said that only 0.29 percent of Covid patients are on a ventilator, 1.93 percent of patients are on ICU and only 2.88 percent of patients are on oxygen.
There are a total of 1576 laboratories across the country, which has increased the number of tests and the target of 1 million tests per day has been met. He said that over 9 lakh samples were tested in the last 24 hours and with this, the number of tests conducted so far has crossed the 4 crore mark. Dr. Harsh Vardhan also told the GoM that more than 338 lakh N-95 masks, about 135 lakh PPE and about 27,000 ventilators have been provided by the Center to the States / UTs.
Union Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has directed the Ministry of Health to develop SOPs for Members of Parliament and Legislative Assembly sessions, which include the Covid Protocol and preventive measures. The Group of Ministers also expressed concern about the upcoming festival season and advised everyone to adopt safe and appropriate practices to avoid Covid.
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