Efforts underway to increase COVID-19 testing capacity to 10 lakh daily: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that due to timely decisions taken by the government, India is better placed in comparison with many other countries in terms of deaths due to COVID-19. The recovery rate is also higher than other countries and is improving on a daily basis. PM said, the total number of people who have recovered from the virus is about to reach 10 lakh.

The Prime Minister was speaking at the launch of three high throughput COVID-19 testing facilities via video conferencing on Monday. These facilities are located at the National Institutes of Indian Council of Medical Research, at Kolkata, Mumbai and Noida.

He said that these hi-tech testing facilities will boost the testing capacity by almost 10,000 daily tests. He said, more number of tests will assist early detection and treatment which will bolster the fight against the Corona virus.

He added that these labs will not be limited to testing for COVID, but in future, will also be able to test for Hepatitis B and C, HIV, Dengue and several other diseases.

The Prime Minister said that it was imperative for the country to develop Corona specific health infrastructure at a fast pace. He noted that the Centre had announced a package of 15 thousand crore at the beginning of this health menace.