COVID-19: 64 Yr Old Dies In Mumbai Hospital, Death Toll Rises To 3

A 64 year-old man in a Mumbai hospital who tested positive for COVID-19 died of the illness on Tuesday, taking the death toll in India to three. The deceased had a travel history to Dubai, it was reported.

The Union Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan is scheduled to meet President Ramnath Kovind at 6.00 pm on Tuesday. Dr. Harsh Vardhan will brief the President on the steps initiated by the Union government to tackle the Coronavirus crisis. The high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) constituted by the Union government met on Tuesday to review the situation arising out of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan sought feedback on COVID-19 quarantine facilities from parliament members and requested them to visit some of these facilities. In a discussion in the Rajya Sabha, Dr. Harsh Vardhan replied that ICMR was tracking the development of vaccines and treatment of COVID-19 across the world.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Health Minister, Rajesh Tope held a meeting with health officials over the COVID-19 crisis. The Indian Council of Medical Reasearch (ICMR) plans to take up random community testing. About 1000 such samples would be taken up initially, media reports stated.

Health officials have strongly advised social distancing to prevent the transmission of the virus. They have also suggested more online education and work from home initiatives.

The government is ramping up efforts to widen the network of labs by including private players.