Latest technologies being used to manage COVID-19 cases: Health Ministry

The latest technologies are being used for the management of COVID-19 cases in the country, said Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, here on Tuesday.

"We are using the latest technologies across various states for the management of COVID-19. The real-time tracking of ambulances, tracking likely to be COVID-19 patients, their contacts, updating citizens with the latest information, and training of health professionals are being done by using these technologies," Aggarwal told media here.

He said the dedicated facilities for COVID-19 are divided into three parts for containing COVID-19 -- COVID Care Centre, Dedicated COVID Health Centre and Dedicated COVID Hospitals.

He said that COVID Care Centre is for treating mild, very mild and likely to be COVID-19 patients. Hostels, hotels, school, and stadium can be used for this. "We have asked states to map it with COVID Care Hospitals and COVID Health Centre so that patients can be shifted if needed," he said.

According to him, COVID Health Centre is for treating COVID-19 patients of clinically moderate level of seriousness. "For this, fully functional hospitals will be used. A dedicate block of a fully functional hospital can also be used for this. The hospitals must have beds with oxygen support," he said.

Aggarwal said that dedicated COVID Hospitals are for severe and critical cases, and for this, the hospitals must be fully equipped with ICUs and ventilators.

Aggarwal further said that Indian Railways has prepared 40,000 isolation beds in 2,500 coaches. They are making 375 isolation beds daily and this is going on across 133 locations across the country.

A recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has shown that a person infected with coronavirus can infect 406 others in just 30 days if he does not follow the lockdown and social distancing norms, said Aggarwal.

Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), said that status of essential goods and services is by and large satisfactory.

"Home Minister Amit Shah did a detailed review of the status of essential commodities and lockdown measures. He has given directions to take appropriate measures and ensure hoarding and black marketing is not done," she said during the daily media briefing here.

R Ganga Ketkar of the ICMR said that a total of 1,07,006 tests have been done till date.

"A total of 11,795 tests were conducted until yesterday in which 2,530 were done in private labs. Currently, 136 government labs are working and 59 private labs have been given the permission to conduct the test," he added.

With 354 new cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the total count of coronavirus positive cases in the country has gone up to 4,421, said the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Tuesday.

"A total of 4,421 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in India till now as 354 new cases were reported since yesterday. A total of 117 deaths have been reported so far including 8 deaths reported since yesterday," said Aggarwal during the daily media briefing.

Aggarwal further said that till now 326 persons have been discharged after recovering the infection, adding the government is adopting a strategy for cluster containment.

"This strategy is producing positive results, especially in Agra, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Pathanamthitta, Bhilwara and East Delhi," added Aggarwal.