New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today interacted with Chief Ministers and representatives of ten states including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh via video conferencing to discuss the current situation and plan ahead for tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister said that everyone has shown a great degree of cooperation and the teamwork displayed by Team India has been remarkable. He talked about the challenges and pressure faced by hospitals and health care workers.
The PM mentioned that almost 80% of active cases are from the participating 10 states, and if the virus is defeated in these ten states, the entire country will emerge victorious in the battle against COVID-19.
Prime Minister noted that the number of daily tests has reached almost 7 lakh and is increasing continuously, which has helped in early identification and containment. The average fatality rate in the country is amongst the lowest in the country and is continuously going down. The percentage of active cases is reducing, while the recovery rate is increasing, he said.
He noted that these steps have boosted the confidence of people, and said that the target of bringing down the fatality rate below 1% can be achieved soon.
Prime Minister underlined that what has emerged from the discussion is an urgent need to ramp up testing in Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Telangana.
He said that containment, contact tracing and surveillance are the most effective weapons in this battle.
The Chief Ministers provided feedback on the ground situation in their states.