'India crosses eight crore mark in COVID tests'

Speaking at the digital inauguration of a Super Speciality Block in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that India's continuously rising recovery rate and progressively falling active cases have proven the success of the Centre-led COVID-19 containment strategy. He added that the country has crossed the eight crore milestone in terms of total tests.

New Delhi: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday said India's continuously rising recovery rate and progressively falling active cases have proven the success of the Centre-led COVID-19 containment strategy.

Vardhan, speaking at the digital inauguration of a Super Speciality Block (SSB) in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa, noted that the testing capacity has been successfully ramped up and the country has crossed the eight crore milestone in terms of total tests.

"Since the last nine months, India has been relentlessly fighting the infectious disease. India's continuously rising recovery rate and progressively falling active cases have proven the success of the Centre-led COVID-19 containment strategy.

"We have successfully ramped up our testing capacity which has crossed more than 8 cr milestone in terms of total tests," he was quoted as saying in a statement.

From one laboratory in January, the country now has 1,889 labs spread across the country, he said.

"I have confidence in the scientific developments taking place in the field of treatment and vaccines for COVID-19 and soon India will achieve more success in our fight against COVID-19," he added.

India's COVID-19 tally of cases climbed to 67.57 lakh on Wednesday with 72,049 new cases in a day, while 57,44,693 people have recuperated so far, pushing the national recovery rate to 85.02 per cent.

There are 9,07,883 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 8,22,71,654 samples have been tested up to October 6.

Vardhan also urged the people to follow COVID appropriate behaviour.

He reminded people about the "social vaccine" of wearing masks and face covers while in public, following hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, and maintaining physical distancing or 'Do gaz ki doori' to curb the spread of the infection.

PTI