PM Modi launches three new testing facilities, says India now better placed in Covid fight

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched three "high throughput" Covid-19 testing facilities at Kolkata, Mumbai and Noida, and said India is in a much better position than other countries in the fight against Covid-19 as a result of "right decisions taken at the right time"
Speaking after virtually launching Covid-19 testing facilities, th Prime Minister said that these hi-tech state-of-the-art testing facilities will boost the testing capacity by almost 10,000 daily tests in each of the three cities.
Here's what PM Modi spoke about:
Adding more testing facilities
* PM Modi said that more number of tests will assist in early detection and treatment of the virus, thereby helping fight the spread of the coronavirus.
* He added that these labs will not be limited to testing for Covid-19 only, but in future, will also be able to test for Hepatitis B and C, HIV, dengue and several other diseases.
* These labs will also reduce turn-around-time and exposure of lab personnel to infectious clinical materials.
Govt's timely decisions
* PM Modi highlighted the timely decisions taken by the government due to which India is better placed vis-a-vis other countries in terms of deaths due to the Covid-19.
* He said the recovery rate is also higher than other countries and is improving on a daily basis. The total number of people who have recovered from the virus is about to reach 10 lakh, the PM added.
Building health infrastructure to deal with coronavirus
* PM Modi 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 Rs 15,000 crore at the beginning of this battle.
* The country now has more than 11,000 Covid facilities and more than 11 lakh isolation beds.
* He underlined that while the country had only one Covid testing centre in January, there are almost 1300 such labs now.
* He said that at present, more than 5 lakh tests are being conducted in the country daily, and efforts are underway to increase this capacity to 10 lakh in the coming weeks.
Self reliance
* The PM noted that the country has become the second largest PPE kit manufacturer. The country has progressed from not having even a single PPE kit manufacturer as recently as six months ago, to having more than 1200 manufacturers now, who are producing more than 5 lakh such kits daily.
* He also highlighted that from being dependent on imports, now more than 3 lakh N-95 masks are being produced in the country daily, annual production capacity of ventilators has become 3 lakh and there has also been a significant increase in the production of medical oxygen cylinders.
* PM Modi said this has not only helped save lives but has also converted India from an importer to an exporter.
* Talking about efforts to contain the spread in rural areas, the Prime Minister mentioned the need to develop new health infrastructure as well as boost the already existing health infrastructure facilities in the villages.
Ramping up human resource
* The Prime Minister said that apart from developing the physical infrastructure, the country has also managed to swiftly ramp up human resources including paramedics, Asha workers, Anganwadis etc, who have played a significant part in controlling the spread of the pandemic.
* He also spoke about the need to work on continuously attaching new and retired health professionals with the health system in order to prevent fatigue from setting in our corona warriors.
Being safe during festivities
* During the launch, PM Modi warned people to be cautious during the celebrations of the festivals to come, in order to keep the virus contained.
* The PM also underlined that the benefits of PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna should reach the poor timely. He added that till the time a vaccine is not developed, 'do gaz' doori, wearing masks and hand sanitization are the tools at the disposal of the people to keep them safe.