Rohit Shishodia

The Indian Health Ministry has informed that as on May 27, 2020, as many as 930 dedicated Covid hospitals with 1,58,747 isolation beds, 20,355 ICU beds and 69,076 oxygen supported beds are available to tackle the cases of corona virus.

“2,362 dedicated Covid health centers with 1,32,593 isolation beds; 10,903 ICU beds and 45,562 oxygen supported beds have been operationalized. 10,341 quarantine centres and 7,195 Covid care centers with 6, 52,830 beds are now available to combat the deadly virus in the country,” said the ministry in a press release.

Defending its decision to impose lockdown, the ministry has said: "Lockdown has garnered multiple gains, and primarily among them is that it has decelerated the pace of spread of the disease. According to the estimates made by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, a large number of deaths and cases have been averted."

The ministry has said that during lockdown several important things such as development of Covid-19 specific health infrastructure; capacity development of human resource through online training modules and webinars; increased testing capacity; increase in supplies, equipment and oxygen have been achieved.

“Issuing of relevant guidelines, standards prepared, circulated, adopted, practiced; development of diagnostics, drug trials, vaccine research; and on the technical side surveillance systems strengthened with more contact tracing, house to house surveys along with tools like Aarogya Setu was also done during lockdown,” added the ministry.

"The government has also provided 113.58 lakh N95 masks and 89.84 lakh Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to the States/ UTs / Central Institutions. The testing capacity has increased in the country through 435 Government laboratories and 189 private laboratories (total of 624 labs). Cumulatively, 32,42,160 samples have been tested so far for COVID-19, whereas, 1,16,041 samples were tested yesterday," said the ministry.