Latestly : Apr 22, 2020, 02:44 PM
New Delhi: The daily 4 pm Union Health Ministry media briefing has been cancelled on Wednesday. According to an ANI tweet, the media briefing was cancelled because of a cabinet meeting which is scheduled to take place today. The subsequent briefing post the meeting today evening will carry the health ministry related information. All additional information will be given in press releases today.The daily press briefing is addressed by Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry, Dr Raman R. Gangakhedkar, head of the Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases Division in the Indian Council of Medical Research and Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secretary, MHA. Other experts are also present during the press conference.The number of coronavirus cases in India is inching closer to the 20,000 mark. According to Health Ministry data, the total number of coronavirus positive cases increased to 19,984 in India on Wednesday morning with an increase of 1,383 in the last 24 hours. Till now, 640 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 in the country. The total of recovered patients in the country stands at 3,870.Maharashtra is the worst hit in the coronavirus pandemic, with the highest number of COVID-19 cases. The testing rate in India dropped by 8,000 on Tuesday after several states complained that rapid test kits acquired from China were delivering inaccurate results. On Monday, India conducted 35,000 coronavirus test, but the testing rate was dropped to 27,000 on Tuesday, reported Times of India. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday advised states not to use them for the next two days after complaints about faulty parid test kits.