India's coronavirus count crosses 600-mark

The number of novel coronavirus cases in the country rose to 606 on Wednesday with 10 deaths being recorded across the country, a health ministry official said.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also chaired a GoM meeting to assess the situation in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

While assuring that the government is making efforts to ensure personal protective equipment (PPE) and N-95 masks are available in adequate numbers to help the medical fraternity in their job, health ministry officials said 29 private laboratories with over 16,000 sample collection centres have been registered so far for testing of COVID-19.

"PPEs and masks have some imported components. There are disruptions with respect to import of certain items. The government is trying to address the issue," the official said.

According to officials, the ministry of home affairs is monitoring the lockdown through a control room.

The health ministry in its updated figures on Wednesday morning, stated the second death reported in Delhi was COVID-19 negative, thus bringing down the death toll to nine in India.

When quizzed about this, the official said, "Second reconfirmatory test of Delhi patient who died on Tuesday, came negative and so we reduced the death toll.