NEW DELHI: As many as 164 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in the country from April to July 22, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.In a written reply, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, said most of these deaths were due to comorbidities.“There was a slight increase in COVID-19 cases reported by States/UTs from the end of May 2025, which declined significantly since mid-June 2025,” the minister said.He further added that with the long-term goal of better preparing for public health emergencies, the Pradhan Mantri–Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) was launched with the intent to enhance the capacity of primary, secondary, and tertiary health care facilities/systems and institutes for identifying and managing any new and emerging diseases.These include the establishment of Health Emergency Operation Centres, Health and Wellness Centres for provisioning essential health services, Block Public Health Units in high-focus states, regional and state branches of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to provide support for disease outbreaks and public health surveillance, metropolitan health surveillance units in urban areas, BSL-III laboratories across the country to strengthen the laboratory network, strengthening of existing Viral Diagnostic and Research Laboratories (VRDLs), four new National Institutes of Virology (NIVs), the National Institute for One Health, and new Airport Health Offices and Quarantine Centres.
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