India recorded 164 Covid deaths from April to July, Health Ministry tells Lok Sabha

India recorded 164 Covid-19-related deaths between April 1 and July 22 this year, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The majority of these fatalities were reported among individuals with pre-existing comorbid conditions.

Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav stated that while there was a slight uptick in Covid-19 cases from the end of May, the situation improved significantly by mid-June. The data, as reported by various States and Union Territories, is available on the official Health Ministry dashboard.

Responding to concerns about pandemic preparedness, Jadhav said that the government had launched the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) to bolster India’s public health response system. The mission aims to enhance the country’s capacity to detect and manage emerging diseases by strengthening healthcare infrastructure across primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

Key initiatives under PM-ABHIM include the setting up of Health Emergency Operation Centres, Block Public Health Units in high-focus states, Metropolitan Health Surveillance Units, and Biosafety Level-III (BSL-III) laboratories to reinforce diagnostic and surveillance capacity.

The government is also establishing four new National Institutes of Virology, a National Institute for One Health, and expanding airport health offices and quarantine centres to manage international health risks.

The Health Ministry emphasised that these initiatives are part of a long-term strategy to safeguard the country against future pandemics and public health emergencies.