New Delhi, July 1: In a letter to states and Union Territories, Health Secretary Preeti Sudan and ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava advised governments to take all possible steps to ensure full capacity utilisation of all COVID-19 testing laboratories in the States and UTs. India Reports 507 Deaths, 18,653 COVID-19 Cases in Past 24 Hours, Coronavirus Tally Crosses 5.8 Lakh Cases.

The letter said that the "test-track-treat" is the key strategy against the COVID-19 pandemic. "This is the only way to detect the infection early and prevent its spread," the letter said. It added that the ICMR has so far approved 1,049 public and private laboratories for COVID-19 testing. Coronavirus in India Live Map: Check State-Wise COVID-19 Cases.

States/UTs Advised to Ramp Up COVID-19 Testing:

"However, it has been observed that in some States/UTs, the capacity utilization of the testing labs particularly the ones in the private sector, is glossy sub-optimal. It is strongly advised that you should take all possible steps to ensure full capacity utilization of all COVID-19 testing laboratories in the State/Ut," it added.

According to Wednesday morning update by Minister of Health and Family Welfare, the COVID-19 cases in India has reached 5,85,493. Of the total, 2,20,114 are active, while 3,47979 have recovered from the illness. Till now, 17,400 individuals have also died.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 01, 2020 07:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).