Covid: Health minister Mandaviya to visit Kerala on Aug 16, Assam on Aug 17

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will be visiting Kerala on August 16 to review the COVID-19 situation in the southern state.

He is also likely to visit Guwahati in Assam on August 17 for holding a review meeting there, sources said.

According to the sources, the Union minister is likely to meet Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and hold a meeting with state Health Minister Veena George and other officials involved in Covid management there.

Mandaviya will be accompanied by director of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and other senior officials of the health ministry.

Kerala on Friday reported 20,452 new coronavirus cases and 114 deaths due to the infection, taking the caseload to 3,62,090 and the death toll to 18,394.

Assam's COVID-19 tally mounted to 5,78,733 as 763 more people tested positive for the infection, while 20 fresh fatalities pushed the death toll to 5,471, the National Health Mission said in a bulletin.