New Delhi: Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads the country in its battle against coronavirus COVID-19 infection, there is a dedicated team of bureaucrats, scientists, researchers and doctors who have been working round-the-clock to stop the spread of this deadly pathogen in the country.
Let's look at some of these top names that have been the face of India's battle against novel coronavirus.
Luv Agarwal, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Health
Agarwal is a 1996-batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre. He is currently deputed with the Union Ministry of Health but during this pandemic, he has been working closely with other ministries as well to better prepare them for the fight against COVID-19.
He plays a key role in deciding the kind of strategy to be adopted in areas where there has been a rise in infections. He decides if a special team needs to be sent to an area and has been instrumental in the state-wise collection of data of the number of positive cases and the death tally.
In a conversation with Zee News, he revealed that he is holding constant meetings with state department officials and hardly gets any sleep. Agarwal believes that even if 1 per cent of India's population breaks the lockdown restrictions then it will get very difficult to control the spread of this disease.
From coordinating with Central and state departments to addressing the media on coronavirus concerns, Agarwal has been the point person for the Health Ministry.
Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar, Senior scientist with ICMR
Dr. Raman R Gangakhedkar is the chief scientist of ICMR's Department of Epidemics and Infectious Diseases. From deciding the protocols of sample testing to handling the investigation and all sample testing is all the responsibilities of Gangakhedkar.
He has been sharing all the important details related to the novel coronavirus like how the virus spreads, what are its symptoms, the nature of the sample tests that are being conducted and the strategy was undertaken to stop its spread.
Dr Gangakhedkar had debunked the myth that COVID-19 is an air-borne disease, he has clearly said that there is no evidence to suggest the same as yet.
From one lab under the ICMR to test the coronavirus sample in January to 144 labs which conduct sample testing under his constant guidance, the number of labs has been increased to more than 16,000 across India.
He is responsible for setting up the protocols for the COVID-19 sample testing and has ensured that all required instruments are provided to all the labs on time.
Dr Gangakhedkar co-ordinates with doctors of the government labs as well as private labs and ensures that they are fully equipped for the task in hand.
He also is in charge of strategising the policy in areas that have been declared as hotspots.
Dr Gangakhedkar had met an accident and was severely injured but despite the physical pain he has been working round-the-clock and playing his part in curbing the spread of novel coronavirus in India.
Dr Vinod Paul, Pediatrician at AIIMS
Dr Vinod Paul is a pediatrician in AIIMS. He is currently working as a member of NITI Aayog and is also heading one of the 11 Empowered Groups formed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fight the novel coronavirus.
All the ministries are coordinating with each other to deal with the transmission of the coronavirus epidemic, and it is under Dr Paul who is responsible for their coordination.
Dr Vinod Paul is playing many roles as he is leading the strategy to fight the transmission of the deadly pathogen. From how to spread awareness about coronavirus at different levels and to ensure the right message is being transmitted.
He has also played a major role in preparing guidelines to prevent the epidemic. He is heading a 21-member public health team of leading scientists and doctors to save the country to deal with a major epidemic like coronavirus infection.
The decision to convert Railway coaches into isolation wards was also taken under the supervision of Dr Vinod Paul. In the past, he had also visited these isolation wards and he told Zee News that the country is equipped to deal with in all kinds of conditions. There is no shortage of related wards and isolation beds in our country and we are fully prepared for the future.
Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus infections saw a spike in the last 24 hours with 7,447 positive cases and the death toll at 239
