COVID-19: Senior sanitation supervisor at AIIMS dies

A canteen worker also died of the pandemic in the past week.

A senior sanitation supervisor at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Heer Lal died due to COVID-19 here on May 24. “He tested positive for COVID-19 despite taking precautions,” said a hospital staff.

This comes after a canteen staff also died of the pandemic in the past week.

Meanwhile, responding to questions about the quality of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) coveralls being provided to medical staff and others, the Ministry said on May 25 that the Central government’s PPE coverall procuring agency, HLL Lifecare Limited (HLL), took in supplies only after getting coveralls tested and approved by one of the eight labs nominated by the Ministry of Textiles (MoT).

“It is only after their products qualify in the test prescribed by the technical committee (JMG) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, that they are procured,” noted the Ministry.

It added that HLL was also undertaking random sampling of the supplies being made, for which a testing protocol had been devised.

In case of any failure, the company would be disqualified for any supplies.

The Ministry added that India now had significantly ramped up its domestic production capacity of PPEs and N-95 masks, and the requirements of the States/UTs were being sufficiently met.

“Today, the country is producing more than 3 lakh PPEs and N95 masks per day. States/UTs as well as central institutions have been provided with around 111.08 lakh N-95 masks and around 74.48 lakh PPE,” it added.