World Health Day: PM Modi urges people to focus on fighting COVID-19 by taking all precautions

New Delhi, Apr 07: On the occasion of the World Health Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged people to focus on fighting COVID-19 by taking all precautions, including wearing a mask, regularly washing hands and following other protocols.

His appeal comes amid a spike in COVID-19 cases with over 1 lakh daily cases reported twice in the last three days.

"#WorldHealthDay is a day to reaffirm our gratitude and appreciation to all those who work day and night to keep our planet healthy," the prime minister tweeted. It is also a day to reiterate our commitment to supporting research and innovation in healthcare, PM Modi said.

"On #WorldHealthDay, let us keep the focus on fighting COVID-19 by taking all possible precautions including wearing a mask, regularly washing hands and following the other protocols," he said in a series of tweets.

At the same time, do take all possible steps to boost immunity and stay fit, PM Modi added. "The Government of India is taking numerous measures including Ayushman Bharat and PM Janaushadhi Yojana to ensure people get access to top quality and affordable healthcare," the prime minister pointed out.

India is also conducting the world's largest vaccination drive to strengthen the fight against COVID-19, he asserted. The World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on April 7 under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO).

From its inception at the First Health Assembly in 1948 and since taking effect in 1950, the celebration has aimed to create awareness of a specific health theme to highlight a priority area of concern for the WHO.