New Delhi: The Indian government on Saturday said the number of coronavirus cases rose to 2,902 in the country, out of which 1,023 positive cases have links to Tablighi Jamaat, the Islamic missionary outfit, from 17 states. Nearly 22,000 members of the Jamaat and their contacts have been quarantined so far, it added.

Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry, said there have been 601 positive coronavirus cases and 12 deaths reported since Friday. He said the condition of 58 coronavirus patients is critical, and they are located in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Kerala.

Agarwal said the death toll due to COVID-19 has risen to 68 and the number of cases has increased to 2,902. The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 2,650, while 184 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated to another country.

Agarwal said 1,023 coronavirus positive cases have been linked to the Tablighi Jamaat in 17 states. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) official, nearly 22,000 Jamaat members and their contacts have been quarantined so far. The official added that it is conducting rigorous contact tracing of the coronavirus cases linked to the Jamaat members.

The Health Ministry, citing reference to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin, also said that around 30% of COVID-19 cases in India were linked to one particular place.

The Health Ministry official said that the rate of rise in coronavirus cases in India has been far less as compared to other countries, and there is no need to panic at this point in time.

Agarwal said the government is scouting for various resources to sort out logistics involved in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

"Coronavirus testing is being done at 100 government labs and 10,000 tests are being conducted every day. We are also trying to procure N95 masks and personal protective equipment for doctors from various sources", said Agarwal. The Indian Council of Medical Research said that 75,000 people have been tested for coronavirus in the country so far.

The health ministry announced that 31,000 doctors across the county have volunteered to participate in the fight against coronavirus. The MHA emphasized that the supply of essential commodities have been streamlined across the country, and also the supply of essentials to the migrant workers in shelters.

The Centre reiterated that its officials are conducting rigorous surveillance and contact tracing across the country (IANS)