Chandigarh, Jun 8 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday mooted a research facility under the guidance of national and global healthcare experts to combat a Covid-like pandemic and other serious diseases, according to an official statement.

Chairing a virtual meeting of healthcare experts, Singh extended his government's "continued and unequivocal support" to the medical fraternity in battling the "unprecedented crisis" of COVID-19 till it is completely eliminated, the statement said.

The state government is only the second line of defence in the fight against the pandemic, he said.

The chief minister urged people not to self-medicate and consult doctors as soon as they notice the first signs of coronavirus.

Singh exuded confidence that Punjab will soon win the fight against COVID-19.

The state, he said, is gearing up for a possible third wave of the pandemic. Despite cases showing a declining trend, Punjab is not letting down its guard.

More than 250 experts from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh, besides four foreign doctors, participated in the meeting.

Punjab's COVID-19 tally surged to 5,82,081 on Tuesday with 1,273 fresh cases while the death toll climbed to 15,219 as 60 more people succumbed to the disease, according to a medical bulletin.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)