New Delhi, May 12 (PTI) Major General Vasu Vardhan, Commandant of the Indian Army's base hospital in Delhi, was transferred to its research and referral hospital earlier this week, said sources on Wednesday.

Vardhan, who is going to retire three months later in August, has been transferred to research and referral hospital in Delhi as an additional officer, they mentioned.

The Army's base hospital is currently acting as a 650-bed COVID facility for soldiers and veterans of the Indian armed forces.

Major Gen S K Singh, who was posted as the Deputy Commandant of Army Medical Corps Centre and College in Lucknow, has taken the charge as Commandant of base hospital in Delhi on Monday, sources stated.

The sources said Vardhan's transfer was a "routine" transfer as his 18-month tenure as base hospital's Commandant was over.

India has been badly hit by the second wave of coronavirus infections and hospitals in several states are reeling under shortage of health workers, vaccines, oxygen, drugs and beds.

The country saw a record rise in COVID-19 deaths with 4,205 fresh fatalities taking the country's death toll to 2,54,197, while 3,48,421 new coronavirus infections were reported, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The total tally of COVID-19 cases in country now stands at 2,33,40,938.

(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)