Puducherry, Aug 27 (PTI) The JIPMER hospital here has been ordered to increase the number of beds for COVID-19 patients, from the present 279 to 700.

An order to this effect was issued by the Puducherry Collector T Arun on Thursday.

Also Read | Only 24 Percent of Indian Households Have Internet Facility to Access E-education: UNICEF.

In view of the COVID-19 situation that has seen 2,434 people being infected so far since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Health Department expressed the need for additional beds.

Meanwhile, the territorial Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi thanked the Central government for facilitating the visits of teams from the JIPMER and also from the National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, to help the Puducherry government combat the pandemic.

Also Read | Mumbai: Portion of Building in Byculla Collapses; 12-Year-Old Girl and 70-Year-Old Woman Killed.

The two teams had discussions with Bedi, who said in a Whatsapp message that the teams have submitted a report on the pandemic situation here.

The Union Territory recorded 511 new virus cases and 10 deaths during the day.

(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)