Focus on fighting COVID-19 by taking all precautions: PM

New Delhi: 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, 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, 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.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said students might have lost a year of their lives due to the coronavirus pandemic but they have learnt lot of lessons of true value of essential things.

In his annual interaction called "Pariksha Pe Charcha" with students ahead of board exams, he said that the COVID-19 pandemic has taught everyone not to take anything for granted like regular school days and attending office.

"While we can say that students have lost a year of their lives due to COVID-19, but due to the pandemic, they have also learned a lot of lessons. They have learned the true value of many essential things.

"The pandemic has taught us to fight the unexpected. People have realised the importance of not taking anything for granted like regular school days, attending office. Though COVID-19 forced us to maintain social distancing but it strengthened families' emotional bonding," Modi said.

"We have lost much during the pandemic but we have also gained a lot. The biggest lesson that corona has taught is that the things and people you missed during the period, have such an important role in your life. Those activities and people you had assumed as part of a routine, you realised their importance," he added.

Schools across the country closed in March last year ahead of a nationwide lockdown to contain spread of novel coronavirus. The prolonged closure prompted the shift of teaching learning activities to online mediums.

While several states began partially reopening schools in October last year, the physical classes are again being suspended in the wake of fresh surge in cases.

The board exams for class 10 and 12 which are usually held in February-March are scheduled to be held in May-June this year.

This is the first time that the prime minister's interaction with the students was conducted virtually.