Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a high-level virtual meeting on Wednesday to review the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) situation in the country.

Chief ministers and health ministers of the seven states, which have a high viral case load, will attend the virtual meeting.

“The PM will chair a high-level virtual meeting with the CMs and health ministers of seven Covid-19 high-burden states and union territories (UTs) on Wednesday to review the status and preparedness of the response and management of the viral outbreak,” according to a government statement.

Seven states — Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh (AP), Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Tamil Nadu (TN), Delhi and Punjab — have reported a high viral case load. They account for 63% of the total Covid-19 cases in the country.

According to the central database, these states also account for 65.5% of the total Covid-19 cases in the country and 77% of the total deaths due to the viral infection.

Punjab and Delhi along with the five other states have recently reported a daily uptick in the number of Covid-19 cases. Maharashtra, Punjab and Delhi are reporting a case fatality rate (CFR) of at least 2%.

Besides Punjab and UP, the other five states’ positivity rate is above the national average of 8.52%, according to the data shared by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW).

“The Centre has been leading the fight against Covid-19 in the country in effective collaboration and close coordination with the state/UT governments. The Union Government is supporting them to ramp up the healthcare and medical infrastructure. The clinical management capacities of the doctors manning the intensive care units (ICUs) have been substantially upgraded through the e-ICU tele-consultation exercise undertaken by MoH&FW in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi,” according to a statement issued by the ministry on Tuesday.

The Centre has been holding periodic review meetings with states and even rushing teams of experts to the viral outbreak-hit states.

“High-level review with the states has ensured adequate availability of oxygen in hospitals and dedicated Covid-19 healthcare facilities. The Centre is also regularly deputing multi-disciplinary teams to states and UTs to support and handhold them in matters of containment, surveillance, testing and efficient clinical management of Covid-19 cases. The Central teams also guide the local authorities in effectively managing the challenges related to timely diagnosis,” the statement added.