Local residents queue up for food which was distributed by local volunteers during the national coronavirus lockdown in New Delhi on May 22, 2020.
| Photo Credit:
R.V. Moorthy
On April 24, NITI Aayog member made a presentation detailing lockdown impact.
That India would see a decline in new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases by May 16 was a “misinterpretation”, V.K. Paul, who leads the government’s COVID-19 committee on managing medical emergency, said at a media briefing on Friday.
“No one has ever said that the number of cases would go down to zero at a particular date, there is a misunderstanding, which needs to be corrected. For the misunderstanding, I feel sorry and apologise,” he said in a response to a question that sought an explanation.
Coronavirus | Surge disproves NITI Aayog’s ‘zero cases by May 16’ prediction
As The Hindu reported on April 24, Dr. Paul, NITI Aayog member and internationally acclaimed paediatrician, had made a detailed presentation at the daily briefing of the Health Ministry detailing the lockdown’s impact in curtailing the spread of the novel coronavirus.
This is the first time Dr. Paul has acknowledged the issue at a public forum. His presentation suggested that the first lockdown had prevented India from seeing a 1,00,000 cases in April. It had als