TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th March, 2020) Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne and Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar discussed over the telephone the global response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, a readout of the conversation said.
"The Ministers discussed the situation in the Indo-Pacific region related to COVID-19, including their respective countries' responses. Minister Champagne stressed the need for greater international coordination," the readout said on Wednesday.
The two officials also discussed the recent violence in New Delhi following protests against the adoption of amendments to India's citizenship law that claimed 46 lives.
Canada has seen a spike in COVID-19 infections, with 16 new confirmed cases in the past week bringing the country's total to 33.
According to the Indian Health Ministry, the total number of COVID-19 cases in India increased to 28. India reported two new cases on Monday - one in Delhi and the other in Telangana. To date, three infected people have recovered.
More than 94,000 people worldwide have been infected with COVID-19, the vast majority of them in China from where the outbreak originated. More than 3,200 people have died, but 51,000 have recovered after receiving medical treatment.
