COVID-19 has proved to be a major obstacle in India's tuberculosis programme. Between the months of January and June this year, about 5.7 lakh cases (62 per cent of the notifications) of tuberculosis could not be notified. Only about half of TB patients in the country received money from the government for nutritional support during their treatment, according to the Union health ministry.

Tuberculosis activists have appealed to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan requesting India to test a new TB drug, which has been approved by the USFDA.