Monday, 05 April 2021 | PNS | New Delhi
Test, trace, treat, inoculate, ensure Covid behaviour, PM tells States
Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reviewed the Covid-19 situation in the country, India recorded its highest daily count of fresh infections, which went beyond the 1 lakh mark for the first time since the pandemic hit the world in last year’s January.
Led by Maharashtra which registered above 57,074 new cases, India totalled 1,03,764 new cases on Sunday while 477 people succumbed to the deadly virus.
Amid alarming rise in the number of Covid infections, the PM reviewed the situation and vaccination exercise. Ten States are contributing 91 percent of the daily spurt in case, but the situation elsewhere is also turning grim. Modi said the five-fold strategy of testing, tracing, treatment, Covid-appropriate behaviour and vaccination if implemented with utmost seriousness and commitment would be effective in curbing the pandemic’s spread.
“Reasons for rise in cases could be mainly attributed to decline in compliance of Covid-appropriate behaviour, pandemic fatigue and lack of effective implementation of containment measures,” said the statement issued after the PM’s meeting high-level officers.
“A detailed presentation was made which highlighted that there is an alarming rate of growth of Covid-19 cases and deaths in the country with 10 states contributing to more than 91 percent of cases and deaths due to Covid,” it said. It was noted in the meeting that vaccine manufacturers are ramping up their production capacity and are also in discussion with other domestic and offshore companies to augment the same.
Noting that the situation in Maharashtra, Punjab and Chhattisgarh is of serious concern, a presentation in the meeting highlighted that the western state has contributed 57 percent of the total cases and 47 percent of deaths in the country in the last 14 days. In Maharashtra, the total number of new cases per day has touched 47,913 which is more than double its earlier peak. Punjab has contributed 4.5 percent of the total cases in the country in the same period but has accounted for 16.3 percent of the total deaths, a matter of serious concern, the statement said.
Similarly, though Chhattisgarh has contributed 4.3 per cent of the total cases nationwide in the last 14 days, its contribution in total deaths has exceeded seven percent during the same period. The 10 high burden states and UTs are contributing 91.4 percent of the total cases and 90.9 percent of the total deaths in the country.
The PM directed that central teams consisting of public health specialists and clinicians be sent to Maharashtra in view of its high caseload and deaths, and to Punjab and Chhattisgarh as well because of the disproportionate number of deaths there, the statement said. For sustainable Covid-19 management, awareness of the community and its involvement is paramount, Modi said, adding that and there is a need to continue ‘Jan Bhagidari’ and ‘Jan Andolan’.
A special campaign for COVID-appropriate behaviour with emphasis on 100 percent mask usage, personal hygiene and sanitation at public places, workplaces and health facilities will be organised between April 6-14, the statement said. In the meeting, a brief presentation on the performance of the COVID-19 inoculation drive was also made, and the details of the coverage of vaccination in various groups, performance with respect to other countries and analysis of states’ performance were deliberated. It was suggested that a daily analysis of performance should be shared with states and UTs as feedback for corrective actions, the statement said.
Research and development of vaccines were also discussed along with the production capacity of existing manufacturers and the capacity of vaccines that are under trial. “It was highlighted that all efforts are underway to secure adequate quantities of vaccines to meet the rising domestic requirements as well as to meet the genuine needs of other countries in the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam’,” it said.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary to PM, Cabinet Secretary, Home Secretary, Chairperson (Empowered group on Vaccine Administration), Secretary Health, Secretary Pharmaceuticals, Secretary Biotechnology, Secretary AYUSH, DG ICMR, Principal Scientific Advisor to Govt of India and Member NITI Aayog besides other officials.
Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi, Karnataka are among the states that contributed to the tally, recording 4000 plus cases.
A day after Maharashtra recorded 49,447 infections and 277 deaths, the daily caseload crossed 50,000 mark to touch a record of 57,076 infections’. However, the daily deaths dropped by 55 to touch a figure of 222. With 57,076 fresh cases, the total infections in Maharashtra crossed 30 lakh mark, as total caseload climbed from 29,53,523 to 30,10,597 Similarly, with 222 new deaths, the total Covid-19 toll rose from 55,656 to 55,878.
As 27,508 patients were discharged from the hospitals across the state after full recovery, the total number of people discharged from the hospitals since the second week of March last year went up to 25,22,823. The recovery rate in the state dropped from 84.49 per cent to 83.48 per cent.
Meanwhile, the number of “active cases” total cases in the state increased from 4,01,172 to 4,30,503. The fatality rate in the state dropped from 1.88 per cent to 1.86 per cent.
