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Tag: COvid positivity rate

  • Covid-19: Active circumstances dip to fifteen,044 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India logged 2,259 new coronavirus infections taking the entire tally of COVID-19 circumstances to 4,31,31,822, whereas the lively circumstances declined to fifteen,044, in line with the Union Health Ministry knowledge up to date on Friday.

    The demise toll climbed to five,24,323 with 20 contemporary fatalities, the information up to date at 8 am said.

    The lively circumstances comprise 0.03 per cent of the entire infections, whereas the nationwide COVID-19 restoration charge was 98.75 per cent, the ministry stated.

    A lower of 375 circumstances has been recorded within the lively COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

    The every day positivity charge was recorded at 0.50 per cent and the weekly positivity charge at 0.53 per cent, in line with the well being ministry.

    The quantity of people that have recuperated from the illness surged to 4,25,92,455, whereas the case fatality charge was recorded at 1.22 per cent.

    The cumulative doses administered within the nation to this point underneath the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 191.96 crore.

    India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

    It went previous 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

    The nation crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 final yr.

  • Over 330 Covid deaths in Central police forces, 40% in second wave

    More than 84,000 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel have examined constructive for Covid-19 thus far, and 331 have succumbed to the virus, knowledge from the Union Home Ministry present.
    More than 35 per cent of infections and virtually 40 per cent of deaths occurred within the interval starting from the third week of March, when the second wave of the pandemic began to select up.
    The largest numbers of infections and deaths have been seen within the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the biggest of the CAPFs.
    Of the full 84,045 CAPF personnel contaminated with the virus from the start of the epidemic early final 12 months to July 6 this 12 months, 24,840 belonged to the CRPF. The CRPF has misplaced 125 of its personnel to Covid-19.

    ExplainedWhy forces are vulnerableApproximately 9 lakh CAPF personnel are deployed throughout the size and breadth of the nation. The undeniable fact that they keep in barracks, with shared residing and meal areas, makes them particularly susceptible. An officer mentioned that coaching centres too are susceptible as a result of “the entire batch stays, eats, and does all its work together”. The armed forces too have seen virtually 45,000 circumstances and round 120 deaths from Covid.

    The Border Security Force (BSF) reported 22,978 circumstances and 90 deaths throughout the identical interval, and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) reported 19,676 circumstances and 76 deaths, in response to Home Ministry dat0a.
    In roughly a 12 months from the time the epidemic hit India in 2020 to March 23 this 12 months, 53,343 CAPF personnel examined constructive, and 203 handed away, a senior official advised The Indian Express.
    Among those that examined constructive for the coronavirus throughout this era, 15,610 belonged to the CRPF, 14,728 to the BSF, 11,513 to the CISF, 5,747 to the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), 4,736 to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), 660 to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and 349 to the National Security Guard (NSG), the official mentioned.
    “All personnel started getting vaccinated from the end of February [2021], and so far almost 99 per cent have received the first dose and 90% have received both doses,” the official mentioned. “By the time the second wave of the pandemic started, most of the personnel had received the first dose.”

    “Until July 6 this year, 30,702 personnel had tested positive and 128 had lost their lives,” the official mentioned.
    CAPF personnel, together with personnel of the Armed Forces, are categorised as frontline staff. India began inoculating healthcare staff and a few classes of frontline staff on January 16; vaccination for the majority of frontline staff started on February 1 after detailed knowledge had been collated.
    According to officers, ex gratia has been paid to the households of a lot of the deceased personnel, and efforts are on to supply employment to 1 member every from the households on compassionate grounds.
    “The Ministry has decided to dedicate this year’s Police Commemoration Day (October 21) to the jawans who lost their lives due to Covid,” an official mentioned.
    The first Covid dying amongst CAPF personnel was that of ITBP Head Constable Ramesh Tomar, who succumbed to the an infection on May 28 final 12 months.
    “My father had requested a transfer from Uttarakhand to Delhi to arrange my and my sister’s marriages… He was cremated in Delhi, and senior officials spoke with us over the phone. We have got the compensation due to him, and I am waiting for approval of my application for a job,” Tomar’s son Chirag Tomar mentioned.
    Suman Devi, spouse of ITBP Constable Satpal Singh Samota who died of Covid-19, mentioned: “We have been provided with all the financial benefits due to my husband… I have an MA degree, but I declined a job that was offered to me in Kullu. My child is studying in Class 7, and after some years, my child can apply to the government for employment.”

    Sewli Medhi, spouse of ITBP Head Constable Kiran Medhi, mentioned, “My husband was posted in Dibrugarh, and after his death, the government extended all financial help to us. Senior officials coordinated with us.”
    Since March 23, there have been 9,230 circumstances and 44 deaths within the CRPF, 8,250 circumstances and 41 deaths within the BSF, 8,163 circumstances and 31 deaths within the CISF, 3,569 circumstances and 6 deaths within the SSB, 1,151 circumstances and 4 deaths within the ITBP, 187 circumstances and one dying within the NDRF, and 152 circumstances and one dying within the NSG.
    Until July 6, a complete 82,858 CAPF personnel have recovered from the an infection, officers mentioned.

  • Medical infra in place to cope with third wave: FM Sitharaman

    India is well-prepared when it comes to medical infrastructure to cope with the third Covid wave, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned on Thursday, including income collections would assist in offering assets for assembly challenges.
    “… The ramping up of medical infrastructure, looking at different segments of the population, looking at children, is happening at good speed. God forbid, if there is a third wave, we are medical infrastructure-wise well prepared,” she mentioned whereas talking on the India Global Forum.She mentioned GST revenues have stored up tempo within the final eight months and have crossed Rs 1 lakh crore per 30 days. “ … revenue generation, I think, will give us a bit more leeway to be able to keep some resources for meeting up with the challenge”. She additionally mentioned with exercise selecting up, the federal government’s deliberate CPSE privatisation drive is heading in the right direction.

  • 82.7 lakh jabbed in at some point: New section of vaccination kicks in with Central procurement

    As India returned to centralised procurement and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, it reported 82.70 lakh vaccinations on Monday, a each day report by far for the reason that vaccination drive was launched on January 16.
    Under the federal government’s new vaccination coverage that got here into impact on Monday, the Centre will procure 75 per cent of the vaccine inventory from the open market and distribute it to states, to be administered free to everybody of age 18 years or older at authorities vaccination centres.
    The remaining 25 per cent is supposed for personal hospitals and vaccination centres, which may levy a service cost of Rs 150 over and above the worth of the vaccine.
    “Today’s record-breaking vaccination numbers are gladdening. The vaccine remains our strongest weapon to fight COVID-19. Congratulations to those who got vaccinated and kudos to all the front-line warriors working hard to ensure so many citizens got the vaccine. Well done India,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned in a tweet.

    There have been two principal causes for the surge in vaccination numbers on Monday, high authorities sources monitoring the drive informed The Indian Express: elevated vaccine provide to states after the brand new pointers went into power; and a rise within the variety of free vaccination websites.
    “First, we gave 2.95 crore doses to states to vaccinate any citizen who is above 18 years for free. Second, the capacities deployed by the states have been huge. More than 80,000 government vaccination centres were operational today,” a high supply mentioned.

    The spike in vaccination numbers needs to be seen inside the “framework of availability” of vaccines, officers mentioned.
    The Indian Express had reported on Sunday that on account of Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech ramping up capability at their manufacturing amenities, the provision of vaccines would contact 12 crore doses by the tip of June from round 7.5 crore doses in May — and that round 13.5 crore doses could be out there in July.
    “The supplies to states have got streamlined. The artificial categorisation of recipients into ’18-44 years’ and ’45 years and older’ is gone. Everyone knows that you no longer need to book an appointment in advance. Large numbers of people are making use of the option of on-site registration,” an official mentioned.

    ExplainedPointer to approach forwardMonday’s report vaccination underlines that efficient separation of duties will maintain the important thing to success for the mass inoculation drive — that whereas states deal with planning and executing vaccination protection, the Centre works on streamlining provide and availability of vaccines.

    However, the numbers of Monday aren’t anticipated to be achieved each day. Sources mentioned that with the rise in vaccine provides in July, the Centre expects states to manage a mean of 45 lakh pictures per day.

    “States have now established a baseline of around 45 lakh [vaccinations] a day on average. There would be days where they would do maybe 60-70 lakh. There is no reason not to, if vaccine availability does not fall — which we do not see happening,” the official mentioned.
    Preliminary official figures present a complete 82,70,191 doses got to recipients throughout the nation on Monday.
    Over half of those doses have been administered within the 5 NDA-ruled states of Madhya Pradesh (16.01 lakh), Karnataka (10.86 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (6.90 lakh), Gujarat (5.05 lakh), and Bihar (4.88 lakh).
    Haryana administered 4.80 lakh doses and Rajasthan, 4.35 lakh.
    Next have been Maharashtra (3.80 lakh), Tamil Nadu (3.41 lakh), Assam (3.39 lakh), West Bengal (3.21 lakh), Odisha (2.86 lakh), and Kerala (2.62 lakh).
    The Centre modified the inoculation pointers after a number of states mentioned they have been discovering it troublesome to handle the funding, procurement, and logistics of vaccination.
    Sources mentioned the Centre expects a steady enhance in vaccination numbers as a result of 30-day advance visibility of vaccine provide.

    “All states know what supplies they will receive in July. We got them the formal visibility on Sunday. The states will be planning accordingly,” a supply mentioned.
    According to the brand new pointers, the Centre will talk upfront to states the variety of doses that shall be made out there, and states shall be required to place this data within the public area on the ranges of district and vaccination centre, and disseminate it extensively.

  • Muslims avoiding Covid vaccination, says former Uttarakhand CM Rawat

    SENIOR BJP chief and former Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Monday mentioned the Muslim neighborhood within the nation is avoiding Covid vaccination because it has apprehensions and misconceptions in regards to the vaccine.
    “The Muslim community in our country at present – I am deliberately taking name – is keeping away from vaccination. They still have hesitation, apprehensions and misconceptions,” mentioned Rawat whereas talking to reporters at an occasion on World Blood Donor Day in Rishikesh.
    He appealed social organisations and the media to boost consciousness locally that the vaccine will not be dangerous.
    “If you do not take the vaccine, this disease will not get over and anybody can fell prey to it and we can become a super spreader. I appeal all to come forward for vaccination,” Rawat mentioned, including that herd immunity can be developed when 80 per cent of the inhabitants is vaccinated.
    The former CM mentioned the Pakistan authorities has introduced stern measures akin to blocking telephones and stopping salaries of those that are avoiding vaccination. Such steps can create consciousness amongst plenty, he mentioned.

    The Uttarakhand authorities on Monday prolonged the Covid curfew until June 22. Announcing adjustments in the usual working process, authorities spokesperson Subodh Uniyal mentioned native folks from the district involved can be allowed to go to shrines of Char Dham however with detrimental RTPCR stories. People in Chamoli district can be allowed to go to Badrinath, Rudraprayag district residents can go to Kedarnath and Uttarkashi district folks can go to Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines. He mentioned the state authorities might begin unlockdown after June 22.

  • Terms of unlock: positivity beneath 5%, 70% of weak teams vaccinated

    Positivity fee of lower than 5 per cent for per week, vaccination of 70 per cent of the weak inhabitants, and group possession of Covid-appropriate behaviour and care — the Centre on Tuesday laid down key un-lockdown standards for districts to chase away a doable third wave.
    On Tuesday, Dr Balram Bhargava, ICMR Director General and a member of India’s Covid-19 process pressure, underlined that whereas “gradual lifting [of restrictions] will not witness a massive surge”, districts need to “ensure that vaccination has to be prioritised…”
    “In terms of preventing the third wave, it is very simple that districts with less than 5 per cent positivity should open up a little bit… they should open very gradually. They should ensure that the vulnerable population should achieve at least 70 per cent vaccination… if that has not been achieved, they should vaccinate them and then open up,” Bhargava stated.
    Bhargava’s assertion comes within the backdrop of 344 districts — practically half of India’s 718 districts — now reporting seven-day positivity of lower than 5 per cent. That’s an enchancment from the week ending May 7, when solely 92 districts reported a positivity fee of beneath 5 per cent, the Ministry stated.
    According to the Health Ministry’s vaccination knowledge, as of May 13, 32 per cent of these within the 45+ age group have gotten their first dose.
    “We are in the midst of a ferocious second wave, although it has been abating now. If we look at the data, in the first week of April, we had less than 200 districts that had more than 10 per cent positivity. And in the last week of April, we had nearly 600 districts with more than 10 per cent positivity… Today, there are 239 districts in the country which have more than 10 per cent positivity; 145 districts are between 5 per cent-10 per cent positivity; and 350 districts, which is nearly half of India, have less than 5 per cent positivity. Therefore, we are moving in the right direction,” Bhargava stated.

    He stated that whereas district-level containment has labored, it’s “not a sustainable solution” and thus, a mechanism to ease lockdowns must be labored out. “It has to be done very gradually and very slowly. Basically, the opening up revolves around three pillars: one, the test positivity rate in that particular district has to be less than 5 per cent over one week… so seven-day average has to be less than 5 per cent. Second, vulnerable individuals, that is elderly more than 60 years and more than 45 years with comorbidities, should be vaccinated. Their vaccination rate should reach up to 70 per cent… Third, community ownership for Covid-appropriate behaviour and care should be taken up… in a big way… We have to remember our vaccination is being ramped up. By December, we hope to have the whole country vaccinated…,” Bhargava stated.
    On Tuesday, the pinnacle of India’s Covid-19 process pressure, Dr V Ok Paul, stated India will stick with the two-dose schedule for Covishield and Covaxin, and clarified that mixing of vaccines shouldn’t be a part of the nation’s vaccine technique.

    “I want to make it clear that Covishield and Covaxin schedule in India is a two-dose schedule, there is absolutely no change. There should be no doubts about it. We have to compulsorily take two doses,” Paul stated.
    “Similarly, on mixing of vaccines… there is one possibility that the body can show adverse reaction with the second vaccine. This is a scientific consideration, especially when the other vaccine is built on a different platform. The other science also indicates that if the first dose is of one vaccine and the second dose is of another, there could be an increase in immunity. The possibility of a positive effect is also plausible… there is research going on in other countries. It is an unresolved scientific question… there is no change in the vaccination strategy and there is no mixing of vaccines,” Paul stated.
    Dr N Ok Arora, chairman of the Covid-19 working group beneath the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), had earlier instructed The Indian Express that work on testing the feasibility of a routine that mixes two Covid vaccines may start quickly. “We are looking for a combination of vaccines that provide better protection. At the moment, the vaccines used are providing protection against severe disease, but they are not providing protection from infection and transmission of the virus to the extent that we would have liked,” he stated.
     

  • Covid: Uday Kotak requires fiscal assist, warns towards rush to reopen

    To mitigate the impression of the pandemic, the second wave of which has seen an unprecedented lack of lives and livelihood, Uday Kotak, CII president and a number one trade voice, has known as for sturdy fiscal assist measures from the federal government — from earnings assist to people to an extra emergency credit score line assure scheme (ECLGS) for the burdened MSME sector.
    Kotak, MD of Kotak Mahindra Bank, additionally emphasised the “need to be very cautious” about opening up the economic system even after June, calling it a “very difficult dilemma” for states, and saying rather a lot depends upon the progress made on the vaccination entrance.
    “I believe the time has come for the state to get more active and I would strongly support fiscal support coming in for protecting livelihood and minimum requirements of individuals and households. I am quite comfortable if we go and spend from the fisc and expand the position. There is absolutely no issue as I see it and that’s what we need to do… Time may have come for the government to be looking at an additional ECLGS scheme, including increasing the size from Rs 3 lakh crore to Rs 4-5 lakh crore,” stated Kotak.
    On May 13 final 12 months, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had introduced Rs 3 lakh crore collateral-free computerized loans for companies, together with MSMEs, at concessional charges.
    Calling for fiscal assist to the decrease finish of the economic system, be it within the type of direct profit switch or ECLGS scheme for small and medium companies, Kotak stated, “At CII, we support fiscal support to the lower end of the economy… We need to do what it takes. We will figure out how we manage our books down the road but right now, we have to ensure that the economy remains in reasonable shape in the next six to nine months,” he stated.

    Even as some state governments think about stress-free lockdowns amid a dip in circumstances, Kotak stated he feels the “need to be very cautious on that front” and that opening up even after June is a “very difficult dilemma” that state administrations and people face.
    Stating that the reply to that’s linked to vaccination, he stated, “We are probably three to four months away from being fully convinced that a large part of the population is vaccinated or has become Covid-proof…. If we can vaccinate a significant number of the population by September or so, then the question is hanging in (for) the interim period of three months… I think I would do it in a very careful, calibrated manner, rather than rushing in to open up,” stated Kotak, including that the nation should be ready for a 3rd wave of the an infection.
    Earlier, in April, as states began asserting weekend lockdowns or curfews, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had stated, “Even with the second wave, we are very clear that we are not going in for lockdowns in a big way. We don’t want to totally arrest the economy.”
    On the far more debilitating second wave, Kotak pointed to India declaring victory “too early” and being caught unawares by the brand new variant of Covid-19.
    “We, as a nation and each one of us, lowered our guard. By January, we declared victory and we started going out, holding meetings, saw gathering of crowds, social activity and whole host of things across the nation. We probably declared victory a little early.”
    Incidentally, even because the Centre determined to not announce a nationwide lockdown, the CII took a choice within the first week of May, urging the trade to voluntarily curb non-essential financial actions over the following two weeks in a bid to interrupt the chain of transmission.
    Kotak stated the decision was based mostly on suggestions from members of the CII throughout the nation. He pointed to the truth that in his firm itself, the variety of lives misplaced between April and May was 2.5 to three occasions larger than in the entire of final 12 months.

    “On our side, our call was very simple. The employee balance sheet is more important than financial balance sheet… As far as Central and state governments are concerned, it is up to them to have taken a call… and so, it really depends on them how they saw the situation across their different parts,” he stated.
    Kotak took over as CII president on June 2 final 12 months. His time period involves an finish on May 31, with T V Narendran, MD, Tata Steel taking up on June 1.

  • Telangana, Andhra announce steps to spice up oxygen provide

    The governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have introduced steps to enhance medical oxygen manufacturing services to cater to wants of Covid-19 sufferers.
    In Andhra Pradesh, Efforts are on to revive the oxygen plant at Vizag Steel plant in Visakhapatnam which has the capability to supply 850 Million Tonnes (MT) of oxygen however is simply producing 100 MT at present on account of technical glitches. The Eastern Naval Command (ENC) is repairing a number of defunct oxygen crops throughout a number of districts, which is able to assist refill oxygen cylinders. The state has additionally requisitioned 10 ISO containers to move oxygen to the state from numerous sources.
    Presently, the state has obtained 80 MT every single day from Jamnagar in Gujarat and 130 MT every day from Bellary in Karnataka — transported on the Oxygen Express prepare.
    Deputy Chief Minister (Health) A K Krishna Srinivas stated 590 MT oxygen per day has been allotted to the state by the Centre and the per-day demand is between 590 MT to 610 MT.

    The Telangana authorities in the meantime has determined to arrange 48 oxygen technology crops at numerous authorities hospitals in and round Hyderabad. These 48 crops will produce 324 MT of oxygen.

  • New instances fall beneath 10,000 in Delhi, first time since April 10

    With the lockdown in place for near 4 weeks, Covid instances in Delhi have lastly began to dip, with 8,506 instances being recorded on Friday. This is the primary time since April 10 that instances dropped beneath 10,000 within the metropolis.
    A complete of 68,575 individuals had been examined and 12.40% of them had been discovered to be optimistic — which is the bottom positivity price in a month. Over 50,000 of those had been RT-PCR assessments.
    Over 14,000 individuals had been reported recovered on Friday.
    Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal mentioned this was “good news” and was attainable due to the cooperation from individuals, however cautioned towards any laxity. “If we become careless again and stop following social distancing norms and guidelines, cases can increase again. We are making arrangements for more oxygen beds, are buying oxygen cylinders and are setting up new ICU beds. If cases increase again, we should be prepared. But please continue to observe Covid-appropriate behaviour. We have seen very tough times in the past month,” he mentioned.
    Delhi was among the many worst-hit within the nation in April, seeing the best day by day instances and deaths of all cities. On April 20, it noticed over 28,000 Covid instances, whereas day by day dying toll crossed 450 at one level.
    A particular downward development in instances began every week in the past, when the positivity price began declining. While the variety of assessments carried out on Thursday (reported on Friday) had been decrease than the common 75,000 assessments being carried out day by day, the positivity price additionally remained low.
    “The dip in the positivity rate, and hence the number of cases, seems to suggest that Delhi is past its peak. The high in Delhi started close to a month after it was seen in Mumbai, and now the decline is following a similar pattern. The next two weeks are crucial but looking at the data now, it certainly seems that the worst is behind us, for now,” mentioned an epidemiologist at a Central authorities hospital who didn’t need to be named.
    The Capital has seen 13.8 lakh instances and 20,907 deaths for the reason that starting of the pandemic. Over 9,800 of those deaths have been since April 1.
    While the oxygen scarcity has been resolved for now — the Delhi authorities wrote to the Centre Thursday asking that it not be given greater than 590 metric tonnes of oxygen a day and that the additional provides be diverted to states that want it extra — the disaster of beds will not be over but. While there are over 6,000 vacant oxygen beds in numerous hospitals, the variety of vacant ICU beds is 277. A big majority of those are in authorities hospitals as non-public hospitals are nonetheless operating full.
    Kejriwal additionally spoke in regards to the lesser variety of free ICU beds in a webcast on Friday. “Around 3,000 hospital beds have been vacated in the past few days. But a majority of ICU beds are still occupied. This means that the number of patients who are critical is still high. We are readying 1,200 new ICU beds and they will be operational in a day or two,” he mentioned.
    According to authorities officers, 500 ICU beds within the Ramlila Maidan exterior GTB Hospital in East Delhi and 250 ICU beds on the Ramlila Maidan close to Lok Nayak Hospital in Central Delhi will begin taking in sufferers quickly. Kejriwal and Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain visited the power in Central Delhi on Friday and mentioned sufferers might be admitted in a single or two days.

  • Over 15% positivity in 24 states, instances trending steeply up in 30 districts

    Twenty-four states have reported a check positivity fee of greater than 15 per cent for Covid-19 during the last week, the federal government mentioned on Friday.
    At least 30 districts had confirmed “a steep upward trend” in instances during the last two weeks. The information had been a “matter of great concern”, the Health Ministry mentioned.
    The nation’s complete energetic caseload was 36,45,164 on Friday. A report 4,14,188 instances had been reported over the earlier 24 hours, together with 3,915 deaths, the federal government mentioned.
    Additional Secretary within the Ministry of Health Arti Ahuja mentioned seven states had reported a really excessive check positivity fee of 30 per cent or extra over the previous week: Goa (48.5 per cent), Haryana (36.1 per cent), Puducherry (34.9 per cent), West Bengal (33.1 per cent), and Karnataka, Delhi, and Rajasthan (29.9 per cent every).
    “There are 12 states with more than 1 lakh active cases, and seven states with 50,000 to 1 lakh active cases. Case positivity is an important indicator that shows how the cases are spread across [the country]. There are only three states with less than 5 per cent positivity, and nine states have positivity between 5 and 15 per cent. Twenty-four states have more than 15 per cent positivity. The high positivity is the cause of concern for us and the country,” Ahuja mentioned.

    ExplainedRising within the SouthAs many as 20 of the 30 districts exhibiting a “steep upward trend week-on-week” in every day new instances had been in southern India, authorities information present — 10 in Kerala, seven in Andhra Pradesh, and three in Karnataka.

    Twelve states and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir had been exhibiting a “continued increasing trend in daily new cases”, Ahuja mentioned. These states had been Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Haryana, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Assam, and Himachal Pradesh, she mentioned.
    Among the 30 districts exhibiting a “steep upward trend week-on-week” in every day new instances, as many as 10 had been in Kerala – Kozhikode, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram, Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Palakkad, Kollam, and Kannur.
    Seven districts had been in Andhra Pradesh – Chittoor, East Godavari, Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Kurnool, Guntur, and Anantapur – and three in Karnataka – Bengaluru Urban, Mysuru, and Tumakuru.
    There had been two districts every in Haryana (Gurugram, Faridabad), West Bengal (North 24-Paraganas, Kolkata), and Maharashtra (Satara, Solapur). Chennai, Patna, and Khurda (Odisha) are additionally among the many 30 districts.
    However, barely two days after saying {that a} third wave of an infection was “inevitable” given the excessive ranges at which the virus was circulating, the federal government’s prime scientific adviser on Friday mentioned that if sturdy measures had been applied, the third wave could not, in reality, hit India.
    Principal Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister Dr Ok VijayRaghavan mentioned: “…It may be useful to talk about location, timing, and intensity of the infections, instead of waves and their number. If we take strong measures, the third wave may not happen in all the places, or indeed anywhere at all.”
    Lots depends upon “how effectively the guidance is implemented at the local level in the states,” Dr VijayRaghavan mentioned. “The guidance about precaution, surveillance, containment, treatment, and testing. This insidious asymptomatic transmission can be stopped if we follow the guidance,” he mentioned.
    In an interview given to The Indian Express final month, Dr VijayRaghavan had made the identical level. “India may peak in May, but much depends on what we do by way of behaviour,” he had mentioned. Things might nonetheless flip round: “It is not that the situation has to deteriorate further. With immediate strong action, it is possible to prevent further deterioration.” What was “absolutely crucial”, nevertheless, was “masks and physical distancing”, he had mentioned.