India witnessed a slight dip in the daily Covid-19 cases as compared to the day before with 5,357 new infections reported on Sunday. With the addition of new cases, the active caseload in India crossed the 32,000 mark.
Currently, India has 32,814 active covid-19 cases, which comprise 0.07 per cent of the total infections. The Covid case tally of the country has reached 4.47 crore (4,47,56,616) with the addition of new cases, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.74 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry’s latest data.
On Saturday, India recorded 6,155 fresh COVID-19 infections, while the number of active cases increased to 31,194.
The death toll has increased to 5,30,965 with 11 deaths. While three deaths were reported from Gujarat, two were from Himachal Pradesh and one each from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh besides one reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,92,837 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry’s website, 220.66 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.
Amid the surge in Covid-19 cases across India, the Uttar Pradesh government has issued a ‘high-priority’ directive, instructing concerned officials to ensure that international passengers are screened at all airports. Kerala government, after a high-level Covid analysis meeting, made masks mandatory for vulnerable populations including elderly, and pregnant women.
The move followed the Centre’s direction to the states to identify emergency hotspots and ramp up testing for coronavirus infections, after the country recorded its highest daily case count since September.
In view of the rising cases, states are also exercising caution and are bringing back certain restrictions.
Uttar Pradesh
In view of the rise in the number of Covid-19 cases across the state, the Uttar Pradesh government has made use of masks mandatory for all people in crowded places. As per an order issued by the state government, all samples which test positive for Covid should mandatorily be sent for genome sequencing.
“Private and government labs should send all positive Covid samples to the microbiology department at King George’s Medical University (KGMU) for whole genome sequencing,” said the directive.
The state government order further states that the integrated Covid command centres should be activated, surveillance teams should be made active, rapid response teams should be sensitised, and ‘nigrani samiti’ should be formed at the district-level.
At hospitals across the state, doctors and paramedical staff should be sensitised. Besides, the availability of equipment, medicine, and manpower should also be checked at hospitals.
Kerala
Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Saturday stressed on taking caution, saying hospitals in the state will conduct a mock drill as per the directive of the Centre. George said that on Saturday, 1,801 fresh cases were recorded in the state.
“Districts like Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kottayam are reporting more cases. Likewise, admission to hospitals of Covid patients are slowly increasing but the saving grace is of those, only 0.8 per cent of them require oxygen beds, while 1.2 per cent are admitted to intensive care unit,” said George.
“Directions have gone to all districts that in the wake of an increase in positive cases to beef up their Covid facilities according to ‘Surge Plan’. A separate meeting of private health care providers will soon be called. All those who work in old age homes, care homes should wear N-95 masks,” added George.
She said extreme caution has to be taken by all those who have senior citizens in their homes.
“Senior citizens suffering from lifestyle diseases should ensure that they at all times, especially when they go out, wear masks. Pregnant women should also wear masks. Also, those who have to go out should ensure that they wear masks, and once they are back home, ensure that all Covid protocols are followed by using soap and sanitisers appropriately,” said George.
Haryana
The Haryana government also made wearing face masks mandatory in public places, said a bulletin issued by the Haryana Health Department on Saturday.
The statement said, “It is intimated that in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Hon’ble Health Minister, Haryana on 03.04.2023, it has been observed that there is a significant upsurge in the number of COVID cases with an increased positivity rate of COVID-19 infection in the State of Haryana over past few weeks.”
The statement further added that this was decided as a precautionary measure against another possible outbreak of COVID-19.
Delhi
Hospitals, polyclinics and dispensaries in Delhi have been instructed by health department authorities to scale up testing amid an upward trend in COVID-19 cases here in the past several days, sources said on Saturday. More than 3,800 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the city during the March 30-April 7 period.
Delhi logged 535 fresh Covid cases on Saturday with a positivity rate of 23.05 per cent, according to data shared by the city government’s health department. The sources said the department has instructed hospitals, polyclinics and dispensaries in the city to increase Covid testing.
“Authorities at these facilities have been told that anyone who visits such facilities and exhibits ILI (influenza-like illness) symptoms, such as fever, cough, body ache is to be tested as cases have risen and the daily count is growing steadily,” a source said.
Andhra
Coronavirus pandemic is completely under control in Andhra Pradesh with only 267 people exhibiting symptoms out of the total 15,096 people screened, state Health Minister Vidadala Rajini said. The Minister said there was no reason to worry, reflecting on these tests conducted in the past two weeks.
“Currently, all these patients are undergoing treatment at their homes. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy always alerts the health department on Covid tests,” said Rajini in a statement on Friday.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra on Saturday recorded 542 new cases of coronavirus infection and one fatality, which raised the tally of infections to 81,49,141 and death toll to 1,48,458, an official from the state health department said. There has been a drop in infections since Friday, when the state had recorded 926 cases and three fatalities.
With 668 patients recovering from the infection in the last 24 hours, the count of recoveries has reached 79,96,323, leaving the state with 4,360 active cases, the official said.
Puducherry
The Puducherry administration on Friday made mask wearing compulsory in the union territory with immediate effect owing to the rise in number of Covid-19 cases. District Collector E Vallavan said with the union territory currently witnessing a surge in coronavirus positive cases, the territorial administration has enforced with immediate effect a slew of precautionary measures “to minimise the risk of increase in transmission of Covid-19 in the coming days.”
Vallavan, who is Member-Secretary of the Executive committee of the Disaster Management Authority here, told reporters “public shall compulsory wear masks in public places, on the beach road, parks and theatres.”
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