Tag: COVID cases

  • India reports 3.17 lakh new Covid cases; daily rise in cases highest in 249 days

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India logged 3,17,532 new coronavirus infections, the highest in 249 days, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,82,18,773, which includes 9,287 cases of the Omicron variant, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

    The active cases rose to 19,24,051, the highest in 234 days, while the death toll climbed to 4,87,693 with 491 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

    There has been a 3.63 per cent increase in Omicron cases since Wednesday, the ministry said.

    Experts said it is not possible to undertake genome sequencing of each and every sample but stressed that the current wave is largely being driven by Omicron.

    The active cases comprise 5.03 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has decreased to 93.09 per cent, the ministry said.

    An increase of 93,051 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

    The country had reported 3,11,170 cases in a single day on May 15 last year.

    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 past 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.

    India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

  • COVID-19: India records 1,79,723 new cases, 146 deaths

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India saw a single-day rise of 1,79,723 coronavirus infections taking the total tally to 3,57,07,727, including 4,033 cases of the Omicron variant reported across 27 states and union territories so far, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Monday.

    The number of active cases has increased to 7,23,619, the highest in around 204 days, while the death toll has climbed to 4,83,936 with 146 fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

    Of the total 4,033 cases of Omicron variant, 1,552 have recovered or migrated.

    Maharashtra recorded the maximum number of 1,216 Omicron cases, followed by Rajasthan 529, Delhi 513, Karnataka 441, Kerala 333 and Gujarat 236.

    A total 1,79,723 new coronavirus infections were reported in a day, the highest in around 227 days.

    A total 1,86,364 new infections were reported on May 27 last year.

    The active cases have increased to 7,23,619, accounting for 2.03 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has decreased to 96.62 per cent, the ministry said.

    Active #Covid19 cases stand at 7,23,619. 4,033 #Omicron cases have been recorded. pic.twitter.com/Lc3BPcAHfD
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) January 10, 2022
    An increase of 1,33,008 cases has been recorded in the active caseload in a span of 24 hours.

    The daily positivity rate was recorded at 13.29 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate was 7.92 per cent, according to the ministry.

    The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,45,00,172, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.36 per cent.

    The cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive have crossed 151.94 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 past 60 lakh on September 28; 70 lakh on October 11; 80 lakh on October 29; 90 lakh on November 20; and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

    India crossed the grim milestone of two crore infections on May 4 last year and three crore on June 23.

  • India witnessing exponential rise in number of Covid cases; R naught value higher than 2nd wave peak: Centre

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India is seeing an exponential rise in the number of coronavirus cases, which is believed to be driven by its Omicron variant, the Centre said on Wednesday, while highlighting that the country’s R naught value, which indicates the spread of the infection, is 2.69, higher than the 1.69 recorded during the peak of the pandemic’s second wave.

    Addressing a press conference here, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Dr Balram Bhargava said the spike in the number of Covid cases is being witnessed in cities and “the Omicron variant is the predominant circulating strain”.

    Mass gatherings need to be avoided to lower the speed of the infection spread, he stressed.

    “We are now facing an exponential rise in (the number of) COVID-19 cases and we believe that largely, it is being driven by Omicron, particularly so in the western parts of our country and even particularly so in larger cities from where we have more data,” NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul said.

    On December 30, the case positivity rate was 1.1 per cent and the next day, it was 1.3 per cent and now, the country is reporting a positivity rate of five per cent, he said, adding that similarly, there were 13,000 Covid cases on December 30 and the number went up to 58,000 on Tuesday.

    “Clearly, this is an expanding pandemic. The R nought value is 2. 69. This is higher than the 1. 69 we saw when the second wave of the pandemic was at its peak. The acceleration of cases is steeper than ever,” Paul said.

    He, however, added that the hospitalisation rates are relatively low.

    It is close to 3.7 per cent in Delhi and five per cent in Mumbai.

    “That is the early input we have. Compared to this, last year and even in 2020, the hospitalisation rate was close to 20 per cent,” Paul said.

    He said though there is no need to panic, people must be alert, disciplined and prepared, adding that the country will face this phase of the pandemic as well.

    On whether India is witnessing a third Covid wave, Paul said in other countries, it has been seen that just like a steep rise, there was also a steep decline in the number of cases.

    “In Denmark, the UK and South Africa, cases started declining within a month or a month and a half. We cannot say this clearly for our population. How it behaves will depend on past infections, the vaccination status and our own characteristics and population density. It cannot be extrapolated that just like the cases behaved there within a month, it will happen here also.

    “Saying it at this stage that it will go on till which point and for how long will be premature. If any scientific data comes, we will share. I would not venture into that except to say that like the previous waves, different parts of our nation will be in different stages. It starts in some states and then goes on and on. We are watching the dynamics of the pandemic carefully,” the NITI Aayog member added.

    As regards Omicron, officials said while there has been a sharp rise in the number of cases across the country, the hospitalisation rates have remained relatively low as compared to the previous waves of the pandemic.

    Bhargava informed that an Omicron-detecting RT-PCR kit has been developed in a partnership between Tata MD and the ICMR, and it has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

    It will produce the results in four hours and augment the country’s genome-sequencing efforts, he said.

    The number of Covid cases is increasing exponentially and a quick home testing and rapid-antigen tests will play a major role, Bhargava added.

    Joint Secretary in the Union Health Ministry Lav Agarwal said there has been a surge in the number of Covid cases globally, adding that 25.2 lakh cases of the infection were recorded all over the world on January 4, “the highest ever since the onset of the pandemic”.

    “India has reported an increase of more than 6.3 times in the number of cases in the last eight days and a sharp increase in the case positivity rate from 0.79 per cent on December 29 to 5.03 per cent on January 5,” he said.

    Agarwal said six states — Maharashtra, West Bengal, Kerala, Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu — have over 10,000 active Covid cases each.

    He further stated that Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Gujarat are emerging as the states of concern.

    Also, 28 districts in the country are reporting a weekly Covid positivity rate of more than 10 per cent, while 43 districts are reporting a weekly positivity rate between five per cent and 10 per cent, Agarwal said.

    The Centre said 1.06 crore or 14.3 per cent of the beneficiaries in the age group of 15-18 years have been administered the first dose of a Covid vaccine.

    There are an estimated 7,40,57,000 beneficiaries in the said age group in the country.

    Besides, 90.8 per cent of the adults have been administered the first dose of the vaccine, while 65.9 per cent are fully vaccinated.

  • India reports 5,784 new COVID-19 cases, lowest in 571 days

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: India has recorded 5,784 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest in 571 days in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry informed on Tuesday.

    As many as 252 deaths and 7,995 recoveries have also been reported.

    With this, the cumulative tally of recovered patients from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic stands at 3,41,38,763, while the death toll is at 4,75,888.

    According to the ministry’s press release, India’s active caseload, presently at 88,993 is the lowest in 563 days.

    Active #Covid19 caseload stands at 88,993. pic.twitter.com/6fLRiKK6ta
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) December 14, 2021
    “Active cases constitute 0.26 per cent of the country’s total positive cases, which is the lowest since March 2020,” the ministry said.

    As per the release, “Weekly Positivity Rate at 0.68 per cent remains less than 1 per cent for the last 30 days now. The Daily Positivity rate was reported to be 0.58 per cent.”

    “The daily Positivity rate has remained below 2 per cent for last 71 days and below 3 per cent for 106 consecutive days now,” it added.

    As the testing capacity across the country continues to be expanded, in the last 24 hours, a total of 9,50,482 tests had been conducted.

    India has so far conducted over 65.76 crore (65,76,62,933) cumulative tests, the ministry said.

    With the administration of 66,98,601 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 133.88 crore (1,33,88,12,577) as per provisional reports till 7 am today. 

  • COVID-19 cases fall below 8,000 in country, lowest in 543 days

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India logged 7,579 new coronavirus infections, the lowest in 543 days, taking the country’s total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,45,26,480, while the active cases were the lowest in 536 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday.

    The death toll climbed to 4,66,147 with 236 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

    The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 46 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 149 consecutive days now.

    The active cases declined to 1,13,584 and comprise 0.33 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.32 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.

    7,579 new #COVID19 cases, 12,202 recoveries & 236 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.Express Photo | @sanesh_TNIE pic.twitter.com/hcSHtoyrn2
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) November 23, 2021
    A decrease of 4,859 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

    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 past 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.

    India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

  • Centre writes to Ladakh, Puducherry over rising weekly Covid cases, testing & positivity rate

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Witnessing a rise in weekly Covid cases, testing and positivity rate, the Union Health Ministry has written to Puducherry and Ladakh urging them to take pre-emptive action to gain control over the situation.

    Earlier, the ministry had asked state governments of Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir to undertake a review and enhance testing in view of rising cases of COVID-19 and weekly positivity rates.

    In a letter to the principal secretary (Health) of Ladakh this week, Additional Secretary in the Union Health Ministry Arti Ahuja said the Union Territory has reported a 362 per cent increase in weekly new cases from 34 cases in the week ending on October 27 to 157 cases in the week ending on November 17.

    It is also worrying to note that the Union Territory has exhibited an increase of more than 156 per cent in weekly positivity from 1.5 per cent in the week ending on October 26 to 3.9 per cent in the week ending on November 16.

    “Further, worrying trends with regards to weekly cases, testing and positivity rate have been observed in various districts.

    Increase in number of weekly new cases: Leh district has exhibited a significant increase of more than 362 per cent in weekly new cases from 35 in the week ending on October 27 to 139 in the week ending on November 17.

    This is especially concerning given the geographical expanse of the district,” Ahuja said.

    Leh has also recorded a 143 per cent increase in weekly positivity rate from 1.98 per cent in the week ending on October 26 to 4.81 per cent in the week ending on November 16.

    Although there has been an increasing trend of weekly tests conducted in the Union Territory, a decrease has been noted in the proportion of RT-PCR testing.

    Kargil (26.8 per cent) has recorded less than the government mandate of 70 per cent RT PCR contribution.

    The officer advised to conduct a greater number of RT-PCR tests to capture a more accurate picture of the Covid public health situation in the Union Territory.

    “It has been observed that cases surge exponentially where basic public health strategy (Testing.Tracking.Treatment, Covid-appropriate behaviour and vaccination) is not followed rigorously. The current trends of decrease in RT-PCR testing, increase in new cases and case positivity if left unchecked may lead to a situation where there is severe strain on the health infrastructure and health workforce,” Ahuja said in the letter.

    In addition to strict compliance with basic health strategy, the Union Territory has been asked to ensure routine submission of RT-PCR positive samples from international travelers as well as from community for genomic analysis at the designated INSACOG network laboratory as per laid down protocols.

    Additionally, positive samples from suspected vaccine breakthrough infections, super-spreader events and clusters of cases with high mortality and/or morbidity must also be sent for genomic analysis, the letter said.

    A rapid response team must be constituted according to the INSACOG guidelines for detailed investigation of mutations reported through the INSACOG.

    “As presently various events such as marriages and festive celebrations are taking place, it is critical to maintain sufficient level of testing across all districts to ensure timely detection of cases,” Ajuha said in the letter.

    States must emphasise the importance of Covid safe festivities and ensure strict adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour along with prioritising the second dose coverage of eligible beneficiaries, she said.

    “Regular review of COVID-19 cases and deaths must also be undertaken, and necessary corrective measures be promptly communicated to the field teams.

    Lastly, it should also be ensured that the dist consistency in data up-dation on the Covid-19 portal,” the letter said.

    On October 30, Ahuja had also written to West Bengal and Assam expressing concern over the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.

    Ahuja in her letter to the Puducherry principal secretary (health) said it has reported 41.7 per cent increase in weekly new cases from 168 cases in the week ending on November 9 to 238 cases in the week ending on November 16.

    Worrying trends with regards to weekly cases and positivity rate have been observed in various districts of the state, she said.

    Three districts out of four have reported an increase in weekly new cases.

    Karaikal district has exhibited an increase of more than 29 per cent in weekly new cases from 49 in the week ending on November 9 to 63 in the week ending on November 16, Pondicherry district has exhibited an increase of more than 30 per cent in weekly new cases from 84 in the week ending on November 9 to 109 cases reported in the week ending on November 16.

    Yanam shows a continuous increase of new cases from the past four weeks, 85 per cent new cases from 13 in the week ending on November 9 to 24 cases reported in the week ending on November 16.

    Although there has been an increasing trend in weekly tests conducted, there is a disproportion noted in Antigen and RT-PCR testing.

    “All four districts Karaikal (27.45 per cent), Mahe (1.59 per cent), Pondicherry (32.57 per cent) and Yanam (0.59 per cent) have less RT-PCR contribution than the government mandate of 70 per cent RT PCR contribution. State is advised to conduct a greater number of RT-PCR tests,” the letter added.

  • India records 11,919 fresh cases of COVID-19, 470 more fatalities

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: With 11,919 fresh cases, India’s COVID-19 tally has climbed to 3,44,78,517, while the number of active cases has gone up to 1,28,762, the Union health ministry said on Thursday. The death toll due to the viral disease has shot up to 4,64,623 with 470 more fatalities, according to the ministry’s data updated at 8 am.

    The daily rise in the number of coronavirus cases has been below 20,000 for 41 straight days now and less than 50,000 fresh cases have been reported for 144 consecutive days. The number of active cases of the infection has gone up to 1,28,762, accounting for 0.37 per cent of the total caseload, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.

    The ministry said that 28 per cent, the highest since March 2020. An increase of 207 cases in the active COVID-19 caseload was recorded in a span of 24 hours, it added. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.97 per cent. It has been less than two per cent for 45 consecutive days. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 0.94 per cent.

    It has been below two per cent for the last 55 days, according to the health ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has climbed to 3,38,85,132, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.35 per cent.

    The total number of vaccine doses administered in the country under the nationwide COVID inoculation drive has exceeded 114.46 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 past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and the one-crore mark on December 19 last year. The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore Covid cases on May 4 this year and the three-crore mark on June 23.

    The 470 fresh fatalities caused by Covid include 388 from Kerala and 32 from Maharashtra.

    Of the 388 fatalities in Kerala, 61 were reported over the last few days and the remaining 327 were designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and Supreme Court directions, according to a release issued by the state government.

    A total of 4,64,623 deaths due to the viral disease have so far been reported in the country, including 1,40,668 from Maharashtra, 38,161 from Karnataka, 36,475 from Kerala, 36,324 from Tamil Nadu, 25,095 from Delhi, 22,909 from Uttar Pradesh and 19,341 from West Bengal.

    The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities. “Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that a state-wise distribution of the figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

  • Delta remains main Covid variant of concern, others now negligible in sequencing data: INSACOG

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to be the main variant of concern and other variants of interest or concern are now negligible in sequencing data from India, the Indian Sars-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said.

    The INSACOG, in a bulletin, said there is no change in the global scenario.

    “Delta, including B.1.617.2 (AY) and AY.x sublineages, continues to be the main VOC globally. As per the latest WHO update, Delta has outcompeted other variants in most countries and there is now declining prevalence of other variants among SARS-CoV-2 sequences submitted to publicly available datasets or reported to WHO,” it said.

    ALSO READ: WHO guidelines may not be relevant, we need India-based facts and figures, say health experts 

    In India, it said, Delta (B.1.617.2 and AY.x) continues to be the main variant of concern (VOC). “No new VOI or VOC are noted and other VOC and VOI other than Delta are now negligible in sequencing data from India,” it said.

    Delta, which was first detected in India in October last year, led to the devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, which was at its peak in April and May.

    INSACOG, a consortium of 28 national laboratories, was set up in December 2020 to monitor the genomic variations in Sars-CoV-2, the COVID-19 causing virus.

    A pan-India network, it functions under the Union health ministry. 

  • 11,903 new COVID-19 cases, 311 deaths in India; active case count declines further

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India’s COVID-19 tally reached 3,43,08,140 with a single-day rise of 11,903 new infections, while the number of active cases declined to 1,51,209, the lowest in 252 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

    The death toll has climbed to 4,59,191 with 311 daily fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

    The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 26 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 129 consecutive days now.

    The number of active cases has declined to 1,51,209, comprising 0.44 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.22 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.

    A decline of 2,567 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 case count in a span of 24 hours.

    The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.11 per cent.

    It has been less than 2 per cent for the last 30 days.

    The weekly positivity rate was also recorded at 1.18 per cent.

    It has been below 2 per cent for the last 40 days, according to the Health Ministry.

    The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,36,97,740, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.34 per cent.

    The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 107.29 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 past 60 lakh on September 28; 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29; 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed one crore on December 19.

    India crossed the grim milestone of two crore COVID-19 cases on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

    The 311 new coronavirus-linked fatalities include 187 from Kerala and 48 from Maharashtra.

    Of the 187 deaths, 45 were reported over the last few days, 87 were those which were not confirmed until June 18 last year due to lack of adequate documentation and 55 were designated as COVID deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and Supreme Court directions, a Kerala government release said on Tuesday.

    A total of 4,59,191 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,40,274 from Maharashtra, 38,089 from Karnataka, 36,157 from Tamil Nadu, 32,236 from Kerala, 25,091 from Delhi, 22,901 from Uttar Pradesh and 19,160 from West Bengal.

    The Health Ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

    “Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

  • Rising virus cases in Bengal, Assam: Centre asks states to enforce Covid-appropriate behaviour

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: In view of rising coronavirus cases, weekly positivity rates and decreasing testing figures in Assam and West Bengal, the Centre has asked the state governments to undertake a review of these parameters while stressing on strict enforcement of Covid-appropriate behaviour.

    In a letter to chief secretaries of Assam and West Bengal on October 26, Additional Secretary in the Union Health Ministry, Arti Ahuja, highlighted increase in weekly new Covid cases since the past week (October 20-26) and early signs of rise in positivity since the last four weeks till October 25.

    On October 22, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had also written to West Bengal expressing concern over the rise in Covid cases in Kolkata, following Durga Puja celebrations earlier this month.

    Ahuja, in her letter to Assam, pointed out that there has been 41 per cent increase in weekly new cases since the past week (October 20-26) and that there have been early signs of rise in positivity since last four weeks from 1.89 per cent in the week of September 28-October 4 to 2.22 per cent in the week of October 19-25.

    “The state has also witnessed decline in tests conducted from 1,64,071 in the week of September 28-October 4 to 1,27,048 in the week of October 19-25. Because of the rising positivity, the state needs to conduct enhanced testing while maintaining the required RT-PCR share as it will aid in early identification of infection in the state,” he said.

    Two districts of Assam — Barpeta and Kamrup Metro — the additional secretary said have been identified as districts of concern due to high quantum af Covid cases and weekly positivity.

    Similarly, in West Bengal, she said two districts — Kolkata and Howrah — have been identified as districts of concern due to high quantum of cases and positivity.

    Ahuja pointed out that the state has shown approximately 41 per cent rise in weekly new cases since the past week, 6,040 cases in the week of October 20-26 compared to 4,277 cases in the week of October 13-19 and that there have been early signs of increase in positivity since the past four weeks from 1.93 per cent in the week of September 28- October 4 to 2.39 per cent during October 19-25.

    West Bengal has also witnessed decline in the tests conducted from 2,62,319 during September 28-October 4 to 2,61,515 in the week of October 19-25.

    It has been observed that Covid cases surge exponentially where basic public health strategy (testing, tracking, treatment, Covid-appropriate behaviour and vaccination) is not followed rigorously, she said in the letter.

    In this context, the officer has stressed on monitoring of cases by proper implementation of containment-zones, increased focus on house-to-house search for active Covid cases within these zones, strict and daily monitoring of cases under home isolation and their referral to hospitals and strengthening contact tracing of COVID-19 positive people and review of containment zones in Assam and West Bengal.

    Besides, there should be a detailed district-wise and facility-wise analysis of deaths, which include review of number of fatalities that take place within 24 and 72 hours of admission to hospitals to resolve problems related with late hospital admission and the need for monitoring treatment practices.

    The letter also underlines strengthening the system for early and smooth admission of cases along with a real-time public dashboard highlighting the available hospital or bed infrastructure, strict adherence to National Treatment Protocols, augmenting ICUs, oxygen beds and ventilator capacity in the state and ramping up testing figures, while maintaining the share of RT-PCR tests.

    Aim for 100 per cent first dose coverage of 18-plus population along with increasing the pace of the second dose of vaccination for eligible population, the letter stated.

    As far as super spreader events and places are concerned, there should be strict surveillance and monitoring as per standard operating protocols (SOPs) of the health ministry and testing as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines, besides ensuring Covid-appropriate behaviour: Mask-wearing and physical distancing must be strictly enforced.

    Also, it called for timely updating of the district-level data related to new cases, deaths, hospitalisation status, in hotspots in the Covid India portal and routine submission of RT-PCR positive samples from international travellers as well as from community for genomic analysis at the designated Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network laboratory as per laid down protocols.

    A rapid response team must be constituted as per the INSACOG guidelines for detailed investigation of mutations reported through the INSACOG.