Tag: COVID spread

  • Centre writes to five states, asks them to monitor spread of COVID infection amid surge in cases

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The central government has written to Delhi, Haryana, Mizoram, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh as COVID cases in these states show a rising trend and has asked them to test-track-treat-vaccinate and adhere to COVID appropriate behaviour with special emphasis on wearing of masks in crowded areas.

    In a letter to these states, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said a few states are reporting a higher contribution to India’s cases and higher positivity. He asked the states to “continue monitoring the spread of infection and undertake required steps for prompt and effective management of COVID-19”.

    Bhushan said that the states should monitor clusters of new COVID-19 cases and take containment efforts to cure the spread of infection. Apart from testing, they should also monitor influenza-like illnesses in all health facilities regularly to detect early warning signals of the spread of infection.

    “They should undertake genomic sequencing for prescribed samples of international passengers, collection of samples from sentinel sites (identified health facilities and sewage samples) and local clusters of cases,” it said.

    The ministry also asked the states to “maintain a strict watch and take pre-emptive action to control any emerging spread of infection”. The Centre had written to these five states on April 8 as well when COVID cases had started showing an upward surge.

    In the letter to Delhi’s principal secretary, Manisha Saxena, the union health secretary said it has reported an increase in weekly new cases from 998 new cases in the week ending April 12 to 2,671 new cases in the last week ending April 19. The positivity rate also increased from 1.42 per cent to 3.49 per cent in the previous week in Delhi.

    Haryana reported an increase in weekly new cases from 521 to 1,299. The state also saw a rise in positivity rate from 1.22 per cent to 2.86 per cent.

  • Covid virus expected to continue to transmit for a very long time: WHO official Poonam Khetrapal Singh

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Stressing that the Covid virus may continue to transmit for a “very long time”, senior WHO official Poonam Khetrapal Singh says the level of immunity in a community, through vaccination and previous infection, will determine whether it will become endemic in the long run.

    WHO’s South-East Asia region regional director added that there is a need to get to a situation where “we are fully in control of the virus, and not the virus in control of us”.

    The endemic stage is when a population learns to live with a virus, very different from the epidemic stage when the virus overwhelms a population.

    Populations where more people were previously infected and where vaccination coverage is high are expected to be less impacted by the virus in the future than other populations, Singh told PTI in an interview.

    “The COVID-19 virus is expected to continue to transmit for a very long time. A multitude of factors will decide whether the virus will become endemic in the long run, chief among them is the level of immunity in a community, both through vaccination and previous infection,” she said.

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    On the granting of emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the indigenously developed Covaxin, she said Bharat Biotech’s dossier seeking WHO’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL) is being reviewed by technical experts and “we can expect a decision when the process is complete”.

    Discussing the role of booster doses to tackle waning immunity, Singh pointed out that cases and deaths in all countries are predominantly being driven by unvaccinated people.

    Using vaccines for booster doses constricts supply to countries where millions are still waiting for their first dose, she said.

    “Hence, WHO has called for a time-limited moratorium on COVID-19 booster doses until the end of 2021. This is to allow for at least 40 per cent of the population of each country – including those most at risk and health workers – to be vaccinated. We must remember that no one is safe till everyone is safe.”

    She said there is currently no conclusive evidence that COVID-19 vaccine efficacy against severe disease and death wanes significantly over time.

    The vaccines, the expert emphasised, have remained effective in preventing severe disease and death.

    “However, WHO has not ruled out that boosters for some population groups may be warranted in future. WHO’s recommendations on boosters will be guided by the scientific evidence, which is still evolving,” she said.

    “To make a recommendation on the use of booster doses for the general population, more data is needed on optimal timing, safety and dosage of booster doses, which may differ between vaccine products. More extensive research is needed to study the effect of booster doses in the body.”

    According to Singh, eradication is unlikely but what we can do is to prevent or minimise deaths, hospitalisations, tragedy and social, economic and health loss due to this pandemic.

    Current evidence, she said, shows that protection levels around the world remain low and most people continue to be susceptible to the virus.

    “WHO continues to recommend a strong public health response based on risk assessment, and for people to continue to protect themselves by getting vaccinated, maintaining physical distance, wearing a mask, avoiding poorly ventilated spaces, cleaning hands and following respiratory hygiene.”

    Referring to the probability of a third Covid wave, Singh said another surge and how intense it will be will depend on all of us.

    “If we together continue to adhere to public health and social measures and continue to vaccinate people as fast as possible, it will be hard for the virus to infect enough people to cause another wave,” she said.

    “From experience globally, there is enough evidence that the public health and social measures work, even against the Variants of Concern that are spreading more rapidly, and these measures are critical to limiting transmission of COVID-19 and reducing deaths. For the public health and social measures to be effective, they must be implemented well and timely and must be tailored to local settings and conditions.”

    On India’s decision to restart exporting COVID-19 vaccines, Singh said there is need for equity of vaccination administration globally to ensure that the most vulnerable such as frontline workers and the elderly are fully vaccinated.

    “At the moment, several low and lower-middle-income countries are lagging behind in vaccinating their vulnerable populations. An equitable vaccine distribution will also help check the emergence of variants by halting the spread of the virus.”

    Singh also noted that the pandemic has given “once-in-a-century opportunity” to strengthen the health system to build back better.

    “We must invest in strengthening health system resilience to ensure health security and achieve universal health coverage. It means allocation of more resources for health and its efficient governance,” she said.

    Now is also the time for countries to take lessons from the pandemic to strengthen health systems in her view.

    “Strong health systems that are primary healthcare-oriented, and which leave no one behind, create populations that are healthier, more productive and financially secure. Resilient health systems are the bedrock of emergency preparedness and response, and ensure that when acute events occur, essential health services can be maintained,” Singh said.

  • COVID ebbing as R-value drops to below 1 in country, including Kerala and North-East: Study

    The R-value of Kerala, which has the highest number of active cases in the country, is now below 1 after a gap of seven months, signalling a relief to authorities.

  • COVID-19: R-value climbing steadily in country, Kerala and northeastern states top list

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The R-factor, which indicates the speed at which COVID-19 infection is spreading in the country, is climbing steadily with Kerala and the northeastern states occupying top spots fuelling worries about the pandemic rearing its head again.

    Among the metro cities, the R-values of Pune and Delhi are close to one, suggests an analysis by researchers at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences in Chennai.

    When the second wave of the COVID-19 infection was at its peak, the overall R-value in the country was estimated to be 1.37 between March 9 to April 21.

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    It declined to 1.18 between April 24 and May 1 and then to 1.1 between April 29 and May 7, according to the analysis. Between May 9 and 11, the R-value was estimated to be around 0.98. It dropped to 0.82 between May 14 and May 30 and further to 0.78 from May 15 to June 26.

    The R-value however rose to 0.88 from June 20 to July 7 and then to 0.95 from July 3-22. “India’s overall active cases are fluctuating too much to get a reliable estimate, but data is pointing at a value close to 1. It may tip over either way in the coming few days,” said Sitabhra Sinha of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, who is leading the team.

    An R-value of 0.95 means, every 100 infected people on an average pass on the infection to 95 other individuals. If the R-value is lesser than 1, it means the number of newly infected people is lower than the number of infected people in the preceding period which means the disease incidence is going down.

    The smaller the value of R is, the faster the disease is on the decline. Conversely, if R is greater than 1, the number of infected people is increasing in each round — technically, this is what is called the epidemic phase.

    The bigger the number is than one, the faster the rate of spreading of the disease in the population. Kerala has the highest number of active cases and continues to have an R-value around 1.11. “So looks like it will remain in the top spot for the next couple of weeks. The Northeast continues to have a very bad situation with most states having R-value more than 1,” Sinha said.

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    The Union Health Ministry on Thursday said it will depute a six-member team to Kerala for effective COVID-19 management as the state reports a spike in daily cases. The team headed by National Centre for Disease Control Director SK Singh will reach Kerala on Friday and visit some districts reporting a high case positivity rate.

    The high case positivity has remained a cause of concern at a time when the overall coronavirus numbers are on a decline in the country.

    Kerala on Wednesday recorded 22,056 fresh COVID-19 cases pushing the infection caseload to 33,27,301, with the number of people who succumbed to the virus rising to 16,457 with 131 more deaths.

    In the northeast, only Tripura has an R-value substantially lower than one while Manipur has gone only marginally below one. Among other states in India, Uttarakhand has an R-value very close to one at the moment.

    Among the major cities, Pune appears to have an R-value greater than one while Delhi has a value close to one.

    The R-value of Pune was 0.85 between July 11-13 and 0.89 between July 15-20. For the national capital, the R-value between June 21- 26 was 0.80. It dropped to 0.66 from June 28-July 6, but it rose to 0.84 between July 4-20.

    For Bengaluru, the R-value from July 7-13 was 0.92. It increased marginally to 0.95 from July 13-17. It dropped to 0.72 from July 17-23. In the case of Mumbai, the R-value was 0.96 between July 2-4. It dropped to 0.89 between July 6-9.

    It further dropped to 0.74 between July 22-24. For Chennai, the R-value between June 29 to July 7 was 0.63. It shot up to 1.05 between July 16-19. It was 0.94 between 21-24, showing signs of decline. In the case of Kolkata, the R-value was 0.80 between July 1-13, followed by 0.91 between July 12-17. It dropped to 0.86 between July 17-24.

  • Tackle Covid-19 in villages, dense tier 2, 3 towns strategically, say experts

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Experts emphasise on the need to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus using strategic and pragmatic approaches in villages as well as Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and towns, which are reporting increased Covid-19 infections and deaths during the ongoing second wave of Covid-19 pandemic.

    Scanty medical infrastructure and poor public awareness have been mainly attributed to the recent surge of Covid-19 cases in the country’s villages.

    Health experts have stressed that government’s covid management units has to reach rural India using a pragmatic and strategic approach.

    While a peak in Covid-19 cases was initially being reported from metro cities of India, it is now spreading at an alarming pac across villages and towns.

    Poor awareness as well as a hesitancy to submit to testing and treatment make the thickly populated rural belts of India more susceptible to Covid-19, point out experts. To add to it, they say, the return of migrant workers from cities to their villages propelled the contagion.

    Dr Sheeba Marwah, Assistant Professor and Covid-19 Nodal Officer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital said: “This grave problem is further compounded by fact of limited medical infrastructure available in rural areas, including testing services; consequently underreporting of cases has increased. Also referal of serious patients to tertiary centres for better management is overwhelming the health system further.”

    In order to prevent the rural areas being swept off by this wave, urgent stringent measures have to be taken adopting a four-pronged strategy of case identification, controlling the spread of infection, creating public awareness and providing early treatment, stated Dr Marwah.

    Another perspective suggests Covid testing centres operating pan India prioritise adult rural poor first rather than the young urban rich population.

    Arvind Lal, Executive Chairman, Dr Lal PathLabs said, “In rural India testing needs to be ramped up vividly. There are enough government labs doing RTPCR testing who can roped in and they can do it. I also feel that we should not get very quick into testing of the 18 to 44 age group. It will have an impact in urban areas where rich young urban population will have the vaccine as compared to the rural 45+ poor. Here the government of India can reconsider it’s policy.”

    Villages are a close knit community and if one person gets infected, the whole village is likely to get infected, particularly in light of infection rate of the current virus.

    Dr. NK Arora, Chair of the Covid-19 working group of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation said: “Treatment has to be very practical and pragmatic which can be applied on ground, we cannot complicate it. We also need to identify danger signs and symptoms so that they can go to PSC or CSC for higher level care. There is a rapid expansion of oxygen facility and efforts are being made so that all these PCSs and CSCs have oxygen because most the patients who require support is oxygen dependent. In a way system is getting geared up as there will be enough vaccines after July.”

    Villages in the country, which are highly populated are reporting deaths and infections, sometimes with horrifying images of dead bodies emerging in media, which is capturing the fear and doubts of the people.

    Recently a visual from the eastern state of Bihar was captured showing as many as 70 bloated bodies drifting in the Ganges.

    As per the official figures India reported 2,22,315 new covid cases, 3,02,544 discharges and 4,454 deaths in last 24 hours. 

  • COVID-19 spreading faster than last time in India, next four weeks critical, says Centre

    By Online Desk
    The Health Ministry officials addressing the media on Tuesday confirmed that Covid is spreading faster than ever before while terming the situation in Chhattisgarh to be a cause of concern.

    A day after India’s daily COVID cases crossed one lakh for the first time since the pandemic, the Health Ministry officials said that Chhattisgarh’s Durg was among the top 10 districts with high active COVID cases. Other districts s included seven in Maharashtra, including Mumbai and Pune, and one in Karnataka.

    The intensity of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased in India and it is spreading faster than last time, they added.

    According to Health Ministry, Maharashtra, Punjab and Chhattisgarh remain states of maximum concern on account of high daily COVID-19 cases, deaths.

    At the press conference, NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr V K Paul said the pandemic situation in the country worsened with a sharp rise in cases and a large part of the population is still susceptible to the virus.

    “The intensity of the pandemic has increased and it is spreading faster than last time. In some states, it (the condition) is worse than others but the upswing (in cases) can be observed across the country,” he said.

    “People’s participation is vital to control the second wave. The next four weeks are going to very critical. The entire country has to come together and make efforts to fight the pandemic.”

    He said the number of coronavirus cases is increasing and along with that mortality is also on the rise.

    “Still, in terms of the population size and in terms of deaths per million we are doing well and the pandemic is in control.”

    Detailing the COVID-19 situation in India, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said Chhattisgarh’s Durg is among the top 10 districts with high active COVID cases.

    “Among these 10 districts, seven are in Maharashtra and one in Karnataka. Delhi, counted as one district, is also in the list.”

    The 10 districts with the highest number of new cases are Pune, Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur, Nashik, Bengaluru Urban, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Delhi and Durg, he said.

    Bhushan further said that Maharashtra, Punjab and Chhattisgarh still remain states of maximum concern.

    “Given their population, the number of deaths being reported by Punjab and Chhatisgarh is a cause of extreme concern,” he said.

    The Centre has constituted 50 high-level multi-disciplinary public health teams and deployed them to districts reporting a surge in cases and mortality in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Punjab, the Union health secretary said.

    These teams were being deployed in 30 districts of Maharashtra, 11 of Chhattisgarh and nine of Punjab.

    Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal were among the states that administered the maximum number of COVID vaccine doses, Bhushan said and emphasised that the immunisation drive has to be ramped up in a scientific manner.

    “Chhattisgarh is a cause of concern for us. Despite being a small state, it reports 6% of total COVID cases and 3% of total deaths in the country. The condition of Chhattisgarh has deteriorated in the second wave of infections,” said Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.

    Stressing the need for RT-PCR tests, the Health Secretary said we have asked state governments to increase the percentage of RT-PCR tests, which had been falling in Maharashtra in the last few weeks.

    Only 60% of total tests were done using the RT-PCR method in Maharashtra last week. We suggest states to take it to 70% or above, he explained.

    Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal were among states that administered the maximum number of COVID vaccine doses, it was noted.

    In India, 96,982 daily cases have been reported in a span of 24 hours, while the death toll increased to 1,65,547 with 446 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

    (With agencies inputs)