Highlights
- India’s coronavirus tally crossed the 93 lakh mark
- Dr Guleria says India should focus on strengthening its healthcare systems
- Vaccines/testing are the tools that will help India win COVID war: Expert
New Delhi: What is the road ahead to the pandemic that many of us have not seen ever in our lifetime? As we deal with something that happens once in a century, which is the reality now and prepare ourself for more such pandemics in the future, NDTV speaks to top medical experts – Dr Randeep Guleria, Director AIIMS; Dr Gagandeep Kang, a vaccine scientist, former executive director of Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) and current professor at Christian Medical College, Vellore along with Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, an expert on public policy and health systems, to know more about the road to recovery from #COVID19.
Also Read: A COVID-19 Delhi Patient Explains How He Fought Coronavirus From Home Along With His Family
NDTV: When will India win a war against coronavirus, what is the road ahead?
Dr Gagandeep Kang: Science and technology will going to provide solution to this virus. We have seen already that the damage this virus is doing is much less than it has been projected and with vaccine and the work we have done on standard public health measures such as diagnosing, isolating and tracking. We have done a pretty good job so far and I think, our interventions will only going to be better and better now. Better treatment and prevention is our road ahead. Talking about the timeline, this is the virus that spreads very fast so we will see the surge in cases, but we have already got hold of the mortality rate which is less and now the next step is to get hold of the spread and control the speed at which it is spreading. I am anticipating that we will see some results by the beginning of next year and vaccines and diagnostic will be the tools that will help us get there.
NDTV: What will be the vaccine for India and how it will work?
Dr Gagandeep Kang: Let’s first start with how dangerous this virus actually is, if you look at SARS and MERS, two related coronaviruses, they had a mortality of 10 per cent and 30 per cent, meaning 1 in 10 or 3 in 10 infected with those viruses were dying. But if you look at the mortality of COVID-19, we are looking at a rate, which is much less than 1 in a 100, so this is not the deadliest among coronaviruses. The reason we are seeing so many cases is the fact that it spreads very fast. If the bulk of people who are infected are going to survive this virus, all this could have been worse, we could have an Ebola or influenza, or MERS that kills at rate much higher than this. This is a warning, a wakeup call for all of us but having said that it is not that bad as a situation. Now talking about the vaccines, I trust PFIZER vaccine a bit more because its numbers are little more than Gamaleya results. They had 94 patients, which is pretty high number for a vaccine trial and they are showing 90 per cent of efficacy and this is the proof of principle that vaccines will work to kill this virus. However, India should look at vaccines that are more suitable for our population, a vaccine that requires -70 degree storage and is as expensive as PFIZER vaccine, may not be the best choice for us. I think, we should wait and weigh all the pros and cons for the particular vaccine and then choose the one which allows us to reach the maximum number of people with the kind of resources we have.
Also Read: COVID-19: Entire Delhi Can Be Vaccinated In A Month, Says State Immunization Officer
NDTV: When will coronavirus vaccine will be available off the shelf? Will common people have to wait for the vaccine till 2022, which means 1 and half year more for the coronavirus scare?
Dr Randeep Guleria: The easy availability of coronavirus vaccine, which means people can buy it easily just like they get flu vaccines, will take time because the first thing that we need to do is to vaccinate those who are at higher risk and those who have the higher chances of getting infected like elderly, people with co-morbidities, healthcare workers or the individuals who are getting exposed to COVID-19. It is only after vaccinating all these group we can say anyone who wants to get vaccinated for COVID-19 can just go and get themselves vaccinated. This stage will probably come at the end of next year or early of 2022, when we have enough of doses of the vaccine globally that it can be available off the shelf. Our priority in infection has to be in decreasing the mortality and infection rate further.
Regarding when will the pandemic will end that is a difficult question. We may have two phases where we will see the pandemic is over – one when we reach the stage with the vaccine coming in when we accept the new normal of living that is with social distancing and masks on, this we can anticipate till mid of next year. However, returning to pre-covid era will take a long time.
NDTV: In India, public health gets low priority and the irony is that we have realised it when we faced a pandemic like COVID-19?
Dr Chandrakant Lahariya: During the pandemic, much of the discussion has been about increasing beds, facilities, ventilators and COVID-19 testing. However, health system of any country is much more than this. It is about leadership, governance, service delivery, improving medicines, vaccines & supply. In our country, there are many health components which are not fully understood and that is why the outcomes are not achieved. Healthcare is just not about medical care, it is about public’s good health overall and till we don’t achieve that one overall thing, we will not be able to win war against anything.
Dr Randeep Guleria: Health has to become a priority issue for all governments and policymakers that is very important and that is what the pandemic has brought into the limelight. A lot has to be done in terms of health in our country and there is lot that has to be done as far as preventive healthcare is concerned as a lot of diseases can be prevented, especially the non-communicable diseases that are now becoming the highest burden on our country’s healthcare system. Preventive healthcare includes clean air, sanitation and water. Till now, health was not in our priority, it has always been growth, housing etc and because of the economic growth we have comprised our health and environment and we all are paying the price for that.
Every year we talk about air pollution in Delhi, we see air quality index deteriorating, we see AQI going to a category of severe and sometimes going upto 999, the highest that the metre can calculate and then we forget about the issue in march/april, when winters are over and air quality has improved. There has to be a sustainable plan that needs to be implemented and be available to tackle such issues at all levels.
NDTV: Other countries compared to India, seemed to be more equipped in managing pandemics like coronavirus well. Is this the time to start putting healthcare systems in place in the country?
Dr Chandrakant Lahariya: We are learning from our own experiences now and from our neighbouring countries like Vietnam and Thailand. Some countries have managed the coronavirus really well like Taiwan and Thailand. Even in India, in past 10 months, we have realised the importance of community participation such as practising social distancing and wearing masks. What we now need is stronger healthcare systems that can help tackle such pandemics. India’s national health policy in 2017 recommended government to spend 2.5 % of GDF on health, despite this, it is a known fact that India spends the lowest amount of its GDP on health as compared to other developing countries. It was also said that all states should have public health cadre but despite the government suggestions, only 2 or 3 states in India so far has that in place. We have learned enough from this pandemic, what we need now is stronger primary and public healthcare system.
I think India should look at the Dharvi model of community participation and how it won the war against coronavirus, we need to include the community in the healthcare service delivery in order to achieve overall good health.
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.
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State & District Details
State | Cases | Active | Recovered | Deaths |
---|---|---|---|---|
DistrictCases Mumbai45,478 Thane13,660 Pune9,920 Mumbai Suburban5,363 Aurangabad1,974 Nashik1,575 Raigad1,462 Palghar1,421 Solapur1,291 Jalgaon1,039 Akola757 Nagpur692 Kolhapur646 Satara629 Ratnagiri350 Amravati291 Dhule228 Hingoli208 Jalna201 Ahmednagar190 Nanded176 Yavatmal150 Sangli145 Latur139 Osmanabad125 Sindhudurg114 Buldhana88 Parbhani78 gondia69 Beed54 Nandurbar42 Gadchiroli42 Bhandara41 Chandrapur32 Washim13 Wardha11 | 22,19,727 11,141 | 99,205 5,090 | 20,68,044 6,013 | 52,478 38 |
DistrictCases Kannur357 Kasaragod333 Palakkad224 Malappuram119 Kollam118 Thrissur106 Thiruvananthapuram104 Pathanamthitta98 Kozhikode90 Alappuzha76 Kottayam73 Ernakulam60 Idukki40 Wayanad36 | 10,77,327 2,100 | 41,162 1,952 | 10,31,865 4,039 | 4,300 13 |
DistrictCases Udupi1,176 Kalaburagi669 Yadgir538 Bengaluru Urban529 Raichur369 Mandya346 Belagavi337 Bidar219 Hassan205 Davangere204 Vijayapura201 Dakshina Kannada179 Chikkaballapura149 Mysuru107 Bagalkote103 Uttara Kannada95 Shivamogga67 Dharwad61 Ballari60 Gadag45 Bengaluru Rural40 Tumakuru36 Kolar29 Haveri24 Chikkamagaluru19 Chitradurga14 Koppal5 Kodagu4 Ramanagara3 Chamarajanagara0 | 9,55,015 622 | 6,881 268 | 9,35,772 351 | 12,362 3 |
DistrictCases Kurnool795 Krishna557 Guntur511 Anantapur428 East Godavari356 Chittoor319 Sri Potti Sriramulu Nell*296 Y.S.R.205 West Godavari199 Srikakulam183 Prakasam104 Visakhapatnam103 Vizianagaram23 | 8,90,692 136 | 998 77 | 8,82,520 58 | 7,174 1 |
DistrictCases Chennai23,324 Chengalpattu1,314 Thiruvallur774 Villupuram509 Kanchipuram503 Tiruvannamalai496 Cuddalore477 Ariyalur444 Tirunelveli433 Tuticorin333 Kallakurichi324 Madurai322 Salem258 Coimbatore188 Virudhunagar185 Dindigul175 Perambalur133 Ranipet133 Thanjavur130 Theni129 Tiruchirappalli119 Ramanathapuram119 Tiruppur116 Kanniyakumari110 Tenkasi103 Nagapattinam99 Karur88 Namakkal83 Erode75 Vellore71 Thiruvarur67 Pudukkottai53 Sivaganga46 Tirupathur45 Krishnagiri43 The Nilgiris17 Dharmapuri15 | 8,55,121 567 | 3,997 45 | 8,38,606 521 | 12,518 1 |
DistrictCases North West5,463 Central4,817 West4,768 New Delhi3,405 North3,059 East2,472 South East2,446 South West2,391 South2,329 North East1,914 Shahdara1,580 | 6,41,101 286 | 1,803 24 | 6,28,377 260 | 10,921 2 |
DistrictCases Gautam Buddha Nagar1,119 Agra933 Ghaziabad794 Meerut504 Lucknow386 Saharanpur298 Kanpur Nagar286 Moradabad252 Varanasi243 Hapur225 Aligarh215 Basti214 Amethi206 Rampur203 Jaunpur194 Firozabad190 Barabanki168 Gorakhpur166 Bulandshahr166 Siddharth Nagar159 Ghazipur159 Bijnor157 Deoria143 Azamgarh138 Sant Kabeer Nagar132 Mathura129 Ayodhya120 Muzaffarnagar117 Sambhal116 Sultanpur97 Ambedkar Nagar92 Maharajganj85 Amroha80 Rae Bareli78 Bahraich73 Kheri72 Kannauj69 Baghpat68 Kushi Nagar67 Bhadohi60 Ballia60 Gonda59 Etah52 Hardoi49 Balrampur49 Mau48 Mainpuri46 Etawah46 Hathras43 Unnao42 Jalaun41 Jhansi41 Shamli40 Chandauli38 Auraiya37 Farrukhabad36 Sitapur32 Prayagraj30 Banda27 Shahjahanpur25 Shravasti23 Budaun23 Mirzapur22 Bareilly17 Kasganj16 Pratapgarh15 Pilibhit15 Sonbhadra10 Kaushambi6 Kanpur Dehat4 Chitrakoot4 Lalitpur3 Hamirpur3 Mahoba3 Fatehpur3 | 6,04,279 115 | 1,647 84 | 5,93,895 191 | 8,737 8 |
DistrictCases Kolkata2,777 Howrah1,435 24 Paraganas North1,031 Hooghly604 24 Paraganas South281 Maldah235 Dinajpur Uttar216 Coochbehar210 Birbhum206 Medinipur West159 Medinipur East153 Nadia139 Purba Bardhaman130 Murshidabad125 Bankura116 Darjeeling97 Jalpaiguri88 Paschim Bardhaman70 Purulia66 Dinajpur Dakshin50 Alipurduar39 Kalimpong18 Jhargram9 | 5,76,623 188 | 3,163 50 | 5,63,182 237 | 10,278 1 |
DistrictCases Ganjam581 Jajapur322 Khordha238 Baleshwar190 Kendrapara164 Cuttack155 Bhadrak137 Balangir129 Puri103 Sundargarh102 Jagatsinghapur91 Nayagarh86 Mayurbhanj73 Nuapada69 Gajapati61 Dhenkanal36 Boudh34 Kendujhar34 Deogarh33 Kalahandi33 Sonepur29 Kandhamal28 Anugul26 Malkangiri20 Bargarh16 Koraput16 Sambalpur16 Jharsuguda8 Nabarangpur2 Rayagada2 | 3,37,744 70 | 747 20 | 3,35,080 90 | 1,917 |
DistrictCases Jaipur2,177 Jodhpur1,748 Udaipur724 Bharatpur563 Kota503 Nagaur500 Ajmer379 Dungarpur374 Pali352 Jhalawar329 Bhilwara250 Sikar231 Chittorgarh188 Tonk171 Jalore164 Rajsamand140 Sirohi130 Bikaner112 Banswara91 Alwar90 Churu81 Jhunjhunu64 Dausa61 Dholpur60 Baran59 Jaisalmer53 Barmer34 Hanumangarh31 SawaiMadhopur26 Karauli17 Pratapgarh14 Ganganagar8 Bundi5 | 3,21,532 176 | 1,755 52 | 3,16,988 124 | 2,789 |
DistrictCases Bilaspur100 Korba100 Mungeli87 Baloda Bazar85 Jashpur77 Janjgir-Champa56 Mahasamund54 Rajnandgaon52 Kabirdham52 Raigarh47 Raipur46 Balod41 Korea39 Durg31 Bemetara21 Kanker19 Balrampur17 Surguja14 Gariyaband10 Surajpur9 Dhamtari6 Bijapur2 Bastar2 Dantewada0 Kondagaon0 Narayanpur0 Sukma0 | 3,14,320 222 | 2,820 99 | 3,07,642 120 | 3,858 3 |
DistrictCases Hyderabad2,475 Ranga Reddy183 Suryapet87 Jagitial77 Nizamabad76 MedchalMalkajgiri75 Mancherial43 YadadriBhuvanagiri40 Jogulamba Gadwal40 Vikarabad40 Nalgonda33 Warangal Urban32 Mahabubnagar30 Sangareddy26 Khammam26 Adilabad22 Nirmal21 Karimnagar17 RajannaSircilla16 Medak11 Kamareddy11 Mahabubabad10 Jayashankar Bhupalapally9 Nagarkurnool8 Kumuram Bheem Asifabad8 Jangoan8 Siddipet7 Peddapalli5 Bhadradri Kothagudem5 Warangal Rural4 Mulugu3 Narayanpet3 Wanaparthy1 | 3,00,011 111 | 1,807 79 | 2,96,562 189 | 1,642 1 |
DistrictCases Ahmadabad17,125 Surat2,311 Vadodara1,555 Gandhinagar410 Mahesana159 Banas Kantha147 Bhavnagar146 Rajkot135 Arvalli134 Mahisagar125 Anand107 PanchMahals107 Patan105 SabarKantha101 Kachchh99 Kheda98 Jamnagar63 Bharuch56 Botad55 Surendranagar55 Valsad47 GirSomnath45 Dohad43 Chhotaudepur37 Naysari35 Junagadh31 Narmada25 DevbhumiDwarka22 Amreli16 Porbandar11 Tapi6 Dang5 Morbi4 | 2,73,386 575 | 3,140 115 | 2,65,831 459 | 4,415 1 |
DistrictCases Gurugram2,950 Faridabad867 Sonipat404 Rohtak145 Palwal120 Jhajjar114 Karnal104 Hisar98 Ambala93 Panipat78 Nuh68 Bhiwani60 Rewari56 Kurukshetra55 Sirsa50 Kaithal48 Mahendragarh47 CharkiDadri43 Panchkula39 Fatehabad38 Jind38 Yamunanagar19 | 2,72,520 305 | 2,031 133 | 2,67,433 172 | 3,056 |
DistrictCases Indore3,839 Bhopal1,880 Ujjain799 Burhanpur351 Neemuch319 Jabalpur276 East Nimar266 Sagar228 Gwalior211 Khargone196 Dewas140 Dhar132 Mandsaur112 Morena109 Bhind87 Raisen71 Barwani60 Ratlam51 Rewa39 Shajapur39 Hoshangabad37 Vidisha37 Chhatarpur35 Betul35 Rajgarh31 Dindori29 Sheopur26 Damoh26 Satna24 Anuppur22 Panna20 Tikamgarh18 Sidhi17 Narsinghpur17 Chhindwara16 Agar Malwa15 Mandla15 Shivpuri15 Jhabua14 Shandol14 Singrauli13 Ashoknagar13 Datia12 Sehore12 Umaria10 Balaghat9 Guna8 Harda4 Alirajpur3 Katni3 Seoni2 Niwari0 | 2,64,643 429 | 3,606 79 | 2,57,166 347 | 3,871 3 |
DistrictCases Patna279 Bhagalpur266 Rohtas256 Khagaria253 Begusarai243 Madhubani199 Munger188 Jehanabad178 Katihar175 Darbhanga143 Samastipur139 Siwan139 PurbiChamparan138 Purnia135 Banka134 Buxar134 Nalanda123 Gopalganj123 Nawada122 Sheikhpura118 Gaya115 Kaimur (bhabua)105 Bhojpur103 Saran101 Muzaffarpur96 Saharsa88 Supaul87 Vaishali87 Madhepura82 Kishanganj75 Aurangabad75 Sitamarhi73 Lakhisarai72 Araria68 Pashchim Champaran57 Arwal52 Jamui47 Sheohar20 | 2,62,758 30 | 313 21 | 2,60,899 50 | 1,546 1 |
DistrictCases Kamrup Metro276 Golaghat203 Nagaon143 Hojai89 Dima Hasao86 Karimganj85 Tinsukia84 Cachar80 Dibrugarh61 Hailakandi57 Lakhimpur57 Marigaon50 Dhemaji47 Kamrup42 Kokrajhar37 Dhubri30 Charaideo29 Barpeta28 Udalguri28 Sonitpur27 Jorhat24 Nalbari23 Darrang20 Sivasagar20 Goalpara19 Biswanath16 Baksa14 KarbiAnglong13 Bongaigaon12 Chirang6 West KarbiAnglong5 South SalmaraMancachar4 Majuli2 | 2,17,668 19 | 1,627 2 | 2,14,947 17 | 1,094 |
DistrictCases Amritsar485 Jalandhar297 Ludhiana293 Tarn Taran163 Gurdaspur154 Hoshiarpur140 S.A.S Nagar137 Patiala132 Sangrur107 Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr)99 Pathankot86 Rupnagar (Ropar)74 Faridkot74 Sri Muktsar Sahib71 Moga65 Bathinda60 Fatehgarh Sahib57 Fazilka53 Firozepur50 Kapurthala44 Mansa31 Barnala25 | 1,88,391 1,043 | 7,497 333 | 1,74,967 693 | 5,927 17 |
DistrictCases Anantnag395 Srinagar300 Kulgam295 Baramulla271 Shopian255 Kupwara231 Bandipora175 Udhampur155 Ramban151 Jammu138 Budgam110 Pulwama108 Kathua53 Rajouri39 Ganderbal37 Poonch35 Doda27 Reasi26 Samba25 Kishtwar10 Mirpur0 Muzaffarabad0 | 1,27,044 112 | 892 10 | 1,24,190 101 | 1,962 1 |
DistrictCases East Singhbum170 Ranchi148 Hazaribagh110 Garhwa80 Ramgarh75 Koderma58 Simdega48 Dhanbad32 Gumla28 Palamu27 West Singhbhum21 SaraikelaKharsawan20 Giridih19 Bokaro16 Latehar14 Khunti10 Lohardaga8 Deoghar5 Dumka5 Pakur4 Jamtara2 Godda2 Chatra1 Sahebganj0 | 1,20,259 42 | 463 2 | 1,18,703 38 | 1,093 2 |
DistrictCases Dehradun370 Nainital323 Tehri Garhwal110 Haridwar94 Udam Singh Nagar83 Almora71 Champawat45 Pithoragarh43 Chamoli36 PauriGarhwal36 Bageshwar31 Rudraprayag30 Uttar Kashi24 | 97,422 59 | 632 36 | 95,095 22 | 1,695 1 |
DistrictCases Hamirpur117 Kangra105 Una41 Solan32 Chamba29 Bilaspur21 Mandi21 Sirmaur11 Shimla10 Kullu4 Kinnaur2 Lahaul And Spiti0 | 59,118 59 | 614 25 | 57,507 34 | 997 |
DistrictCases South Goa69 North Goa57 | 55,409 48 | 688 12 | 53,922 60 | 799 |
DistrictCases Pondicherry111 Mahe4 Karaikal2 Yanam0 | 39,868 25 | 176 3 | 39,022 22 | 670 |
DistrictCases Dhalai196 Sepahijala174 Gomati74 South Tripura53 Unakoti49 West Tripura45 Khowai24 North Tripura14 | 33,424 | 30 0 | 33,003 | 391 |
DistrictCases Churachandpur32 Kangpokpi26 Imphal West21 Thoubal18 Imphal East10 Tengnoupal9 Bishnupur7 Senapati6 Chandel5 Kamjong5 Ukhrul4 Jiribam3 Pherzawl3 Kakching2 Tamenglong2 Noney1 | 29,291 3 | 28 3 | 28,890 6 | 373 |
DistrictCases Chandigarh313 | 22,318 80 | 710 35 | 21,253 45 | 355 |
DistrictCases Changlang31 Papum Pare8 Lohit3 Namsai2 West Siang1 East Siang1 Upper Siang1 Tawang1 PakkeKessang1 West Kameng0 Upper Subansiri0 Tirap0 Siang0 Shi Yomi0 Anjaw0 Lower Subansiri0 Lower Dibang Valley0 Longding0 Leparada0 KurungKumey0 KraDaadi0 Kamle0 East Kameng0 Dibang Valley0 Lower Siang0 | 16,839 | 3 0 | 16,780 | 56 |
DistrictCases East Khasi Hills22 West Garo Hills5 South West Garo Hills4 North Garo Hills1 West Jaintia Hills1 West Khasi Hills1 East Garo Hills0 East Jaintia Hills0 Ribhoi0 South Garo Hills0 South West Khasi Hills0 | 13,972 2 | 13 1 | 13,811 1 | 148 |
DistrictCases Dimapur20 Mon8 Kohima7 Kiphire3 Tuensang3 Peren2 Phek1 Longleng0 Mokokchung0 Wokha0 Zunheboto0 | 12,217 6 | 20 5 | 12,106 1 | 91 |
DistrictCases Kargil77 LehLadakh43 | 9,831 1 | 44 0 | 9,657 1 | 130 |
DistrictCases East District3 South District3 North District0 West District0 | 6,174 7 | 50 6 | 5,989 1 | 135 |
DistrictCases South Andamans33 Nicobars1 North And Middle Andaman1 | 5,024 | 7 0 | 4,955 | 62 |
DistrictCases Kolasib11 Aizawl10 Mamit8 Lawngtlai2 Lunglei2 Saitual1 Champhai0 Hnahthial0 Khawzawl0 Saiha0 Serchhip0 | 4,428 | 8 1 | 4,410 1 | 10 |
DistrictCases Dadra And Nagar Haveli20 | 3,416 7 | 12 7 | 3,402 | 2 |
DistrictCases Lakshadweep District0 | 486 13 | 158 1 | 327 14 | 1 |