COVID Contained, No New Cases In Fifth Of Country, Says Government

New Delhi: India said on Thursday it had curbed an increase in COVID-19 infections, with a fifth of its districts reporting no new cases for a week, even as its immunisation campaign has covered 2.4 million people. The country of 1.35 billion has recorded the highest number of cases in the world after the United States, though the rate of infection has come down significantly since a mid-September peak. Some studies have suggested pockets of India have attained herd immunity through natural infection. “India has successfully contained the pandemic,” Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said, noting that fewer than 12,000 cases were reported in the past 24 hours.

Also Read: Dr Randeep Guleria Explains The Drop In New COVID Cases And The Need To Get Vaccinated

He said 146 of India’s 718 districts have had no new cases for a week and 18 districts for two weeks.

India has flattened its COVID-19 graph, Dr Vardhan added.

With infections falling, the government said that from Feb. 1 it would lift curbs on the use of public swimming pools, allow cinema halls and theatres to seat more than 50 per cent of capacity and let all types of exhibition halls to operate.

The world’s second most populous country started its COVID-19 immunisation programme on Jan. 16, with the aim to reach 300 million people by July-August.

India has so far reported 10.7 million infections and 153,847 deaths – one of the world’s lowest fatality rates from the disease, attributed partly to its younger population.

Thyrocare Technologies Ltd, one of India’s top-three diagnostic chains, told Reuters antibody tests it had done on more than 700,000 people showed that 55 per cent of the country’s population may have already been infected.

The World Health Organization says at least 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the population needs to have immunity to break the chain of transmission.

Also Read: Experts Appeal Taking COVID-19 Vaccine Shot To Break The Chain Of Transmission And Avoid Another Peak

A top Indian vaccine official told Reuters he did not think India had reached that level yet, but that even a smaller percentage could help slow the spread of the virus.

Most of our highly populated districts and cities have had their run of the pandemic by now  and may have what you like to call herd immunity, to an extent, Vinod Kumar Paul, who heads a committee on vaccine strategy, said earlier this month.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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.