New Delhi: Fresh 12,591 COVID- 19 infections were recorded across the country in the last 24 hours, marking a significant jump from the previous day’s tally of 10,542 cases, the Union health ministry said on Thursday (April 20). According to the Union Health Ministry, the country’s active cases increased to 65,286 from 63,562 yesterday. At present, the recovery rate stands at 98.67 per cent with a daily positivity rate of 5.46 per cent, the Health Ministry stated further in its release.
Also Read: COVID-19: India Sees Spike With Over 10,000 New Infections
Further, 10,827 recoveries in the last 24 hours bring the overall count of people cured of the infection to 4,42,61,476, and the overall recovery rate is currently at 98.67 per cent.
The current weekly positivity rate in the country stands at 5.32 per cent. Besides, the total number of tests conducted so far stands at 92.48 crores, with 2,30,419 tests conducted in the last 24 hours.
To assess the country’s situation in wake of the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases, the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Dr. PK Mishra, chaired a high-level meeting on Wednesday (April 19). The focus of the meeting was on the status of preparedness of the health infrastructure and logistics, drugs, the vaccination campaign in India, and the key necessary steps as a response to the recent surge in COVID cases. The Press Information Bureau stated,
Dr. PK Mishra stressed that the time tested 5-fold strategy of Test-Track-Treat-Vaccination and adherence to COVID-appropriate behaviour must continue to be implemented, and it is equally crucial to promote awareness within the community regarding COVID appropriate behaviour and caution citizens against complacency.
During the meeting, Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), provided an overview of the global COVID-19 situation. Mr. Bhushan highlighted the rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country, with the majority of cases being reported in eight states, including Kerala, Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Rajasthan. He also highlighted that approximately 92 per cent of the cases are under home isolation.
Dr P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister chairs high-level meeting to review status of public health response to #COVID19
Advised officials to ensure operational readiness of hospital infrastructure till Sub District level
Read: https://t.co/hEDOUYm36A
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— PIB India (@PIB_India) April 19, 2023
Mr. Bhushan also provided an overview of the genome sequencing of different variants since January 2023 and noted the proportion of circulating variants in India. The status of vaccination was discussed, followed by drug availability and infrastructure preparedness across the country.
Here are the updates from the states witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases.
MAHARASHTRA
Maharashtra reported 1,100 new cases and four fatalities in the last 24 hours. In the wake of rising coronavirus cases, the state government has activated 25 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals in the state. Medical Education Minister Girish Mahajan, urged people to wear masks and called it an effective tool to prevent the spread of the virus. Mr. Mahajan said,
Due to increasing COVID-19 cases in the state, the state government has activated 25 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals. As of today, more than 5,000 beds, more than 2,000 ventilators available for COVID patients, and 62 Liquid Medical Oxygen and 37 PSA plants are functional.
Among the cities, Mumbai reported 234 new coronavirus positive cases, taking the city’s overall tally to 11,61,136, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. This is the second day in a row that the metropolis has reported more than 200 new cases for the second day in a row after witnessing a dip for two days. On Tuesday, the city reported 220 cases. The number of active COVID-19 cases in the city currently stands at 1,591, the civic body said in its bulletin.
The Nashik district reported five new coronavirus positive cases, which took its overall tally to 4,82,912.
DELHI
Delhi recorded 1,757 new COVID-19 cases and logged six deaths, along with a positivity rate of 28.63 per cent in the last 24 hours, according to the Delhi Health Department. With the new fatalities, the death toll from the pandemic rose to 26,578 in the national capital.
WEST BENGAL
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday (April 19) said the state reported nearly 150 new COVID-19 cases in the last two days, and most of the infections were mild in nature. The CM said,
Around 49 patients have been admitted to hospitals. Of them, only nine are currently in need of oxygen support.
CM Banerjee said Bengal has 30,000 beds for COVID patients, including 4,000 beds with CCU facilities. She also referred to the COVID advisory issued by the state health department, and urged senior citizens and those with comorbidities to exercise caution.
PUDUCHERRY
Puducherry has reported 83 new cases during the examination of 954 samples in the last 24 hours. While the Union Territory accounted for 69 fresh cases, Karaikal and Yanam had seven cases each. The overall tally now stands at 1,77,094; the active cases were 500. Out of them, 19 patients were in hospitals, and the remaining 481 patients were in home quarantine. The Health Department has so far tested 25,01,706 samples and found 21,32,025 of them to be negative.
HIMACHAL PRADESH
Himachal Pradesh reported 315 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the tally of active cases to 1672, according to the state health department. One death was reported in the past 24 hours, while 431 people recovered in the same period, it said. Last week, the state government decided to make wearing masks mandatory in hospitals.
India has so far administered 220,66,28,332 crore doses of COVID under the nationwide Vaccination Drive, of which 574 doses were administered in the last 24 hours.
KERALA
On April 20, the Kerala Health Department urged officials to keep extra vigil on the health of residents in care homes, and asked senior citizens, pregnant women and children to wear masks when stepping out of their homes. This came in view of the slight surge in the number of coronavirus cases in the state. As many as 2,484 covid cases were reported in the state on Wednesday, and Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam districts had the highest number.
While speaking at a meeting of district collectors and health department officials here, Health Minister Veena George gave directions to officials to pay special attention to care homes in various districts in the wake of an increase in cases.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
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