Next Three Months Decisive In Determining COVID Situation In Country: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday (October 23) said that the next three months are going to be decisive in determining the situation of COVID in the country and urged people to follow COVID appropriate behaviour during the coming festival and winter season. Addressing a review meeting with officials of the Uttar Pradesh government, Dr Vardhan said, “Appropriate measures are being taken to combat COVID-19. But the next three months are going to be decisive in determining the situation of COVID in the country. If we take adequate precaution and follow COVID-appropriate behaviour in the coming festival and winter season, we will be in a better position to fight corona.”

Also Read: Festivals Amid COVID-19 Outbreak: Experts Warn Against ‘Pandemic Fatigue’ To Avoid A Spurt In Cases During Festive Season

He asserted that the state needs to focus on increasing testing, surveillance, contact tracing, and early diagnosis to keep fatality rate low.

For a big state like Uttar Pradesh, it becomes important that maximum thrust is given to simple precautionary measures which are effective in preventing the Coronavirus to a large extent like wearing mask/face cover especially in public spaces, and following hand and respiratory etiquettes, Dr Vardhan said.

The Union Minister further appreciated the efforts of Uttar Pradesh in vaccinating those children who were left out of immunisation due to COVID-19.

He also informed that as of date Uttar Pradesh has COVID-19 fatality rate of 1.46 which is less than the national average, while the recovery rate of the state (92.2 per cent) is also more than the national recovery rate. The positivity rate is 3.44 per cent.

Dr Vardhan informed that in the last three months, the country has seen significant improvement in the COVID parameters.

The number of active cases are less than 7 lakh and the doubling rate has increased to 97.2 days, as of now. The journey which started from having just one lab, we have come a long way in now having nearly 2000 labs in the country. The number of total tests conducted across the country have surpassed 10 crore. This is a positive indication that we are moving in the right direction, he said.

Also Read: India Has Largest Number Of COVID-19 Recovered Globally, Second In Number Of COVID Tests Done

(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.