Highlights
- PM Modi held a virtual review meet with Chief Ministers of the seven states
- These seven states account for 63 per of the active cases in the country
- Worst-hit states have been asked to focus on increased testing by PM Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that states worst hit by COVID-19 pandemic needs to increase focus on testing and treatment to bring the coronavirus outbreak in the country under control. At a COVID-19 review meeting on Wednesday (September 23), Prime Minister Modi said, “Worst-hit states and union territories need to focus on effective testing, tracing, treatment, surveillance and clear messaging.”
The seven high burden COVID-19 states and Union Territories (UTs) in India currently are Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Punjab. According to the data by health ministry, more than 63 per of the active cases in the country are concentrated in these seven states. These seven states also account for 65.5 per cent of the total cases and 77 per cent of the total deaths due to COVID-19.
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In his virtual review meet with Chief Ministers of these seven states with the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country on Wednesday evening, PM Modi also said,
There are more than 700 districts in the country but only 60 districts in seven states are a cause of worry. I suggest Chief Ministers hold a virtual conference with people at district/block level for seven days. We have to learn from the best practices from across the states.
As majority of cases in India are asymptomatic, highlighting the need for effective messaging and more and more testing in the country, he said,
Effective messaging is also necessary because most COVID-19 infections are without symptoms. In such a situation, rumours may arise. It might raise doubts in the minds of the people that testing is bad. Some people also make the mistake of underestimating the severity of the infection.
He further added,
India has ensured the supply of life-saving medicines all over the world even in difficult times. We have to work together to see that the medicines easily reach from one state to another.
PM Modi also urged the state government to focus on micro-containment. He suggested to implement local lockdown of a day or two and accordingly review the situation suitable for their respective state or Union Territory.
Along with these steps, once again PM Modi emphasised on the need of wearing face masks to contain the spread of the virus in public places. He added,
Mask is important to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus and we should ensure that everyone, who is stepping outside is wearing one.
Currently, India is the second worst hit country from the coronavirus pandemic in the world. India reported 86,508 new COVID cases in the past 24 hours taking its coronavirus tally past the 57-lakh mark, states the data from the Health Ministry. The country has reported 1,129 deaths in this period. With 87,374 more people having beaten COVID-19, the number of total recoveries remained higher than the number of new infections for the sixth consecutive day, the data shows. The total coronavirus recoveries have crossed 46 lakh. The overall recovery rate in the country is 81.55 per cent.
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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