New Delhi: On a daily basis, coronavirus cases in India are reaching a new high, the country is bearing the brunt of a new wave fanned by crowded election rallies, religious festivals and cavalier attitudes. All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) chief Dr Randeep Guleria says, “There is a loss of Covid-appropriate behaviour. Now people feel that the pandemic is over because vaccines are here. So they fail to wear masks. We see large crowds gathering – again without masks. Many of these crowded events have become super-spreading events.”
He further said that there is nothing the country can do to stop this spike unless people follow appropriate behaviour and get quickly vaccinated.
Also Read: COVID-19 Pandemic Long Way From Over, Virus And Its Variants Can Be Stopped: WHO Chief
Here is a look at some of the grim milestones of COVID pandemic that India crossed recently:
1. On April 12 (Monday), India overtook Brazil once again to become the second-worst hit country in terms of COVID-19 infection in the world. At 1.35 crore COVID-19 cases so far, India crossed Brazil’s 1.34 crore tally but remains behind America’s 3.12 crore.
2. On April 12, India recorded 1,68,912 new COVID-19 infections (in 24 hours), which was the highest ever since the pandemic began in the country, according to the data by health ministry of India.
3. As per the data by the health ministry, the total number of deaths because of COVID-19 in India crossed 1.7 lakh on April 13. Currently, India is in the fourth spot in the COVID death tally behind the US, Brazil and Mexico.
4. If we talk about the active cases, it has hit a new high recently. As of April 13, the active cases in the country surpassed the 12-lakh mark, the highest-ever. The COVID cases were above one million in September last year but started declining after that. The recent resurgence has once again shot up the number of active COVID-19 cases in the country. According to the data by the health ministry of India, today (April 13) is the seventh straight day the country has reported over one lakh coronavirus cases and the third consecutive day to record over 1.5 lakh infections in a grim and unprecedented surge.
5. The spike in coronavirus cases is being reported from as many as eight states in India – a first this year. On April 13, Pune crossed 1 lakh active cases; whereas, Mumbai was almost at 1 lakh and Bengaluru crossed 50,000. The positivity rate of the country has climbed to 10.7 per cent from an all-time low of 1.47 per cent on February 13. The high positivity rate of tests underlines the severity of the second wave in India.
Also Read: COVID-19 Outbreak Explained: What Is The “Double Mutant” Variant Of Coronavirus Found In India?
The Health Ministry’s data shows that the positivity rate has jumped more than 3.5 times in four weeks in the country, highlighting the massing COVID-19 surge that have pushed India’s daily cases to all-time highs.
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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