Identify emergency hotspots, ramp up testing: Centre asks state to up vigil as Covid cases rise

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the Covid situation amid increase in Covid cases and asked states to stay alert.

The meeting comes on a day when India reported 6,050 fresh coronavirus cases, the highest in 203 days. The Union health ministry data shows that the active cases have increased to 28,303.

During the meet, Mandviya advised States to be on the alert and keep all preparedness for COVID-19 management.

The government also asked states to identify emergency hotspots, ramp up testing and ensure hospital infrastructure readiness. Mandaviya also asked health ministers to visit hospitals to review mock drills across all health facilities on April 10,11.

He also urged States to identify emerging hotspots by monitoring trends of ILI/SARI cases and sending sufficient samples for testing of COVID-19 and Influenza; and ramping up whole genome sequencing of positive samples.

It was observed that 23 states had average tests per million below the national average. Dr. Mandaviya said that irrespective of the new COVID variants, the five-fold strategy of 'Test-Track-Treat-Vaccinate & Adherence to COVID Appropriate Behaviour' continue to remain the tested strategy for COVID management. This would facilitate undertaking of appropriate public health measures, he said.

States were also requested to expeditiously increase the rate of testing from the current rate of 100 tests per million, as on week ending 7 April. They were further advised to increase the share of RT-PCR in tests.

States were briefed that India has been witnessing a steady increase in COVID-19 cases with average daily cases rising to 4,188 in the week ending 07th April from 571 in the week ending 17th March and weekly positivity up to 3.02% in the week ending 07th April.

However, 88,503 daily average cases have been reported globally in the same time, with the top five countries contributing 62.6% of global cases in the last one week.

States/UTs were further informed that currently WHO is closely tracking one variant of interest (VOI), XBB.1.5 and six other variants are under monitoring (BQ.1, BA.2.75, CH.1.1, XBB, XBF and XBB.1.16).

It was highlighted that while Omicron and its sub-lineages continue to be the predominant variant, most of the assigned variants have little or no significant transmissibility, disease severity or immune escape.

The prevalence of XBB.1.16 increased from 21.6% in Feb to 35.8% in March, 2023. However, no evidence of an increase in hospitalisation or mortality has been reported.

India's death toll has increased to 5,30,943 with 14 deaths, three reported from Maharashtra, two each from Karnataka and Rajasthan, one each from Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, and one was reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The daily positivity rate has been recorded at 3.39 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 3.02 per cent, it said.

The total tally of Covid cases stands at 4.47 crore (4,47,45,104).

The active cases now comprise 0.06 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid recovery rate has been recorded at 98.75 per cent, according to the health ministry's website.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,41,85,858, while the case fatality rate has been recorded at 1.19 per cent, it said.

According to the ministry's website, 220.66 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered so far under the nationwide Covid vaccination drive.

A Times of India report stated that the seven-day average of daily cases continues to double in seven days. In the past week (March 30-April 5), India reported 26,361 fresh cases, double the number reported in the previous seven days (13,274). Deaths in the last seven day totalled 48, up from 38 in the preceding period, the report stated.

Notably, the Covid cases have been tripling in the last seven days in Kerala, which accounted highest number cases during the period.