Why India may be in the third stage of the coronavirus pandemic

New Delhi, Mar 28: The Indian government has not yet confirmed a community spread of the coronavirus as yet. However several experts say that it needs to be called the Stage 3 although it has not officially been stated.

Stage 3 refers to community transmission and it is the most critical stage of the outbreak. Dr. Girdhar Gyani, in an interview with The Quint says that the next five to ten days would be crucial to control the virus as those who are asymptomatic may start showing symptoms. He says that the government does not have enough testing kits. Dr. Gyani, the founder of the Association of Healthcare Providers was part of a video confenrce of healthcare professionals with Prime Minister, Narendra Modi that was held on March 24.

You can check the full interview here: https://www.thequint.com/news/india/coronavirus-covid-19-india-in-stage-3-community-transmission-says-dr-gyani-task-force-for-covid-19-hospitals

Meanwhile, India is now fully preparing to fight the community transmission of the virus. Both the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Ministry of Health have maintained that the community spread has not taken place as yet.

India is now looking to expand its testing facilities by opening gates to private laboratories.

However the government is leaving no stone unturned and working to fight stage three of COVID-19. Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal said that currently his government is ready to handle with 100 cases a day. The Delhi government is working on a plan to tackle stage-3 he also said.

On Friday, Odisha had expressed concern that the virus could be advancing towards community transmission in the state. This comes after a 60 year old man with no recent travel history testing positive.

Odisha's chief spokesperson Subroto Bagchi said with a third confirmed case having no foreign travel history, we see the possibility of the outbreak moving into stage-3.