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More than 74% of the total active cases of Covid-19 are in nine most affected states, while 69% of the total deaths reported so far are concentrated in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, the Centre said on Thursday.
The Health Ministry said that 60% of the cumulative cases of Covid-19 have been reported from only five states -- Maharashtra (9,67,349), Andhra Pradesh (5,27,512), Tamil Nadu (4,80,524), Karnataka (4,21,730), and Uttar Pradesh (2,85,041).
There are 9,19,018 active cases of Covid-19 in the country which comprises 20.58% of the total caseload, according to the latest available data.
More than 74% of the total active cases are in nine most affected states -- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Assam, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh presently contribute 49% of total active cases of coronavirus infection. Maharashtra is leading this tally with more than 2,50,000 whereas Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh follow with more than 97,000 each, the ministry said.
Of the total deaths, 69% are concentrated in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, the ministry said.
The Union Health Ministry has asked all states and Union Territories to mandatorily retest all symptomatic negative cases of rapid antigen tests through RT-PCR so that no positive Covid-19 case is missed.
The ministry has also urged them to urgently establish a monitoring mechanism via a designated officer or team in every district -- and at the state level -- for follow up on such cases. These teams shall analyse details of the rapid antigen tests conducted on a daily basis and ensure that there are no delays in retesting of all the symptomatic negative cases.
The ministry said it has noted that in some large states, symptomatic cases tested negative by RAT are not being followed up by RT-PCR testing.
The Guidelines of ICMR as well as the Union Health Ministry clearly state that all symptomatic (with fever, cough or breathlessness) negative cases of RAT and asymptomatic cases of RAT that develop symptoms within two to three days of being tested negative must necessarily be retested through RT-PCR tests.
"In this background, the Union Health Ministry and ICMR have jointly written to all the states and UTs and urged them to ensure that the all symptomatic negative cases of RAT are mandatorily retested using the RT-PCR test," the health ministry said.
"This is necessary to ensure that such symptomatic negative cases do not remain untested and do not spread the disease among their contacts," it said. The ministry said this will also ensure early detection, isolation and hospitalisation of such "false" negative cases.
It has also been reiterated in the joint letter that while the RAT is being used to increase access and availability of testing in the field, RT-PCR remains the gold standard of Covid tests, the ministry said.
Source: PTI
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Thursday said she has tested Covid-19 positive.
Pednekar said her rapid antigen test came positive, but she is asymptomatic. “As I don't have any symptoms I have home quarantined myself as per the doctors’ advice,” she said in a tweet.
She has also appealed to the people, who had come in her contact, to take necessary precautions.
Source: PTI
With the festival season kicking in next month, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has urged people to take precautions against Covid-19 infection.
“Many festivals are approaching in the coming months. While the Covid-19 pandemic is under control in Delhi, it is important to have preventive measures in place to contain the spread of Covid-19 at religious places of worship,” he said.
The Navratri festival that involves temple visits and fasts for nine days will begin from October 17. It will culminate with Vijaya Dashmi or Dussehra on October 25. The festival of Diwali will be celebrated in the month of November.
“I would like to appeal to the general public as well as the organisations managing religious places to adhere to all the preventive measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the religious places during the upcoming festival season,” the chief minister said in his appeal.
The religious places in the city were closed with the announcement of lockdown as the coronavirus cases spread in March. Under the unlockdown process, the religious places opened in August and various festivals like Janmashtami, Eid and Bakrid were celebrated with temples and mosques putting in place various preventive measures.
Source: PTI
Terming coronavirus as an unprecedented challenge, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said India is putting up a well-planned fight against the pandemic under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
The BJP leader asked people to take necessary precautions until a vaccine is found.
“Coronavirus is an unprecedented challenge for us. But we are fighting against it in a well-planned manner under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the entire world has recognised our efforts,” he said.
Source: PTI
All travellers from India who are not Singaporeans and permanent residents will have to take a coronavirus test within 72 hours before departing for Singapore from next Thursday, in a move to reduce the number of imported cases from the country.
"We have been closely monitoring the Covid-19 situation in India. There have been reports of a resurgence of infections in India. Singapore has also observed a significant number of imported cases with recent travel history to India," Singapore’s Health Ministry said in a statement.
The tests will apply on top of the existing requirements of a 14-day stay-home notice at dedicated facilities and a negative Covid-19 test before the end of their stay-home notice.
Travellers should be prepared to be subjected to control measures upon entry, including the payment of their stay at the SHN facilities and tests, according to the ministry.
Source: PTI
The Ministry of Home Affairs recently issued guidelines allowing the Delhi Metro to resume operations in a graded manner, following which the DMRC said it would be done in three stages from September 7-12.
Global Update
South Korea’s new confirmed infections remained below 200 for an eighth day, and the country said it plans a fourth extra budget to help businesses. Indonesia’s capital is bringing back restrictions on offices and restaurants as cases rise.
AstraZeneca Plc’s paused vaccine trial was linked to a spinal cord problem in a patient. BioNTech SE and Pfizer Inc. reached a provisional agreement to supply at least 200 million doses of any successful vaccine to the European Union.
Globally, cases surpassed 27.7 million while deaths exceeded 900,000.
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