Coronavirus cases in India have crossed the 35 lakh mark (archive)
New Delhi:
India reported 78,761 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours, the largest single-day increase in infections in the world, government data revealed Sunday morning, bringing the total number of cases in the country to more than 35 lakh.
The increase in coronavirus cases in India, this is the fourth consecutive day to register more than 70,000 new cases and the eighth with more than 60,000, can be attributed to the resumption of economic and commercial activities and the increase in testing, medical experts were quoted by the PTI news agency.
Another concern, one expert told PTI, was disdain for following the guidelines, which include wearing face masks in public places and social distancing.
“With the opening of the economy … complacency is being seen among people who follow the appropriate behavior of Covid, which is also contributing to the increase in cases,” said Dr. Samiran Panda, head of the Department of Communicable Diseases. of the ICMR. (Indian Council of Medical Research) told PTI.
The reopening of public spaces and economic activities – a necessary step given the condition of the Indian economy after months of lockdown – continued last night with “Unlock4”, the fourth phase of easing restrictions.
Under “Unlock4” guidelines, subway services, banned because crowded stations and trains facilitate the spread of the infectious virus, have been allowed. The Delhi Metro, which claims to transport around 15 lakhs of people a day, has set strict guidelines to minimize contact.
Hotels and restaurants, shopping centers, religious venues, and gyms, all characteristically high-traffic and high-contact areas, have also been reopened, albeit with restrictions, in earlier “Unblocking” phases.
The focus on “discipline” and adherence to Covid guidelines, a key point as the country opens up more and more, was reinforced today by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Mann ki Baat, your monthly radio address.
The Prime Minister emphasized Covid’s “discipline” during his Mann ki Baat address sunday
“The coronavirus will be defeated only if security measures are followed. The two-meter distance rule must be strictly followed,” the prime minister said, although he did not mention the increase in new cases.
Meanwhile, Dr. Panda also noted that the increase in cases was the inevitable result of Covid testing “increasing exponentially.”
India conducted a record 10.5 lakh tests in one day (Sunday), the government said today according to PTI, adding that the total number of tests had exceeded 4.14 million rupees. The government said the “exponential jump” had resulted in an “increase” in the number of tests per million, to 30,044.
That figure, however, is the second lowest among the ten countries most affected by this pandemic, according to the AFP news agency.
“Tests per million in India (30,000) are still the second lowest of the 10 countries (infected by viruses). Mexico is the lowest, around 10,000,” Shahid Jameel, virologist who heads the Wellcome Trust, told AFP. / DBT India Alliance.
India conducted a record 10.5 lakh of COVID-19 tests on Sunday, the government said.
Experts also cautioned that while an increase in testing, and India has increased testing in recent weeks, is encouraging, more must be done to capture the scale of the pandemic in the world’s second-most populous nation.
The government, which has been criticized by the opposition for its handling of the crisis, has noted that India’s number of cases and deaths are among the lowest in the world when compared to every million of its population.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the country had made great strides to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, despite having limited resources and being densely populated.
India is now three lakh less than Brazil on the list of worst affected nations; The South American country ranks second on that list, about 21 lakh of cases behind the United States in first place.
Given the rate at which infections are mounting (there have been more new coronavirus cases per day than in any other country since August 4), India is likely to overtake Brazil in a week.
With contributions from AFP, PTI, Reuters
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