India has reported more than 70 lakh of Covid cases so far, of which 1.08 lakh are deaths (archive)
New Delhi:
The coronavirus will take advantage of us if we do not follow social distancing rules during the upcoming Christmas season, the government said Tuesday in a public warning ahead of festival weeks and winter holidays. During today’s press conference on the Covid situation, the government also referred to a “stabilization” of trends, pointing to a “constant downward trend” in the positivity rate.
“Ko acha lagta hai jab hum ikhatte hote hain virus. Woh iska faayda uthata hai (The virus rejoices when we pile up. It takes advantage of this), “said Dr. VK Paul, a member of the government think tank Niti Aayog during a Health Ministry briefing.
The government also urged the public today to wear face masks (and make sure they cover their mouth and nose) when venturing into public spaces and to wash and disinfect their hands frequently, reminding people that the COVID-virus is likely. 19 “thrive” during the upcoming winter season.
“This is a festival time and we tend to socialize. Ko acha lagta hai jab hum ikhatte hote hain virus. Woh iska faayda uthata hai (The virus rejoices when we pile up. It takes advantage of this). Festivals should not become high-profile events, “cautioned Dr. Paul.
“… there is a possibility that the pandemic will worsen in winter. It is a respiratory virus that thrives in winter; even influenza pandemics have a history of worsening in winter. Therefore, precautions will have to increase,” he added.
The warning about following the Covid protocol is a repeat of what the Union’s Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday; the minister advised against congregating in large numbers for the holidays, saying: “No religious leader of any religion says that the holidays should be celebrated putting lives in danger.”
He also said that the virus could get stronger in the winter.
India has reported a “steady downward trend” in the positivity rate, the percentage of tests that yield a positive result, the government also said today.
Data from the Ministry of Health shows that the average weekly positivity rate fell from 9.21% (from September 16 to 22) to 6.24% (from October 7 to 13). In the previous 24 hours it was even lower – 5.16 percent – the government said.
In the same period, there was also a decrease in the average number of new cases per week, from an average of 92,830 cases per day (September 9 to 15) to 70,114 new cases per day (October 7 to 13).
This morning, India reported 55,342 new cases, the first time since August 18 that daily new cases hovered around the 55,000 mark.
Today’s government hailed the downward trend as a “stabilization … a plateau that appears to have been reached with everyone’s efforts.”
India now has 8.38 lakh of active cases, which compares favorably with around 10 lakh of active cases present in September. The downward trend appears “consistent,” the government said, pointing to the fact that this figure was below the nine lakh mark for the fifth day in a row.
Overall, the country has reported 71.7 lakh of cases so far (India is now only seven lakh of cases behind the United States, the worst affected nation). Of the total cases, 1.08 lakh are deaths related to the virus.
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