The Center warned states and UT that the current increase in cases had the potential to overwhelm the healthcare system unless urgent action was taken. He said Delhi, taken as a single administrative unit, with 8,032 active cases, was now among the 10 highest-burden districts in the country.
Maharashtra remains the hardest hit with eight districts on the list, while Karnataka has one, Bengaluru Urban, among the high-burden districts.
“The situation is going from bad to worse. This is a cause for great concern. No state, no part of the county should be complacent. Trends show that the virus is still very active and can penetrate our defenses. When we think we have controlled it, it fights back. There is a concern that we should all be aware of, ”said Dr. VK Paul, a member of Niti Aayog Health.
Paul added that the country was facing a severe and intense situation and that the entire country was at potential risk.
In a letter to the chief secretaries of state, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan asked all districts, regardless of whether they were experiencing an increase in cases or not, to come up with a ‘district action plan’ with timelines and responsibilities. clearings to control the spread of infection. .
“The current increase in cases is worrying and has the potential to overwhelm the healthcare system, unless it is controlled now,” Bhushan said in the letter, outlining steps that must be taken to stop the increase.
The Center has recommended that states and UT significantly increase testing alongside a high proportion of RT-PCR testing, tracking 25 to 30 contacts per positive case, isolation, and larger containment zones. “Test, track, treat” remains the key, Bhushan said.
States have also been advised to conduct case mapping based on surveillance activities. Additionally, states must ensure compliance with appropriate Covid behavior, if necessary, through the use of the Police Act. On Monday, 56,211 people tested positive for Covid-19. India’s average weekly positivity rate for the last week was 5.65%.
However, in Maharashtra, the positivity rate in the last week exceeded 23%, underscoring the need to significantly increase testing. Average daily Covid-19 cases have risen from 3,051 in the second week of February (10-16) to 34,456 in the last week of March (24-30) in Maharashtra. The government said that the rapid daily increase in cases and deaths in Maharashtra showed that essential public health activities were not happening.
Apart from Maharashtra and Delhi, among the other high burden states are Tamil Nadu, Madhya pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Punjab.
.
