India has seen a drop in the number of new daily Covid-19 cases since October 7, indicating that the first wave of the coronavirus disease is showing signs of receding in the country.
The Health Ministry said Sunday that five states that have contributed to the highest number of cases are also contributing to the maximum number of recoveries. More than 60 lakh people have recovered from the coronavirus as of Sunday, he said.
India saw an increase in cases in September and recorded more than 90,000 cases between September 6 and 20. The number of new cases started to decline as of September 21 and India has seen a decrease in the number of daily cases since then.
It took the country 13 days to reach seven million cases from the six million mark. Most of these cases were reported in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Except for Kerala and Karnataka, every other state has seen its caseload reach its peaks.
However, experts say that the festival season, which is a week away, has the potential to raise the number of cases before the winter season. The Health Ministry has issued a set of standard operating procedures to ensure that social distancing is maintained during the holidays.
Doctors fear that if the number of cases rises after the holiday season, as seen in Kerala after Onam, the gains made in the weeks leading up to the holidays could be lost.
“We have to work vigorously to ensure that during the winter months and during the holiday season coronavirus cases do not increase dramatically,” AIIMS Director Dr. Randeep Guleria told the Associated Press.
The Health Ministry has asked the community leaders responsible for organizing the festivities to adhere to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and make proper arrangements for the masks, hand sanitizers and infrared thermometers at the festival venues during Navratri , Durga Puja and Diwali.
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