India has seen a resurgence in the number of cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19). In the last two days, the country has registered more than 16,000 new cases and more than 100 deaths.
The most affected states are Maharashtra and Kerala, which account for the majority of these new cases. But in addition to their contribution, there are a number of other factors that care to be blamed for the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country.
These are the big reasons for the increase:
Reduce the number of people tested for Covid-19: According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) cited by the Hindustan Times’ sister publication Livehindustan, 10 lakh of samples were analyzed every day in September last year. In February this year, the number dropped to 7-8 lakhs per day, according to Livehindustan. In a 24-hour period (through Friday morning), 8,31,807 samples were tested for Covid-19. In total, 21,46,61,465 samples have been analyzed to detect infection in the country.
Increase in positivity rate: Although the number of samples being tested for Covid-19 has decreased, the positivity rate has consistently remained above five percent, Livehindustan said. Last month, the positivity rate was above six percent and has declined marginally, but still exceeds 5 percent. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the positivity rate must remain below 5 percent for two weeks to effectively control the pandemic.
The effect of the new variants of the coronavirus: The health ministry recently said that at least 180 cases of the new Covid-19 variant found in the UK have been recorded in India. Apart from that, there are also some suspected cases of variants from Brazil and South Africa. And some new variants have also been discovered in the country. According to epidemiologist Shahid Jameel, India has been able to cross the peak of the disease without much damage, but that does not mean it is safe from a second wave.
Negligence: Experts say that one of the main reasons for the decline in the spread of infection is that a large part of the population developed antibodies against the infection. They point to the results of the serological surveys carried out in recent months. This drop in the number led to negligence on the part of the general public, resulting in a spike in the Covid-19 case, experts, such as the one seen in Maharashtra, said. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and health authorities in India’s hardest-hit state have warned people not to take Covid-19 lightly and follow government guidelines, including wearing face masks. Thousands of people have been sanctioned in the state for not wearing masks.
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