They have managed to reduce the infection rate of Covid-19 to ‘flatten the curve’: Center | India News



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NEW DELHI: On Thursday, giving a positive note on the Covid-19 situation in India, the Center said it has been able to reduce the infection rate to “flatten the curve” and minimize spread during the closure period National that has entered on the 30th.
As the number of coronavirus cases approaches 23,000, senior officials from the union government and the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) said the situation is “currently stable” and that the growth of infections has been more or Less linear and non-exponential, adding the evidence has also been increasing steadily, although it was not enough.
The blockade announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been in effect since March 25 in an attempt to stop the spread of the pandemic. It was extended on April 15 for another 19 days until May 3.
In another positive development, officials said that despite a 24-fold increase in testing, the percentage of positive cases is not increasing. “The percentage of positive cases as a proportion of evidence is more or less the same as a month ago.”
Responding to a question about the prospects of India reaching the maximum infection rate by May 3, ICMR Director General Dr. Balram Bhargava said: “The situation is currently stabilizing and it can even be said that we have been able to flatten the curve. However, it’s hard to say if the peak will come. ” In epidemiology, the idea of ​​slowing the spread of the virus so that fewer people need to seek treatment at any given time is known as flattening the curve.
“During the 30 days of blocking, we have been able to reduce transmission, minimize propagation, and increase Covid-19 doubling days. We have been able to constantly increase our testing and use our time preparing for the future should the virus spread even more, “said Environment Secretary CK Mishra, president of Empowered Group Two, at a daily press conference on the situation of Covid-19 in the country.
“The growth of the Covid-19 cases has been more or less linear, not exponential; This indicates that the strategies we adopted have managed to contain the infection at a particular level. After the imposition of the blockade, while the number of new positive cases increased 16-fold, the evidence increased 24-fold, “Mishra said in his presentation.
Mishra said that a crucial weapon the government used during the 30-day lockout period is the RT-PCR test to determine whether one has contracted the disease or not. RT-PCR, which is a nose and throat smear test, remains the gold standard for Covid-19 tests.
Like on March 23, almost 15,000 tests were conducted across the country and by April 22 more than 5 lakh tests were performed, which is approximately “33 times in 30 days,” he said, adding: “But we are aware from the fact that this is not enough and we have to continually increase testing in the country and we will. ”
Mishra also said that India has performed better than most developed countries regarding the percentage of test cases that yield positive results.
“We need to evolve our strategy based on the current position … It seems that so far we are doing well with our strategy, which focuses intensely on areas where we see a lot of positivity and action. Our test strategy has been focused, targeted and continues expanding, “he said.
In its latest update, the union’s health ministry estimated the total number of cases at 21,700 after infections recorded a jump of nearly 1,250 in the past 24 hours and the number of deaths at 686.
The ministry also said 4,325 people have so far recovered from the infection, which is about 20 percent of total cases, since the first case was detected in Kerala on January 30.
According to a PTI count based on state reports, the total number of cases was 22,951 and there were 721 deaths.
Of the 11 empowered groups formed to suggest measures to increase health care, get the economy back on track and reduce people’s misery once the shutdown is lifted, Mishra is the president of Empowered Group Two tasked with coordinating hospital availability. , isolation and quarantine facilities. , disease surveillance, testing and critical care training.
Mishra also said that in the past month, the number of hospitals dedicated to treating coronavirus patients has increased 3.5-fold and the number of isolation beds increased 3.6-fold.
Lav Agarwal, joint secretary of the Ministry of Health, said that no new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in 78 districts in the past 14 days.
In making a rough comparison of the test figures with other countries in his presentation, Mishra said the United States had conducted 5 lakh tests on March 26 and found that 80,000 cases were positive, Italy had crossed the mark on March 31 and 1 lakh was found positive, the UK reached the stage on April 20 and found 1,20,000 positive cases, while Turkey performed 5 lakh tests on April 16 and 80,000 were infected.
“Today we are at the half-million mark, India performed around 5 Lakh tests like April 22 and had around 20,000 cases.
“So if we do a global comparison, it looks like we are doing well so far with our strategy, which focuses intensely on the areas where we see a lot of positivity and action,” he said.
“Of course, there are other countries like South Korea that have done better than this. Our testing strategy has been focused, directed and continues to expand.”
Speaking about readiness in terms of infrastructure, the official said that the number of dedicated Covid hospitals has increased 3.5 times since last month and that the number of isolation beds increased 3.6 times during the same period. “These numbers are continually increasing.”
“Our first goal is to ensure that fewer people need to get to the hospital,” he said, stressing the importance of social distancing and caring for the vulnerable, which includes the elderly and people with concomitant diseases.
About 3,773 Covid hospitals, health centers and dedicated care centers have been prepared with capacity for 1.94,026 isolation beds, 24,644 ICU beds and 12,371 ventilators across the country. “This increases every day,” he said.
“Therefore, we want to create a structure where we test most people, treat them as needed, and then make sure that we can heal and save lives,” Mishra said.
In video: Covid-19: There are no new cases in 78 districts in the last 14 days, says the health ministry
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