Union Health Secretary Urges Six States to Take Control of Rising Covid Cases

The Indian government has expressed concern over the rising number of Covid cases in six states and has written to them urging them to focus on controlling the sudden increase in infections. In a letter addressed to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, the Union Health Secretary emphasized the need to stress on testing, treating, tracking, and vaccination. The letter stated that some states are reporting a higher number of cases, indicating a possible localized spread of the infection. Therefore, a risk assessment-based approach should be adopted to prevent and contain the infection without losing the gains made so far in the fight against the pandemic.

According to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday morning, more than 700 Covid cases were recorded in a day after a gap of over four months, taking the active caseload to 4,623. This is a significant increase from the 734 cases recorded on November 12 last year. The letter advised states to examine the Covid situation at the micro level (district and sub-districts) and maintain focus on implementing necessary measures for prompt and effective management of Covid-19.

The Health Secretary had previously written to states and union territories on Saturday, flagging a gradual rise in Covid test positivity rates in some states, which he deemed a concerning issue. He had urged prompt action to be taken to address the situation.

Despite the rising number of cases, active cases now comprise only 0.01 per cent of the total infections, and the national Covid recovery rate has been recorded at 98.80 per cent. The number of people who have recovered from the disease has surged to 4,41,57,297, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. The country has administered 220.64 crore doses of the Covid vaccine so far under the nationwide Covid vaccination drive.