The Health and Family Welfare Ministry is actively coordinating with states to augment their healthcare capacities to manage any surge in cases.Mandaviya stressed the need to maintain the highest level of vigilance, especially in regions witnessing a spike in COVID-19 cases. He urged everyone to continue adhering to COVID-19 appropriate behaviors such as wearing masks, maintaining hand hygiene and practicing social distancing.The health minister further encouraged everyone to take the COVID-19 vaccination and ensure they get their second doses within the prescribed time to ensure maximum protection against the virus. The Health Minister highlighted the importance of collaboration and joint efforts between central and state governments to effectively manage the ongoing Covid situation.
He proposed regular mock drills, conducted every three months, at both central and state levels. The health minister expressed the concern that though vaccinations and other safety measures are in place, the danger of the Covid virus has not yet been completely eradicated. The minister emphasized that states must not slacken in their surveillance activities but continue to closely track new cases of Covid-19.Understanding the development and trends in Covid cases, its symptoms, and severity in individuals is key to planning effective strategies for public health response.Mr. Sudhansh Pant stated that the Omicron variant was a major factor in the surge of the cases.
He noted that while most of the cases in India are mild or symptomless they have been growing steadily, contributing to the overall rise in the numbers. But in the past two weeks, there has been a steep arise in active cases from 115 on December 6 to 614 today. In the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic,it’s worth noting that the majority of the reported cases are under home-isolation. This suggests that these cases involve mild symptoms of the disease that don’t require hospitalization, as explained by Mr. Pant during a recent presentation. He further explained that the hospitalised cases are majorly as a result of other existing health conditions, with Covid-19 just being an incidental diagnosis. He did, however, mention a surge in the daily positivity rate in certain regions, specifically in Kerala, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Karnataka.
The positivity rate essentially denotes the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases for every 100 tests conducted.Mr Pant also stated that the health authorities have been closely monitoring the JN.1 variant and that there is no reason to panic. The patients infected with the variant have all experienced mild symptoms and recovered without any complications.
