India is in better position in its fight against Covid19: Union Health Minister

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan said that India’s fatality rate is 3.3 per cent and the recovery rate is 28.83 per cent of COVID-19. India is in a better condition in comparison to other countries in its fight against Covid19 pandemic.

New Delhi: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said that India is in a better condition in comparison to other countries in its fight against COVID19 pandemic.

“India’s fatality rate is 3.3 percent and recovery rate is 28.83 percent. There are 4.8 percent patients in ICU, 1.1 percent on ventilators and 3.3 percent on oxygen support of the active cases. India’s testing capacity has increased and it is 95,000 tests per day with 327 Government laboratories and 118 private laboratories. Cumulatively, 13,57,442 tests have been done so far for COVID-19,” said Dr Vardhan while interacting with Health Ministers and officials from Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal through Video Conferencing.

“Need to increase sampling and testing of SARI and ILI cases along with proper quarantine arrangements of the migrant workers coming from other States,” he said.

As on Thursday India registered a total of 52,952 cases from across the country. As many as 15,266 persons have been cured. 1,783 deaths have also occurred. In the last 24 hours, 3561 new confirmed cases have been added and 1084 patients were found cured.

Dr Vardhan said that as on date, there are 180 districts with no new cases in less than 7 days, 180 districts with no new cases in 7-13 days, 164 districts which have not had any new case in 14-20 days and 136 districts with no new cases since the last 21-28 days.

The Union Minister stated that there are 130 hotspot districts, 284 non-hotspot districts and 319 non-affected districts in the country. He further added that as of now 821 dedicated COVID hospitals with 1,50,059 beds (Isolation beds- 1, 32,219 and ICU beds- 17,840) and 1,898 dedicated COVID Health Centres with 1,19,109 beds (Isolation beds- 1, 09,286 and ICU beds- 9,823) along with 7,569 quarantine centres are now available to combat COVID-19 in the country.

Referring to the increasing number of COVID cases, Dr Harsh Vardhan urged the states to focus on more effective surveillance, contact tracing and early diagnosis to keep low fatality rate. He said, “Surveillance for Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) and Influenza Like Illness (ILI) should be intensified in unaffected districts and districts which have not reported cases from last 14 days and more through the IDSP network in collaboration with Medical College Hospitals,” he said.

Referring to the migrant labourers issue Dr Vardhan asked States to adopt robust strategy and mechanism for their testing, quarantine, and treatment of the positive cases.

“Some States shall also see immigrants from abroad too. An effective strategy also needs to be put in place for their testing, institutional quarantine and treatment, if needed,” he said.

Meanwhile, AIIMS Director Dr Randep Guleria said that peak in COVID 19 cases in India may take place in June to July.

“As per modeling data and the way Covid19 cases are increasing, it is likely that peak can come in June-July. But there are many variables and with time only we can understand their effectiveness and the effect of expanding the lockdown,” Guleria said.