Health Ministry sounds alert over third wave of Covid-19

Stating that signs of the third wave of Covid-19 infections are already being seen in parts of the world, the Union Health Ministry warned people of serious consequences if the Covid-19 surge is not controlled in some parts of the country.

New Delhi:The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Tuesday issued a caution that the country may face serious consequences if the Covid-19 surge is not controlled in some limited pockets. "The present surge of Covid-19 cases are confined to some limited pockets in India. We need to take strong measures to control the situation because many countries have already started witnessing the third wave of the pandemic," said Dr VK Paul, chairman of the national task force on Covid-19 in New Delhi.

The statement given by Dr Paul comes against the backdrop that 55 districts from at least 13 states have been reporting more than 10 per cent positivity at present. Moreover, five states mainly Kerala (30.0 per cent), Maharastra (20.8 per cent), Tamil Nadu (8.5 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (7.3 per cent) and Odisha (6.5 per cent) are the major contributors of India's total active cases. "The Prime Minister during his meeting with Northeast Chief Ministers on Tuesday also expressed the same concern. We need to strictly follow Covid19 behaviour," said Dr Paul.

Echoing the same view, Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the health ministry, however, said that India's Covid-19 scenario is improving at present. "We need to maintain the momentum and for this, we need to strictly follow Covid-19 protocol," said Agarwal highlighting the fact that people are seen crowding in hilly stations and market areas. Asserting that the second wave of the pandemic in India is not yet over, the country has been witnessing a decline of daily new cases from 414,188 on May 7 to 31,443 on July 13.

Agarwal said that the number of districts reporting 100 daily cases has also come down to 73 as on July 13. "We have seen a reduction of 458 districts in terms of higher cases being reported in last 69 days," said Agarwal. He said that India's recovery rate has also increased to 97.3 per cent as on Tuesday. Further referring to studies conducted by NGOs and private organisations, he said that people are found not wearing masks as they find it uncomfortable. "The survey found that many people don't wear masks as they face breathing problems whereas some people don't wear a mask saying they are already maintaining social distance," said Agarwal.

It may be mentioned here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired a review meeting with the Chief Minister of all Northeastern states and appealed to them to take all necessary steps to control the situation. Many districts in Northeastern states have been witnessing more than 10 per cent positivity at present. "Today's review meeting chaired by the Prime Minister was the need of the hour. Several districts in Northeastern states have been witnessing a spike in Covid-19 cases. And many districts are reporting more than 10 per cent positivity rate," said Queen Oja, BJP MP from Guwahati.

She emphasised that people should adhere to all social distancing norms to stop any possible third wave. As many as 35 districts in the Northeast have been witnessing more than 10 per cent positivity for the week ending July 13.