Next 3 months crucial in India's fight against Covid19

With many festivities around, next three months are crucial for containing the Covid19 pandemic and stop its third wave at the bud, said Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday and he suggested people to continue adopting COVID appropriate behaviour.

New Delhi: Highlighting that coming three months (October-December) are crucial for containing the Covid19 pandemic and stop its third wave at the bud, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday suggested people to continue adopting COVID appropriate behaviour. "We have to be very cautious in the coming three months as several festivals are coming," said Bhushan while briefing on the actions taken and status of Covid19 pandemic.

He cautioned that six states in India are still a matter of concern with Kerala contributing 56.80 percent of India's total COVID cases. "Similarly State like Maharashtra contributes 15.16 percent of the active COVID cases followed by Tamil Nadu (4.71 percent), Karnataka (4.50 percent), Andhra Pradesh (4.10 percent) and Mizoram (3.85 percent)," said Bhushan.

He said that Kerala is the only State which register more than one lakh cases at present. "67.79 percent of the total case in last week reported from Kerala," said Bhushan. He said that number of daily new cases in India has come down to 30,570 whereas the overall recovery rate is 97.6 percent. India's weekly positivity fate has also come down to 2.03 percent.

Quoting statistics, Bhushan said that 34 districts in India are reporting more than 10 percent weekly positivity and 32 districts are reporting weekly positivity between 5 to 10 percent. Referring to Oxygen production in India, Bhushan said that central government plans to install 3631 pressure swing adsorption (PSA) plants which can produce 4471 Mt of oxygen per day.

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"We have already commissioned 1595 PSA plants having production capacity of 2088 Mt of oxygen," said Bhushan. He informed that all the state governments have been asked to get themselves prepared to face any kind of urgency.

Referring to the issue of vaccination, Bhushan said that 20 percent of India's adult population has received both doses of Covid19 vaccine and 62 percent got at least one dose. "Till date 57.86 cross people have got first dose and 18.70 crore people got the second dose," Bhushan said.

Health ministry statistics said that States and UTs like Lakshadweep, Chandigarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim have completed 100 percent of first dose. Talking on the matter of containing the Covid19 infection, Dr Balram Bhargava, DG ICMR cautioned people to avoid mass gathering during festive season.

"Sudden increase in population density will certainly give the virus an easy chance to spread," said Dr Bhargava. Referring to the booster dose, Dr Bhargava said that it is not a central theme at the moment.

"What we want is that people should complete the complete vaccination of two doses," he said. Dr Bhargava further refuted that there was any controversy and differences of opinion amongst the ICMR scientist over Covid19 containment strategy.

It may be mentioned here that after a some section in the government blamed the Islamic gathering as the major reason for the outbreak of the pandemic last year, ICMR scientist Dr Raman Gangakhedkar expressed his anguish over such statements.

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