New Delhi: Even as daily new Covid-19 cases are witnessing a downtrend in India, former Director-General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr NK Ganguly told ETV Bharat on Thursday that there is a significant number of cases in India which is emerging as a threat during the upcoming festive season.
"Although the cases are decreasing, there is a significant number of cases which is happening in India and in certain areas, there are much more cases than the other places," said Dr Ganguli in an exclusive interview here in New Delhi.
Stating that travelling in India has started again, Dr Ganguly said there are carriers who are asymptomatic. "So when there is inappropriate behaviour during the festive season, there is a chance of spike. If we could avoid this up to Diwali, and by that time majority of our adult population will get the vaccinations, then we could be quite safe," he said.
Official statistics show that India has been consistently witnessing a downtrend in new cases. The highest daily new cases of 4,14,188 were reported on May 7 which has drastically come down to 23,529 as of September 30. Significantly, 59.66 per cent of the total cases last week were reported from Kerala.
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Dr Gangly appealed to people to adhere to Covid19 appropriate behaviour especially during the festive season. "There are instances of large gatherings and where people don't wear masks properly. It is bound to create problems. There is always a chance for spike," said Dr Ganguly.
Referring to the Delta variant, Dr Ganguly said that the (Delta) variant is highly transmissible so in these circumstances, Covid appropriate behaviour including physical distancing, wearing mask is very much necessary.
Dr Ganguly said that we should vaccinate more and more people. "We should create a system where people gather in small numbers. And particularly during Diwali festival, people tend to visit other homes, so appropriate behaviour is key," he said.
In fact, the Union Health Ministry during a meeting with all States and UTs over video conferencing on Thursday asked them to create awareness about Covid appropriate behaviour. The Health Ministry even suggested the authorities in States and UTs be accountable in case of any lapse in Covid-19 appropriate behaviour during the festive season.
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Dr Ganguly also suggested extensive testing. "We need to ramp up testing to curb the spread," added Dr Ganguly. As per government records, 15,06,254 samples were tested during the last 24 hours. India's cumulative number of testing reached 56,89,56,439.
