New Delhi: India reported 2,35,532 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, around 16,000 cases lesser than yesterday's tally even as the positivity rate also saw a decline from 15.88 per cent on Friday to 13.39 per cent today.
The country also witnessed 871 deaths new deaths and 3,35,939 recoveries in the last 24 hours. The number of active cases has also gone down to 20,04,333 (4.91 per cent of the total infections).
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Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is scheduled to hold a virtual review meeting on the COVID-19 situation with five states today. Public health preparedness, as well as response measures, are being taken in the context of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh today at 3 pm.
Earlier on Friday, Mandaviya conducted a high-level meeting with Southern states and UT's Health Minister's and stressed upon e-Sanjeevani, teleconsultation, Monitoring home isolation and increasing RTPCR in States which are reporting lower percentage testing.
The State Health Ministers who joined the high-level review meeting included Dr K Sudhakar (Karnataka), Dr Veena George (Kerala), Ma Subramaniam (Tamil Nadu) and Thanneeru Harish Rao (Telangana). He also requested the states to accelerate the pace of vaccination of the 15-17 years age group and those whose second dose is due.
Earlier, he conducted a high-level meeting with nine Northern States and UTs and advised them to send COVID testing and vaccination data timely. The Union Health Minister also said that testing should be ramped up in the States where it has gone down. He also advised states and UTs to ensure that those in home isolation are efficiently monitored in line with the National Guidelines.
He said, "This will ensure that the vulnerable categories of active cases in home isolation get the required medical help in a timely manner." Mandaviya said that with our past experience, 'Test-Track-Treat-Vaccinate & Adherence to COVID Appropriate Behaviour' along with monitoring of cases remains crucial for COVID management. The Union Health Minister also urged the States and UTs to adopt the hub and spoke model for teleconsultation.
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