India toll hits 100; Delhi tally 503

death toll being 83. However, a tally by Covid19india.org that was cross-checked by HT, showed that the number of cases stood at 4,198, with 114 deaths. There is a lag in the Union health ministry’s data when compared to that of states. Officials say this is because of procedural delays in state-wise cataloguing of cases.

An official of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that Sars-cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is not airborne. “If it was an airborne infection, then in a family whoever has a contact they all should come positive because they are living in same surrounding as the patient and the family is breathing the same air. When someone is admitted in hospital, other patients would have got exposure (if it was airborne) but that is not the case,” said Raman R Gangakhedkar, head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at ICMR.

ICMR has issued an advisory that said spitting in public places could enhance the spread of Covid-19. On the question of rapid antibody tests, Gangakhedkar said test kits should be available by Wednesday.

The country’s apex biomedical research organisation on Saturday released an advisory on how and where to use the rapid test, which can determine the immunity of an individual and help people get back into the workforce. The advisory includes people in high-risk areas (containment zones), large migration gatherings and evacuation centres. A task force constituted to review the testing guidelines did not open up rapid testing to the private sector.

At the briefing, Agarwal said cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba held a meeting with district magistrates, superintendents of police, chief medical officers, state and district surveillance officers, state health secretaries, district health secretaries and chief secretaries to review the situation.

District officials shared strategies on how they delineated containment and buffer zone, how they carried out door-todoor survey through special teams and how through telemedicine and call centres people who came from foreign countries were monitored.

Covid-19 cases have been reported in 274 districts (till Sunday afternoon) and the cabinet secretary requested all DMS to maintain uniformity in their response and establish a crisis management plan, he said.

The government said all states were asked to put in place a district-specific containment strategy in place based on the detailed large outbreak control plan issued by the health ministry on Saturday. “Surveillance and contact tracing has been our main focus, and we will continue to put emphasis on that,” said Agarwal.