Covid-19 cases in India rise to 107 India needs a more aggressive testing regimen: Experts
STATES AFFECTED Maharashtra sees a sharp jump in number of infections, registers a total of 31 cases; Kerala now has 22 patients CONTAINMENT Authorities work on war-footing to limit community transmission of the disease that has killed more than 5,800 glo
NEW DELHI: The number of novel coronavirus infections (Covid-19) in India rose to 107 as 23 new cases were reported on Sunday, with the majority of infect i ons i n t he country being recorded in Maharashtra and Kerala as the central and state governments ramped up measures to curb the communitywide spread of the pandemic.
Seventeen more people tested positive for the virus in Maharashtra on Sunday, taking the state’s total to 31, followed by Kerala, which reported three new infections and 22 cases overall. Two new patients were diagnosed in Telangana and one in Rajasthan, special secretary at the Union ministry of health Sanjeeva Kumar said.
With the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring Covid-19 a pandemic, the country has seen a sharp spike in the number of infections this month. The total number of confirmed cases includes 17 foreigners -- 16 Italian tourists and a Canadian national – and two deaths in the country.
The outbreak, which has infected over 156,000 people globally and killed more than 5,800 globally, originated in China late last year but has spread to over 142 countries and territories. The epicentre of the contagion has since shifted to Europe, the World Health Organization said as Italy saw the second highest number of deaths and cases after China. In Asia, Iran and South Korea are the worst-hit countries.
The government has asked people not to panic, saying no community transmission of the virus has been observed and there has only been a few cases of local transmission so far and that it is “not a health emergency” in India at present.
A health ministry official said that over 4,000 people who came in contact with the positive cases have been identified through contact tracing and were being tracked while 42,000 people across the country are under community surveillance.
Authorities across the country are also working on war-footing to limit community transmission of the disease, with the country’s apex biomedical research body -- the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – also beginning its second batch of random testing of samples to keep a check.
Experts have said community transmission, which may be just a matter of time, would strain an already overstretched medical infrastructure that would struggle to deal with a large number of cases.
Officials in India have further warned that the numbers are likely to go up as the test results for those in contact with the patients are yet to be confirmed. “The number could go up as we are waiting for test reports of people who were in close contact with patients who have tested positive,” a state health official told news agency Reuters, on condition of anonymity.
India has already suspended most visas to the country and shut many land borders with neighbouring countries in a wide-reaching attempt to pre
Aggressive and random testing is crucial, even for people who show no symptoms. Random testing is done to identify people who are carriers
Since Indian cases are largely travel-related, strict screening is needed at air, sea ports, etc. Increasing labs, procuring more test kits and better equipping hospitals will also help
India’s private sector has a massive and well-equipped network of labs to carry out viral testing. Pvt hospitals can also be used to ease burden of overloaded govt hospitals
International travellers, contacts of positive cases must be strictly followed up even after their initial tests in order to pick up people who develop symptoms early
China’s area-specific lockdown has nearly wiped out new cases in the country. It is a model that has also been applied in other countries such as Italy and Iran, but not until it was too late
Do not take a paracetamol before boarding the plane to avoid getting picked up in thermal screening at airports. If you have symptoms, report it to authorities immediately
Home quarantine is key to ensure infections don’t spread. So if you’ve come in contact with a confirmed patient, you must avoid all physical contact with others for 14 days
For those who get infected, hospital isolation is vital. Evading isolation wards means you are putting not just your life, but also the lives of others in danger
Washing hands with soap or an alcohol-based hand rub is very important. Following cough etiquette such as coughing/sneezing into your elbow is also key
Mass gatherings and travel through high-footfall areas can be hot-bed for spreading or contracting infection, which is why government advises to reffrain ffrom bbothh
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NEWDELHI: Experts are calling for an aggressive ramping up of testing in India to stave off the deadly infection that has claimed at least 5,800 lives across the world, pointing out that the current capacity to screen people may prove to be inadequate in case of a sudden surge in infections.
India has made arrangements to nearly double its capacity to test for the novel coronavirus and started random screening of samples, but in a country this large, the dangerous community transmission phase of the disease, when it spreads to people who have neither been to a global hot spot nor been in direct contact with someone testing positive, could have deadly ramifications.
India reported two deaths in the past week, and 84 confirmed infections, far lower than disease hot spots in China, Italy, Iran and South Korea.
Medical authorities have, until Saturday, tested 6,700 samples. India’s top medical body, the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), said it is ready to perform 100,000 tests, effectively about 10,000 tests in a day. But, at the moment, only those with a history of travel to 12 countries designated as highrisk, or those who have come in contact with anyone testing positive for the coronavirus, or showing symptoms of the disease, are being tested.