New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held a high-level meeting with senior Government officials to review the Covid situation across the country, where he stressed on awareness of community and its involvement for sustainable COVID-19 management.
While saying that there is a need to continue Jan Bhagidari and Jan Andolan for COVID-19 management, PM reiterated the importance of five-fold strategy of Testing, Tracing, Treatment, Covid-appropriate behaviour and Vaccination.
He said that if this strategy is implemented with utmost seriousness and commitment, it would be effective in curbing the spread of the pandemic.
The meeting comes on a day when the country has recorded 93,249 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the biggest single-day surge since mid-September, while 513 more people have succumbed to the deadly infection since yesterday.
In today’s meeting, it was decided that a special campaign for Covid appropriate behaviour with emphasis on 100% mask usage, personal hygiene and sanitation at public places/workplaces and health facilities will be organised from 6th April to 14 April 2021, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
The Prime Minister directed that central teams consisting of public health specialists and clinicians be sent to Maharashtra in view of high case load and deaths, and likewise to Punjab and Chhattisgarh because of the disproportionate number of deaths being reported there.
A detailed presentation was made which highlighted that there is an alarming rate of growth of Covid-19 cases and deaths in the country with 10 states contributing to more than 91% of cases and deaths due to COVID. It was noted that the situation in Maharashtra, Punjab and Chhattisgarh is of serious concern.
As of date, Maharashtra has contributed 57% of total cases in the country in the last 14 days and 47% of deaths in the country during the same period. In Maharashtra, the total number of new cases per day has touched 47,913 which is more than double its earlier peak.
Punjab has contributed 4.5% of the total number of cases in the country in the last 14 days. However, it has contributed 16.3% of the total number of death, which is a matter of serious concern.
Similarly, though Chhattisgarh has contributed 4.3% of total cases in the country over the last 14 days, its contribution in total death has exceeded 7% during the same period. The 10 high burden States and UTs are contributing 91.4% of total cases and 90.9% of total deaths in the country.
The country’s overall tally has now risen to 12,485,509 while the death toll has reached 164,623, as per the Health Ministry data released this morning.
India had reported single-day spike of 92,605 cases on September 20 last year.
The Health Ministry had yesterday said that eight states have seen a massive surge in COVID-19 cases and accounted for 81.42% of the single-day infections of COVID-19 pathogen.
These states include Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh. They have witnessed steep rise in COVID-19 cases.
Meanwhile, India has surpassed a significant milestone as the cumulative number of vaccine doses administered in the country crossed the 7.5 crore mark today.
India had witnessed a gradual decline in daily cases after September last year. 97,894 new cases were recorded on September 17 as the daily Covid-19 cases peaked in that month.
India is the third worst-hit country in the world, the US and Brazil being at first and second spot respectively.
-ARK
