New Delhi: Since last week, the Health Ministry has observed a staggering rise daily in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases across the country — nearly 500-plus cases daily with a few exceptions where the number has gone below 400 cases — a pattern which indicates a worrying trend after solid implementation of the nationwide lockdown and sealing of hotspots.
Despite this steep rise in numbers, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) data suggest the rate of positive cases is between 3-5% from the samples tested so far.
On Thursday, the Union Health Ministry said since Wednesday, 540 cases of coronavirus infection have been reported and 17 deaths have occurred due to the deadly infection. The total number of confirmed cases in India is 5,734, 166 have succumbed to the deadly viral infection and 472 people have been cured so far; and total 5,095 active cases in the country.
Today, the number of confirmed cases has risen to 6,412, an addition of 669 cases in a day.
On Sunday, the number of confirmed cases shot up to 693. Last week, more than 500 coronavirus cases were registered for four consecutive days, even as the government announced a massive ramp-up in the testing facilities.
On Wednesday, the Health Ministry reported 773, the highest number of cases so far, new cases in the past twenty four hours.
Although, the pattern emerging from the Indian Council of Medical Research, which has tested a total 1.3 Lakh samples over one-and-a-half months, suggests the rate of positive cases has ranged between 3-5 per cent. The government has also significantly increased the number of tests per day, in association with private labs, as it has also identified hotspots and high-risk zones.
The government has started conducting surveys where it is sampling people with hypertension and diabetes. The Health Ministry insists the country has not reached the community transmission stage yet, as the steep rise in the number of positive cases is not observed if it were to have reached the community spread stage.
According to the ICMR, 13,345 tests are done in a day, a massive increase in the number of tests in comparison with 5,000 sample size earlier this month.
Prasanta Patnaik