NEW DELHI: India continues to grapple with the rapid spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus, as evidenced by the latest figures released by the Union Health Ministry.
In the past 24 hours, the country has reported 5,880 new cases of coronavirus infections, with an active caseload of 35,199.
This marks an increase of nearly ten percent compared to the previous day.
The worst-hit states include Kerala, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu, with the highest number of Covid-19 cases reported.
According to government data, the death count from Covid-19 has risen to 5,30,979 with four deaths each reported from Delhi and Himachal Pradesh, and one each from Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.
Additionally, two deaths have been reconciled by Kerala. Meanwhile, the daily positivity rate stands at 6.91 percent, and the weekly positivity rate is pegged at 3.67 percent.
COVID-19 | 5,880 new cases recorded in India in the last 24 hours; Active caseload rises to 35,199
— ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2023
India Logged 5,357 Fresh Covid-19 Cases On Sunday
According to a bulletin released by the Union Health Ministry on Sunday, the country recorded 5,357 fresh Covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours, which is slightly lower than Saturday’s count of 6,155 cases.
Over the past few days, there has been an upward trend in Covid infections, with daily fresh infections reported at 2,994 on April 1, 3,824 on April 2, 3,641 on April 3, 3,038 on April 4, 4,435 on April 5, 5,335 on April 6, 6,050 on April 7, and 6,155 on April 8.
As of Sunday, the Union Health Ministry stated that there are 32,814 active Covid-19 cases in the country, with a daily positivity rate of 3.39 per cent.
The ministry’s bulletin also noted 3,726 recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall count to 4,41,92,837, and the recovery rate to 98.74 per cent.
The nationwide vaccination drive has administered 220.66 crore vaccine doses so far, with 659 doses given in the last 24 hours.
Covid-19 Mock Drill In Hospitals From Today
To evaluate the readiness of hospitals amid the surge in Covid-19 cases, a nationwide mock drill will take place starting from Monday, involving both public and private healthcare facilities.
The objective of the drill is to ensure that Covid-19 patients receive prompt and efficient healthcare.
Health Ministry officials stated that Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is scheduled to visit AIIMS Jhajjar on Monday to supervise the mock drill.
During a review meeting on April 7, Mandaviya had urged state health ministers to visit hospitals and oversee the mock drills.
He also advised them to review the preparedness with district administrations and health officials on April 8 and 9.
During a review meeting on April 7, Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Health Minister, urged state health ministers to visit hospitals and oversee the mock drills, and advised them to review the preparedness with district administrations and health officials on April 8 and 9.
During a virtual meeting with state health ministers, principal and additional chief secretaries, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya emphasized the importance of identifying emergency hotspots through monitoring trends of influenza-like illness (ILI) and
severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases, increasing testing and vaccination, and ensuring the preparedness of hospital infrastructure.
In addition to increasing genome sequencing and scaling up whole genome sequencing of positive samples, Mandaviya had highlighted the importance of promoting awareness about adhering to Covid-appropriate behaviour.
WHO Tracking New Covid-19 Variants
The states and union territories were notified during the meeting that the World Health Organization (WHO) is closely monitoring a variant of interest (VOI), XBB.1.5, along with six other variants (BQ.1, BA.2.75, CH.1.1, XBB, XBF and XBB.1.16), as per a statement by the Health Ministry.
The Health Ministry statement highlighted that although Omicron and its sub-lineages remain the most common variants, most of the monitored variants have little or no significant transmissibility, disease severity, or immune escape.
The prevalence of XBB.1.16 increased from 21.6 per cent in February to 35.8 per cent in March.
However, according to the statement, no evidence has been reported to suggest an increase in hospitalization or mortality rates.
Stress On Tracking, Testing & Treatment Of Covid-19
In the meeting, it was noted that 23 states and union territories had an average number of tests per million below the national average.
Mandaviya emphasized that despite the emergence of new variants, the five-fold strategy of “Test-Track-Treat-Vaccinate” and adherence to Covid-appropriate behavior remain the proven approach for managing Covid.
The states and union territories were urged to increase the testing rate from 100 tests per million as of the week ending April 7 and to increase the percentage of RT-PCR tests in the total number of tests conducted.
CJI Allows Lawyers To Appear Virtually In Courts
Due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases, the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud announced earlier this week that lawyers are allowed to appear virtually in court.
He acknowledged that newspaper reports indicate a surge in Covid cases and offered the option for lawyers to appear virtually in court using the hybrid mode.
He said, “If you choose to appear online, we will hear you.”
The Supreme Court had switched back to physical hearing mode for the adjudication of cases from April 4, 2022, citing the low infection rate and Covid cases in Delhi and across the country.
The court has been using the hybrid method, a combination of physical and virtual hearings, for a while now.
Additionally, the court has begun live-streaming the Constitution bench proceedings through the Supreme Court app and YouTube even after resuming physical hearings.
