Haryana Director General of Health Services Dr Suraj Bhan Kamboj on Wednesday said that at present, the surge in Covid-19 cases is concentrated in districts bordering the national capital Delhi but there is concern that the virus may spread to other parts by November-end. “Expecting the numbers to peak again by November-end and early December, the district chief medical officers of Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonepat, Rohtak, Karnal, Hisar and Yamunanagar have been asked to start sampling more aggressively now on,” he added.
Talking to ‘The Pioneer’ over the phone Dr Kamboj said, “Once the numbers start increasing in Delhi, the bordering districts also have witnessed a spike because of inter-state movement of people and materials. Preparedness for the second surge is better but when and how severe the second surge will be is a little difficult question. We expect numbers to take a steep rise again, somewhere towards the end of November or early December.”
He said that most of Covid-19 new cases detected last week are in districts bordering Delhi. Health experts anticipate coronavirus infection to spread to other parts of the State by November-end. “Keeping in view of this, people are appealed to follow social distancing and take all precautions. People must be extra cautious given the changing weather as well as the festival season. The danger of corona virus has neither been eliminated nor reduced yet, so it is critical we take all precautions against the infection,” he added.
DG Health said that the State has witnessed a new surge in Covid-19 cases with the State reporting 2,305 more infections last week as compared to the week before. The spike between October 26 and November 1 comes after a five-week decline in the infection rate, he added.
As per health department bulletin, four national capital region (NCR) districts adjoining Delhi – Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonepat and Rohtak – contributed to 53 per cent of the 10,576 new infections reported last week. Gurugram (2,912) and Faridabad (1,692) alone accounted for 43 per cent of the new infections. Hisar, a district in the north-western part of the State also reported a sizable 1,160 new infections primarily due to it being a commercial hub.
Dr Dhruva Chaudhary, the nodal officer for Covid-19 in the State said that a surge is expected in winter due to increase in air pollution and festival season. The resumption of activities such as the opening of schools, colleges, cinemas, multiplexes, entertainment parks, allowing social, religious and political congregations are also factors that contribute towards increasing the spread. In addition to this, there is a tendency of people to lower their guard and shun safety measures during festivities, he added.
“We are ramping up the RT-PCR testing again. Civil surgeons have been directed to organise sampling camps for two weeks. Crowded areas, markets, slums and the vulnerable groups such as frequent travellers will be the focus of our stepped-up testing,” Dr Chaudhary said.
Meanwhile, as per health bulletin, Gurugram recorded 9299 fresh cases in October as opposed to 9144 cases in September and 2833 cases in August. The number of tests conducted during this period also rose from 61,132 in August to 92,052 in September and peaked at 94, 807 in October. Fatalities meanwhile rose from 10 in August to 41 in September and dipped slightly to 39 in October.
In terms of daily cases, Gurugram for the first time recorded over 300 cases for 10 days in a row from October 21-31. On Sunday, the district crossed the 500 mark for the first time and recorded its highest single day jump so far seeing 529 cases.
Senior Health officer said that the doctors have advised extreme precaution at this time as the chances of contracting the virus may increase. “With a dip in temperatures, resistance in human decreases as well. Cases of swine flu, pneumonia as well as respiratory issues are also bound to see a rise. Though we do not yet know the exact nature of the virus, we expect all these factors will inadvertently lead to a rise in coronavirus cases as well, he added.
