45 dists in 10 States see surge in Covid cases; Centre releases Rs 1,828 cr to States
Amid an increase in active Covid-19 cases for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday and at least ten States reporting a sharp surge, the Centre has called for strict restrictions in districts witnessing a positivity rate of more than 10 per cent. It also released 15 per cent of the Rs 12,185 crore Covid-19 emergency package to the States to improve health infrastructure.
Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh and Manipur are among the States that are either witnessing a surge in new Covid cases or a rise in positivity rate, the Union Health Ministry said in a statement.
Apart from focusing on strict containment measures, States were also told to “ramp up vaccination in the 60+ and 45-60 age categories as evidence shows 80 per cent of the mortality is from these vulnerable age-groups”. The Centre’s fresh review comes amid concern over a third Covid wave.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Saturday that an amount of Rs 1,827.8 crore has been sent to the States and Union Territories. The amount constitutes 15 per cent of the total allocation of Rs 12,185 crore under the Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness (ECRP-II) Package.
In a tweet, the Minister said, “15 per cent of the total amount of Emergency Covid-19 Response Package fixed by the Central Government to empower the country to fight Covid-19, which means Rs 1827.80 crore has been sent to the States and UTs. This package will prove helpful in the development of health infrastructure across the country.”
Amid the threat of the third Covid wave, the Union Cabinet on July 9 had approved the Rs 23,123 crore package, including Rs 12,185 crore Central share, to prevent a repeat of the disastrous events surrounding the second wave of the Covid pandemic in case a third wave strikes.
With 46 districts recording more than 10 per cent positivity rate, and 53 districts recording a positivity rate between 5-10 per cent, States have been told to ramp up testing. “Any laxity at this stage will result in deterioration of the situation in these districts,” the Centre has warned.
The measures were discussed at a review meeting held by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan that was also attended by the Indian Council of Medical Research Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava, besides top health officials from the States.
“All districts reporting positivity rate of more than 10 per cent in the last few weeks need to consider strict restrictions to prevent or curtail the movement of people, formation of crowds and intermingling of people to prevent the spread of infection,” an official statement read.
India recorded 41,649 coronavirus cases and 593 fatalities in the last 24 hours ending at 8 am on Saturday, according to the Union Health Ministry’s latest update.
With this, the country’s total Covid caseload is now at 3,16,13,993, while the death toll stands at 4,23,810.
The country’s tally of active cases presently stands at 4,08,920. A majority of the fresh cases have been contributed by Kerala, which is battling a surge. Out of the total active caseload, 1.61 lakh are from Kerala.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.34 per cent. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 2.42 per cent, according to the Ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has gone up to 3,07,81,263, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.34 per cent.
