India continues to see a boom in Covid cases, with 35,871 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours, the largest daily increase since early December. Between March 1 and March 15, the government said, active cases rose by more than 150 percent in 70 districts across 16 states.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with chief ministers on Wednesday amid a troubling growth. To avoid what he called Covid’s “emerging second peak,” decisive measures such as control of micro-containment areas and rigorous implementation of restrictions were needed. India has so far reported over 1.14 crore cases, with 1.59 lakh people dying.
On Thursday, the country’s active caseload, which has been increasing for the past week, was reported at 252,364. This is 2.05 percent of the estimated number of incidents.
The number of people who have died as a result of the epidemic has risen to 1,59,216, with 172 more people dying in the last 24 hours.
In the same time span, 17,741 persons recovered, bringing the cumulative number of recoveries to 1,10,63,025.
Fears of the second Wave?
Fresh cases of coronavirus have soared in the last two weeks, particularly in Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh, where there were less than 15,000 new cases daily for most of January and the first half of February.
Maharashtra continues to be the leading cause of new cases around the country on a regular basis. On Wednesday, 23,179 new infections were reported in the province, bringing the number to 23,70,507.
The Union Health Ministry expressed concern on Wednesday about the increase in novel coronavirus cases in the region, saying that 60 percent of all active cases are concentrated in Maharashtra.
Experts also cautioned that the second wave of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra could be related to previously uninfected people venturing out after nearly a year at home and that if the epidemic is not managed, it could spread to other states.
PM’s Meeting on Corona
During a video conference with chief ministers, PM Modi cautioned them that a “nationwide epidemic” might occur again, and urged them to take the “Test, Monitor, and Treat” approach seriously. In an interview about the pandemic and the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, Modi said that states like Maharashtra and Punjab have seen an increase in cases, while the positivity rate in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh has risen dramatically.
