By Dr. Gyan Pathak
Rising new COVID-19 cases again chiefly due to a new variant XBB.1.16 have put India on alert. The seriousness of the threat has been noted even at the Prime Minister level who chaired a review meeting on March 23, the day on which a single-day rise of 1300 new cases were recorded, which was highest in the last 140 days.
Though experts have said that there was no need to be panicked as long as the new variant does not cause severe illness, hospitalization, and deaths, PM Narendra Modi has flagged the rising new cases during his high-level meet to review COVID-19 situation, and stressed on tracking new variants, emphasized on preparedness to meet any challenge, and urged people to take necessary precautions.
Union Ministry of Health data shows that the active cases in the country have increased to 7,605. With three deaths on Tuesday, the total death toll has reached 5,30,816. The deaths were reported from Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The total tally of COVID-19 has now reached to 4,46,99,418. Though the weekly positivity rate remains at 1.08 per cent, the daily positivity rate has risen to 1.46 per cent. The national recovery rate stands at 98.79 per cent. Here lies the threat on account of high population of the country on the one hand and lack of enough healthcare facilities in the country, which demands preparedness for any eventuality. Additionally, influenza (H3N2) cases have also been reported on the rise, that makes the situation a little bit alarming. A total of 92.06 crore tests for detection of COVID-19 has been conducted so far with 89,078 tests being conducted in the last 24 hours. As of now 220.65 crore doses of vaccines have been administered.
It is in this backdrop PM Narendra Modi hold the high-level meeting on COVID-19 and influenza to review the country’s response and preparedness to deal with the emerging situation. During the meeting, PM Modi advised precaution and remain vigilant.
There have been respite from the COVID-19 in the country for quite some time and hence the level of testing to detect cases has fallen below 90,000 per day. In this situation, PM Modi has rightly emphasized on the need to enhance lab surveillance and testing of all Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases apart from calling for ramping up of genome sequencing.
During the first wave of COVID-19 in 2020 and the second wave in mid-2021, India had greatly enhanced the arrangements for makeshift hospitals and other health facilities. However, later they were removed and the healthcare facilities in hospitals have even been drastically reduced. Therefore, there is a genuine concerns – what if, hospitalization needs starts rising again with the rise of new cases and emergence of yet other deadly new COVID-19 variants?
During the review meeting PM directed the official of the Union Ministry of Health to conduct mock hospital drills to test the level of preparedness and to ensure it that it works. He reminded the officials that COVID-19 pandemic was far from over, and there was a need to regularly monitor its status across the country.
The five-fold strategy of ‘Test-Track-Treat-Vaccination’ and COVID-19 appropriate behaviour that the country had adopted in the past to deal with the pandemic is still relevant. PM has advised to remain focused on it, apart from enhancing surveillance and testing all SARI cases and ensuring the maintenance of hygiene standards and COVID-19 appropriate behaviour.
It was the first such review meeting in 2023that PM Modi hold. His last meeting was hold on December 22, 2022 during which he had given certain direction including ensuring availability of chief COVID-19 and other drugs. In this meeting PM was apprised of the follow up. Officials told PM Modi that 20 main COVID-19 drugs, 12 other drugs, 8 buffer drugs and one influenza drug are being monitored.
The last review meeting of December was held at a time when Asian countries such as China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Japan were reporting an increase in new COVID-19 cases. PM Modi had directed for mock drills to check the preparedness of health care system. Until now such drills have been conducted at 22,000 hospitals across the country.
The need to conduct more drills is clear from the rising cases within the country in the last 30 days. In mid-February only 1000 cases were being reported in the country which multiplied 3 times in 30 days to reach 3000 cases a week in mid-March. Moreover, new cases are even rising and it was 1300 on a single day yesterday.
The Centre had sent letters to six states – Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat – last week, asking them to conduct adequate and proactive testing, monitor new and emerging clusters of infections, keep an eye on the influenza-like illness coming to health facilities, and send samples of international travellers, sentinel sites, and clusters for genomic sequencing.
By second week of March, according to ICMR data, flue sub-types were found in 48 per cent of samples and COVID-19 in 33.3 per cent of samples. This necessitates India not to put off its guard against the current threat, though there is no need to be panicked, since new variants would keep emerging. Former AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria has advised against panic but has pointed out that the present spread may be underreported since most people now don’t get themselves tested or report even if they have flu-like symptoms. (IPA Service)
