New Delhi: The death toll due to COVID-19 in India rose Thursday to 16 and the number of positive cases increased by nearly 90 to 694, according to the Union Health Ministry. According to the data, the number of active COVID-19 cases in the country stood at 633, while 44 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated. The total of cases reported till Wednesday was 606.
The ministry also said that there has been no solid evidence of community transmission of COVID-19 in India as yet and the infection appears to be relatively stabilising considering the rate at which it is increasing. At the same, it said the latest figures do not establish a clear trend and in no way the government is relaxed about anything at this point.
Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health, told a press conference that while the ‘numbers of COVID-19 cases are increasing, there appears to be relatively a stable trend or even little bit reduction in the rate at which they are increasing’. “This however does not establish a clear trend and in no way are we relaxed about anything at this point,” Agarwal informed.
Agarwal said the ministry is hopeful of containing the spread of the coronavirus by social distancing policy, conducting a proper contact tracing of positive cases and by ensuring that all people at home quarantine are monitored.
While adding a note of caution, Agarwal said the community transmission phase of the disease will begin if the community and the government do not work collectively and follow the set guidelines of social distancing, home quarantine and treatment.
Agarwal urged the people to support the lockdown announced by the prime minister and said that social distancing can be an effective intervention to break the chain of transmission and all the efforts will go into waste even if one person does not follow the policy for containment of the disease. “Continued people’s support for implementation of lockdown is needed,” he said.
Agarwal further said that 17 states have started work on earmarking hospitals for dedicated treatment of COVID-19 patients on their request. He also denied that the virus spreads through mosquitoes.
PTI
