Active Covid-19 Cases Cross 11 Lakh-Mark; CMs Hint At Strict Lockdown

For the first time in the country, the active COVID-19 cases have breached the 11 lakh-mark . This is after a record high of 1.52 lakh new infections the other day. Meanwhile, the country is bracing up for a massive vaccination push that was launched on Sunday, dubbed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the beginning of another major war against coronavirus.

The active caseload till now was at its lowest at 1,35,926 on February 12 and at its highest at 10,17,754 on September 18, 2020.

Amid an unprecedented burden on health infrastructure in 15 states and Delhi, which are witnessing an upward trajectory, authorities have started reserving more COVID hospitals and taking steps to address any shortage of medical supplies, besides enhancing curbs on the movement of people.

The Centre announced a ban on export of Remdesivir, used in coronavirus treatment and its Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, and asked all domestic manufacturers to display on their website details of their stockists and distributors. There were some reports of shortage of drugs from a few states.

India’s COVID-19 tally of cases climbed to 1,33,58,805, and the death toll increased to 1,69,275 with 839 daily new fatalities, the highest since October 18, 2020, the data updated by Health Ministry on Sunday morning showed.

Five states — Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala — cumulatively account for 70.82 percent of India’s active COVID-19 cases, while Maharashtra alone accounts for 48.57 percent, the Union Health Ministry said.

Besides these states, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal are displaying an upward graph in daily new cases.

Most of these states have reimposed restrictions, including the closure of schools, night curfew, weekend and local shutdowns, while ruling out a total lockdown, but as the latest wave of patients continues to flood hospitals, there are some signs of a rethink.

Lockdown Is Only Option : Maharashtra and Delhi CMs

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal have said that a lockdown will be the only option if the infections don’t abate and the health system shows signs of collapsing. Kejriwal on Sunday said the COVID-19 situation in the national capital is “very serious”. The city recorded 10,774 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the highest single-day spike so far, with 48 more fatalities.

“The fourth wave is more dangerous than the previous wave,” he told a press conference, and urged the people not to step out unless there is urgent work. The chief minister said that his government does not want to impose lockdown in Delhi but such a situation may arise if there is a rush to the hospitals and beds are unavailable for serious patients.

“We need your cooperation. If your cooperation is received and the situation of hospitals is under control, there will be no need to impose lockdown in Delhi. But, if beds in the hospitals fell short and are unavailable, then lockdown may have to be imposed,” he added.

Speaking at an all-party meeting held virtually to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the state on Saturday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had indicated the imposition of a strict lockdown in the state given the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases.

“The number of patients is increasing so fast that if we do not decide on a lockdown today, a lockdown-like situation will automatically arise tomorrow,” he said

The state has already announced a slew of curbs, including night curfew. As the number of active cases reaches a new high, states are grappling with the pressure on health facilities. The Chhatttisgarh government has directed that 80 percent of the total oxygen produced will be supplied for medical purposes to hospitals. The state health department on Sunday issued a notification in this regard under the Epidemic Diseases Act. On Saturday, Chhattisgarh recorded 14,098 new cases of coronavirus, the highest single-day spike.

Demand For Remdesivir Grows

Several areas in Madhya Pradesh have been witnessing harried people queuing up outside medical stores for Remdesivir, a drug used in the treatment.

A senior Madhya Pradesh official on Sunday said a sizeable batch of the drug has arrived and will be distributed to medical facilities as per requirement

Madhya Pradesh recorded 4,986 fresh coronavirus cases on Saturday, its biggest single-day spike.

In Maharashtra, Pune was also witnessing a huge demand for the drug.

Delhi government hospitals have been directed to engage fourth and fifth year MBBS students to meet the increased demand for manpower, while the tenure of senior and junior residents is being extended and vacant posts will be filled, officials said

The Punjab Health Department has asked private hospitals to defer elective surgeries till April 30 to meet the increasing demand for beds and charge government-fixed rates for the treatment of coronavirus patients

The Uttar Pradesh government announced imposing night curfew in districts reporting over 100 daily cases or 500 active cases and extended closure of all schools till April 30

At the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, it was decided to conduct at least one lakh RT-PCR tests daily

Ahead of Navratri and Ramzan, the state government has said that not more than five persons should be allowed to enter religious places

The state recorded highest-ever single-day spike of 15,353 cases, while 67 fresh deaths pushed the toll to 9,152

The Gujarat government has already imposed restrictions on people’s movement during the night in 20 cities of the state, including Surat.

Lockdown Fear: Migrants Return To Home States

The latest surge of COVID-19 has also sparked concerns of a repeat of migrant workers’ exodus from the worst affected states

Industry sources in Tamil Nadu said the sector was recovering from the jolt of the first wave of coronavirus but now some workers have again reportedly left for their natives early last week as they feared being stranded if a lockdown was imposed

A severe spike in COVID-19 cases in Mumbai and talk of a “complete lockdown” like last year, has made the national highway number 3 skirting past Madhya Pradesh’s commercial hub Indore a prime route for wary migrants returning home to states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.