English
Mumbai: Maharashtra health minister Tanaji Sawant on Thursday urged citizens to exercise caution and vigilance in the next 10-15 days, especially as tourist and religious places might experience overcrowding due to New Year festivities. The health department has also directed that the number of coronavirus tests be increased in view of the detection of cases caused by the JN.1 sub variant.
“People should strictly follow rules to avoid the spread of coronavirus. People are excited to welcome the new year, but in large gatherings, the chances of it spreading also goes up….Health institutions and people should stay alert for the next 10-15 days to check the spread of coronavirus infection. Those already having some illness must avoid such gatherings,” he told PTI.
Maharashtra recorded 117 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, surpassing the 100-mark for the first time in nearly seven months. Additionally, a death from Nashik was reported, marking the second consecutive day of recording coronavirus-related fatalities in the state.
Given the uptick in cases, the public health minister directed all government hospitals to conduct mock drills to ensure the functionality of their oxygen systems, ventilators, and other equipment. Stressing the significance of the next two weeks, he asked people visiting tourist and religious places during New Year festivities to adhere to COVID-compliant rules in crowded areas.
“Failing to do so could elevate the risk of the virus spreading as individuals return home,” he said. To maintain uniformity in treatment, the task force will soon submit a drug manual along with essential guidelines, he said.
India saw a single day rise of 702 cases of COVID-19, with the number of active cases of the infection rising to 4,097, the health ministry said on Thursday. Six new fatalities — two from Maharashtra and one each from Karanataka, Kerala, West Bengal, and Delhi — were reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry’s data updated at 8 am. The country had recorded 752 new cases on December 22.
The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits by December 5, but the cases have again gone up after emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions. The daily numbers were in lakhs at the peak of the pandemic, which began in early 2020 and has seen more than 4.5 crore people getting infected and over 5.3 lakh deaths in about four years since then across the country.
The number of people who recuperated from the infection stands at over 4.4 crore with a national recovery rate of 98.81 per cent, according to the ministry’s website. According to the website, 220.67 crore doses of Covid vaccines have so far been administered in the country.
(With PTI inputs)
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