Centre to ramp up paediatric infrastructure as Covid cases dip to two-month low

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 6

The daily Covid-19 cases fell to a two-month low of 1.14 lakh on Sunday, with active cases dropping below 15 lakh in a consistently receding second wave.

The official data shows a steady rise in national recovery rate at 93.67 per cent and the daily positivity rate falling to 5.62 per cent with the infection rate staying below 10 per cent for 13 days now. The toll climbed to 3,46,759 with 2,677 deaths in the past 24 hours, the lowest in nearly 42 days.

The Health Ministry said 1,14,460 new cases were the lowest in the past two months. The country has recorded less than 2 lakh daily cases for 10 consecutive days. After a net decline of 77,449 cases today, active cases stand at 5.13 per cent of the total. The cumulative number of vaccine doses administered in the country exceeded 23 crore today. The government is now planning to ramp up paediatric Covid facilities to prepare for any eventuality in the face of growing complications among children. A number of states have started reporting multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which presents an emergency and demands urgent treatment.

The Health Ministry has received evidence of this new serious post-Covid disease among children.

“We have seen that two to six weeks after asymptomatic Covid, some children present with fever, body rash, eye inflammation, diarrhoea, breathlessness and bleeding of the skin. It is treatable, but can turn into a major condition,” said VK Paul, Member, Health, Niti Aayog.

The government is now working on new protocol for child Covid care and on ramping up existing childcare facilities by three times to ensure timely treatment of the new syndrome.

No 2nd wave impact on farm sector: Niti Aayog

New Delhi: Niti Aayog Member (Agriculture) Ramesh Chand on Sunday said the second Covid-19 wave would not impact the agriculture sector in anyway as rural areas saw spread of infections in May when agriculture activities remained at bare minimum.

Dera chief tests ve

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak district, has reportedly tested positive for Covid.