Efforts to curb mass infection

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 29

As India’s Covid-19 count reached 1,024 on Sunday with 27 deaths, the government said adherence to lockdown was the key to delaying the peak stage of the disease. “We cannot predict the peak of Covid-19 in India. What we can predict is that if we observe lockdown 100 per cent, we can stay away from the peak. If we break the lockdown, we will reach the peak sooner than later,” ICMR chief epidemiologist Raman Gangakhedkar warned. Over the past 24 hours (8 pm Saturday- 8 pm Sunday), the government recorded 106 new cases – up from 918 on Saturday to 1,024 on Sunday.

Signalling urgent preparations for the community transmission stage, the government has formed 10 empowered groups of Union Secretaries to monitor medical emergency management, adequate supply of isolation beds, personal protective equipment (PPE), N95 masks and ventilators for Covid management training of human resources to handle the disease.

“The government is undertaking rigorous cluster containment. Manufacturing and procurement process for personal protective gear, masks and ventilators is being developed and ramped up locally. We are also importing PPE and received the first shipment on Saturday.

Ten Indian manufacturers have been identified to produce PPE at home, their cloth quality has been approved and they have entered the production stage,” Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said, adding that Cabinet Secretary Rajeev Gauba at a two-day meeting with state Chief Secretaries had reviewed lockdown enforcement.

India is globally at the 41st position on the Covid dashboard. Italy tops the table followed by the US. China is placed third. Asked if low Covid testing was the reason for India’s low case load, Gangakedkar said “no”.

He said India was testing enough and had conducted 34,937 tests using 30 per cent of the existing daily testing capacity. Currently, 113 government and 47 private labs are conducting tests with the US FDA on Saturday approving a kit that promises results in five minutes.

The Health Ministry on Sunday said respective state governments had been directed to conduct health risk profiling of every migrant and isolate them as per medical protocol — in government quarantine for 14 days if they show severe Covid symptoms like fever, cough, short breath — and 14-day isolation at a temporary shelter if they are asymptomatic.

11 groups formed

The Centre has set up 11 empowered groups to formulate plans and take necessary measures for time-bound implementation to fight Covid. The groups will be headed by a senior representative from the PMO and Cabinet Secretariat to ensure coordination, sources said. TNS