India is seeing an exponential increase in the number of coronavirus cases, believed to be due to its variant of Omicron, the center said on Wednesday, highlighting that the country’s R-value, indicating the spread of the infection, is 2.69 is higher than the 1.69 recorded during the height of the second wave of the pandemic.
Addressing a press conference here, Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) General Director Dr. Balram Bhargava said the rise in the number of Covid cases has been seen in cities and “the Omicron variety is the predominant circulating variety”.
Mass gatherings must be avoided to slow down the rate at which the infection spreads, he stressed.
“We are now facing an exponential increase in the (number) of COVID-19 cases and believe that this is mainly being driven by Omicron, especially in the western parts of our country and especially in bigger cities from which we have more data “said Dr. VK Paul, a member of NITI Aayog (Health).
The positivity rate of the cases was 1.1 percent on December 30 and 1.3 percent the next day. Now the country reports a five percent positivity rate, he said, adding that similarly there have been 13,000 cases of Covid Dec. 30 and the number rose to 58,000 on Tuesday.
“This is clearly an expanding pandemic. The Rnaught value is 2.69. This is higher than the 1.69 we saw when the second wave of the pandemic peaked. The acceleration of the falls is steeper than ever, ”said Paul.
However, he added that hospitalization rates are relatively low. In Delhi it is just under 3.7 percent and in Mumbai five percent.
“That’s the early input we have. By comparison, the hospital admission rate was close to 20 percent last year and even in 2020, “said Paul.
He said there is no need to panic, but people need to be vigilant, disciplined and prepared, adding that the country will also face this phase of the pandemic.
On the question of whether India is experiencing a third wave of Covid, Paul said in other countries that in addition to a steep increase, there was also a steep decline in the number of cases.
“In Denmark, the UK and South Africa, cases began to decline within a month or a month and a half. We cannot clearly state this for our population. How they behave depends on previous infections, vaccination status, and our own characteristics and populations.” It cannot be extrapolated that just as the cases there behaved within a month, it will also happen here.
“To say at this point that what point and how long it will take is premature. When scientific data comes, we will share it. Our nation will be in various stages. It starts in some states and then goes on and on. We are closely monitoring the dynamics of the pandemic, “added the NITI Aayog member.
Regarding Omicron, officials said hospitalization rates have remained relatively low compared to previous waves of the pandemic, although the number of cases has risen sharply across the country.
Deputy Secretary at the Union Ministry of Health Lav Agarwal said the number of Covid cases had increased worldwide, adding that 25.2 lakh cases of the infection were recorded worldwide on Tuesday, “the highest since the pandemic began” . “.
“India has reported a 6.3-fold increase in the number of cases and a sharp increase in the case positivity rate from 0.79 percent on December 29 to 5.03 percent on January 5 in the past eight days,” he said.
There are over 10,000 active Covid cases each in six states – Maharashtra, West Bengal, Kerala, Delhi, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, according to Agarwal.
He went on to explain that Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Gujarat are emerging as states of concern.
Additionally, 28 districts in the country report a weekly Covid positivity rate greater than 10 percent, while 43 districts report a weekly positivity rate between five percent and 10 percent, Agarwal said.
The center said 1.06 crore, or 14.3 percent of beneficiaries in the 15-18 age group, received the first dose of a Covid vaccine.
There are an estimated 7,40,57,000 beneficiaries in the mentioned age group in the country.
Additionally, 90.8 percent of adults received their first dose of the vaccine, while 65.9 percent were fully vaccinated.
Regarding Biological E’s Covid vaccine Corbevax, Paul said at an appropriate time that the research and development of Corbevax is being supported by the government, which is very important and relevant.
“It helped create this option and it is available to the new adult population. This vaccine will be tested for use in children and they will apply for a study as an additional dose. These two dimensions are still relevant.
“Second, when such a supply becomes available, it will also be available for export when India doesn’t need it at some point. We have a pre-arrangement for certain doses. We are looking at how to use them. What needs to be done? Will itself soon to unfold, “he said.
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