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EM Bureau
Dimapur, March 30 (EMN): The Centre on Tuesday warned that the Coronavirus situation is “turning from bad to worse” in some states and the whole country is at risk.
The ministry of Health and Family Welfare updated that India registered 56,211 new Covid cases were in the last 24 hours, taking the active caseload to 5,40,720 and the tally to 1,20,95,855 (approximately 1.20 crore).
Six states -- Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat -- continue to report a surge in the Covid daily new cases, accounting 78.56% new cases reported in the country.
The country also registered 271 new deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 1,62,114 (approximately 1.62 lakh) till date, while 37,028 recovered on Tuesday, taking the cumulative recoveries to 1,13,93,021 at 94.19% recovery rate.
“Covid-19 situation is turning from bad to worse. In the last few weeks, especially in some states, it is a huge cause for worry. No state, no part of the country should be complacent,” NITI Aayog member (Health) V K Paul was quoted as saying by PTI.
“We are facing an increasingly severe and intense situation, more so surely in some districts. But the whole country is potentially at risk and therefore all efforts to contain and save lives should be taken,” he added.
‘Hospitals and ICUs have to be readied. If cases increase rapidly, the healthcare system would be overwhelmed,’ Paul warned.
Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan also said at a press conference that Covid-19 test should be exponentially increased in states and Union Territories that are reporting a surge in new cases.
He said the states have been advised at a meeting on Saturday to strengthen their healthcare resources.
“We also spoke to 47 districts. We requested them to increase the number of tests with a special focus on RT-PCR tests. Rapid antigen tests must be used for screening and in densely populated areas from where cases are being reported in clusters,” he said.
“In most states, people are not being properly isolated. Their close contacts must be traced within three days. Close contact does not just the family but all those an infected person came in contact with,” he added.
He also stressed on enforcement of Covid-appropriate behaviour and upgrading healthcare facilities.
“Those hospitals which were made non-Covid facilities must be converted to dedicated Covid facilities. There should be no delay in strengthening private as well as public health facilities,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)