Covid-19 positivity drops below 5% in India

However, there are some pockets of worries, according to the officials, who advised people not to lower their guards

India's daily Covid-19 positivity has dropped below 5 per cent from a high of 20.75 per cent seen during the peak of the third wave nearly three weeks ago, but there are some pockets of worries, according to the officials, who advised people not to lower their guards.

Even though the number of tests did not change much – it varied between 15 lakh and 19 lakh per day – the daily positivity saw a steady decline after recording 20.75 per cent on January 24, days after the peak of the third wave was seen.

Since then it has been a continuous decline with the positivity dropping below 5 per cent in each of the last two days. But Kerala (29.57% positivity), Mizoram (26.5%), Himachal Pradesh (12%), Arunachal Pradesh (12%) and Sikkim (17%) remained a matter of concern. In more than 140 districts, positivity remains above 10 per cent and in 39 districts, positivity is increasing.

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“We are passing through a transition and can't lower our guards. The virus will try to emerge fitter and penetrate our defence. We have to keep the X-factor in mind,” said V K Paul, NITI Ayog member and the government's principal advisor on Covid-19.

Currently, there are only four states with more than 50,000 active cases with Kerala topping the list, followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Lav Agarwal, a joint secretary in the health ministry said nearly 78 per cent of India's 94.47 crore adult population was fully vaccinated, whereas 96 per cent received at least one dose. Of more than seven crore adolescents between 15-18 years, over 14 per cent are fully vaccinated, whereas 69 per cent got at least one dose.

With the majority of people fully vaccinated, the average daily vaccination has dropped slightly in February to stand at 51 lakh as against 59 lakh in January and 68 lakh in December.

However, neither Paul nor Agarwal answered if the precautionary third dose would be extended to a wider section of people and when covid-19 vaccination would start for children in the 12-14 age group.

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