PM Modi says quick steps needed to stop second Covid-19 peak

People should not be put on panic-mode but need to ensure that they get rid of this problem as well, he said

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked the States to take “quick and decisive steps” to curb the “emerging second wave” of Covid-19 pandemic that has a potential to spread to the villages since tier-2 and tier-3 cities are being affected this time.

In a review meeting with the chief ministers, the Prime Minister said there should not be any let up in creating micro-containment zones at the district level and intensifying the testing, surveillance and referral systems, besides augmenting the ambulance network in smaller towns.

“One of the reasons we have successfully survived the Covid-19 battle so far is that we have been able to keep the villages free from the infection. But if the virus now reaches Tier 2-Tier 3 cities, it will not take long to spread to the village and our (healthcare) arrangement in the villages is very limited,” he said.

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There are 70 districts where the number of Covid-19 positive cases increased by more than 150 per cent between March 1 and March 15. Some of such districts are Ratlam (500%) in Madhya Pradesh; Surajpur (425%) in Chhattisgarh; Nanded (385%) in Maharashtra; Gwalior (360%) in Madhya Pradesh and Rupnagar (256%) in Punjab.

The Union Health Ministry pointed out later that there were another 55 districts, spread over 17 states, where the number of infections rose by 100-150 per cent in the last two weeks. Taken together these 125 districts – located mostly in northern and western parts of the country - are areas of concern.

“In many places the local administration is no longer showing the same seriousness about the mask. Why is testing going down in some areas? Why is vaccination in such areas also decreasing? This is the time for good governance. Our confidence in the battle against coronavirus should not be turned into over-confidence,” the Prime Minister said, urging the chief ministers to conduct regular reviews on anti-Covid activities undertaken by their States.

Modi also asked the CMs to ensure that the gold standard RT-PCR tests would comprise 70 per cent of the total testing, which also needed to be enhanced.

For states like Kerala, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattishgarh that rely extensively on the Rapid Antigen Test, he asked for a change in the testing strategy.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that out of the 12 states that are on the radar, low RT-PCR penetration was being seen in Chhattisgarh (34%), Gujarat (50%), Madhya Pradesh (65%), Delhi (64%) and Himachal Pradesh (50%). He also advised the States to increase the testing and enhance the share of RT-PCR.

The Prime Minister's interactions with the chief ministers took place at a time when India, for the first time, in three months reported nearly 30,000 new infections and close to 200 Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, signalling the emergence of a second wave.