JOIN USLess than 1,000 new Covid-19 cases reported in Karnataka
Karnataka topped the states recording a maximum decline in the number of active Covid-19 cases in the last one month followed by Maharashtra, the Union Health Ministry said here on Monday.
The four southern states and Maharashtra are the five provinces registering the highest dip in the number of active cases in the last 30 days, which saw a rise of such cases in northwest India in the same period but on a smaller scale.
On October 29, there were 68,180 active cases in Karnataka, but the number fell to 24,770 on November 29 – a drop of 43,410 active cases within 30 days.
“It is important to improve the testing strategy. Even when the state was under increased scrutiny for reporting more cases, Karnataka not only increased the number of tests during the surge in cases but also was among the foremost states in using the syndromic approach for the review of district performance. This enabled a curb on the transmission by isolating as many symptomatic people who can spread to more people,” Giridhar Babu, a senior epidemiologist at the Public Health Foundation of India told DH.
“Karnataka’s success is also possible due to the success in Bengaluru, which saw a series of reforms and enhanced testing. Moving forward, the state conducted a statewide survey whose findings were used to implement future interventions.”
The number of active cases also fell in Maharashtra with the number of active cases reduced by more than 39,000 within a month. Similarly, the number of active cases declined by nearly 28,500 in Kerala and in excess of 15,000 in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Such a trend seems to suggest that the pandemic is in a recession in south India, which was the driving factor in the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic in India not so long ago.
But there is a rise in the number of active cases in north western states like Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh as well as Madhya Pradesh in the same period, albeit on a smaller scale. The maximum rise was seen in Rajasthan (by 13,043) followed by Haryana (8,902) and Delhi (7,200).
Meanwhile, continuing his engagements with domestic Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reviewed the progress of indigenous vaccine development undertaken by Genova Biopharma of Pune and Biological E and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories in Hyderabad. The last one is responsible for the clinical trial and distribution of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.
The Prime Minister asked the companies to come out with their suggestions and ideas on the regulatory processes and suggested that they should take extra efforts to inform the general public about the vaccine and its efficacy.