Positivity below 5%, signal that Covid situation optimistic: Govt

KEY STORY

• With the country reporting under 1 lakh daily new cases for the last four days, the Health Ministry on Thursday said that the overall pandemic situation emerging in the country is optimistic.

• On Thursday, the ministry highlighted that there has been a decline in cases and positivity rates across all states. It said the average daily case in the last one week has stood at 96,392 cases.

• Only Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka are now reporting more than 50,000 active cases, it said.

• “When we look at the pandemic situation, a mixed picture emerges. We also see optimism, because the nation has been reporting less than 1 lakh cases in the last four to five days,” Dr V K Paul, head of India’s Covid-19 task force said.

• “We are now reporting cases below the levels of the first surge peak,” he said. “This pattern is consistent. Another good signal is that overall positivity is below 5 per cent. It is a signal that the overall pandemic situation is optimistic.”

• Paul also highlighted that the contraction in new cases has been consistent in the last few days across the country.

• He said further contraction of the pandemic is apparently consistent as of now. “However, along with that, we also see areas and districts of concern,’ Paul said. “At the state level, some states are reporting high daily positivity: Kerala, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim.”

• These, he added, are “points and data of concern”.

• Paul, however, emphasised that the country, which experienced a surge in cases fuelled by the highly infectious Omicron variant, continues to remain vigilant. “At the district level, approximately 40 districts have shown an increase in weekly cases and positivity rate. And 200 districts have a positivity of 10 per cent. Therefore, the overall picture is optimistic.

CONCLUSION

• “However, if we look at it closely, there are very critical problems of concern at the state and district levels. So we are passing through a transition towards improvement.” However, he warned, “we cannot lower our guard”.

• The Health Ministry said that 433 districts in the country are now reporting a positivity rate below 5 per cent in the week ending February 9, compared to 268 districts in the week ending February 2.

• “Going into the future, this is not the end of the virus,” Paul said. “This is still around in the world, and the country. The virus, being under pressure, will try to emerge, fitter, so that it could find a way to exponentially increase. Therefore, the X-factor should always be in our minds. The world does not know everything about this virus.”