Indore: Decreasing number of COVID-19 cases; experts suggest stop testing as Covid turns new normal

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The number of daily cases of Covid-19 has decreased to a single digit again for over a week and even the number of active cases has dropped below 50 in the city. Experts said the disease had entered the ‘endemic phase’ and it would remain with us always.

“A few Covid-19 cases will always be reported as the disease is here to stay and it’s better to stop testing as it’s not helping much except increasing the numbers on record,” a senior health official, wishing anonymity, said. He added that the government should make changes in the guidelines so that samples of only serious patients are tested and not of those suffering from cold and cough. He also questioned the number of cases in the city as he said that the kit for testing Covid-19 is available over the counter and those found positive through it are not being reported to the administration or the health department.

The total number of active cases dropped to 41 on September 10, while the number of daily cases has dropped to 2-10 for the past one week.

‘Accidental detection’

“We’ve removed the sampling teams, but random sampling is done of people coming to OPDs of the government hospitals. People aren’t coming forward to give their samples on their own but those found positive are asymptomatic and are detected positively accidentally. Covid-19 is in the endemic stage as there’s not much of a rise in the number of cases except for some sporadic cases for a couple of days in the past month”

— Dr BS Saitya, chief medical and health officer

Covid cases in the past 10 days

Date - Samples tested - Covid cases - Discharged

September 1 - 527 - 08 - 16

September 2 - 412 - 11 - 25

September 3 - 446 - 10 - 18

September 4 - 264 - 02 - 13

September 5 - 260 - 09 - 09

September 6 - 405 - 10 - 08

September 7 - 328 - 09 - 07

September 8 - 377 - 05 - 08

September 9 - 701 - 09 - 21

September 10 - 352 - 04 - 10