With each passing day, the cOVID-19 situation in India is worsening by recording a massive spike in the positive cases. The situation this time has turned worse than the last year due to the emergence of the mutant strain of Covid in the country. Unlike last year, this time young people are testing positive for the virus.
According to Gauri Agarwal, Chief of Genestrings Diagnostic Centre, a lot of young people are testing COVID19 positive as compared to old people. She said symptoms are different this time. "Many are complaining of dry mouth, gastrointestinal issues, nausea, loose tools, red eyes and headache. Everyone doesn't complain of fever," she said.
Besides, she also notified that COVID-19 testing has gone up and there's a massive surge in calls for home collection which is difficult to handle. There's no problem with infrastructure/machines. "Problem lies with govt-mandated rule to do ICMR entry within 24 hours," she asserted.
Gauri Agarwal earlier had talked about the factors that may have led to the rise in the number of cases and said, "The primary reason for the rise in cases is a rampant violation of COVID protocols. From the end of last year, we have seen how people have been careless about following COVID protocols and this rise in cases is no surprise. The other factor can be the various mutations of the virus, some of which may have been more transmissible than others. However, a more in-depth understanding of the mutant strains and their virulence is needed by conducting genome sequencing of more samples."
"India needs to increase RT-PCR tests rapidly to identify active cases and isolate them from healthy people. The suggestion coming from the Prime Minister of setting up micro-containment zones and increasing testing can help increase the intensity and effectiveness of COVID testing. Besides, more people must be brought under the vaccination net and the government should urgently address the reported shortage of vaccines if any," Dr Agarwal added.
India appears to be setting a new record every day when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the last four days, the single day case tally has reached dizzying heights, repeatedly breaching the two lakh mark. Data from the Health Ministry on Sunday morning indicated that in the last 24 hours, a whopping 2,61,500 new cases had been reported. At the same time, there were 1,38,423 discharges and 1,501 deaths in the last 24 hours.
As of Sunday morning, India's total active caseload has crossed 18.01 lakh. Maharashtra continues to lead the charts.
