India has recorded 81,970 confirmed Covid-19 cases as the fourth phase of lockdown commences next week onwards. Of these, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has stated that up to 27,920, about 34 per cent have recovered. Additionally, 2,649 deaths have also been recorded, case fatality thus being 3.23 per cent.

World over, 42,48,389 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed with 2,94,046 deaths, a case fatality of 6.92 per cent.

In the 15th Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting chaired by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan it was stated that 30 municipal areas across the country constituting 79 per cent of India’s case load.

GoM discussed the Covid-19 management strategy that needs to be focussed on the States with highest number of confirmed cases and highest number of fatalities, and on treatment and case fatality management, for which timely detection of infection and contact tracing are important.

Maharashtra tops the list

Maharashtra has emerged an epicentre of the pandemic with 27,524 cases, of which Mumbai at 16,738 cases, bears the largest caseload in urban civic bodies. Deaths in Maharastra have crossed the 1,000-mark with 1,019 casualties, of which 621 deaths are in Mumbai. Tamil Nadu at 9,674, Gujarat at 9,591 cases and Delhi at 8,470 cases are high burden States as well.

GoM also discussed the challenges before States and Union Territories arising from the returning migrant labourers and the returnees from abroad. Uttar Pradesh for instance added 173 new cases between May 14 and May 15, taking the case load up to 3,902, with 88 deaths, highest increase over the past one week for the State.

Keeping these challenges in mind, MoHFW has revised its testing strategy to include tests of migrants and returnees from abroad as also in green zones (districts with no case reported in last 21 days). “One time RT-PCR pooled sampling for migrant workers in institutional quarantine facilities, international passengers in quarantine or hotels and for surveillance purposes in green zones will be undertaken,” the revised protocol states. Pooling of throat and nasal swab samples from cohorts of 25 people will be done. If the pooled sample tests positive, individual samples from that pool will be tested, it further says.

Balram Bhargava, DG, ICMR, informed the GoM that the testing capacity has increased in the country to one lakh tests per day through 509 government and private laboratories. Nearly 20 lakh cumulative tests have been conducted in the country, as on date.

About 2,77, 429 beds for severe and critical cases are available. But only 29,701 intensive care unit beds and 18,855 ventilators are available as on date. Also 5,15,250 isolation beds are available in Covid-19 care centres.

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