Covid cases cross 1,800-mark for the second day running

With 1,805 new Covid cases recorded in the last 24 hours, India logged over 1,800 new Covid cases for second consecutive day. On Saturday, India logged 1,890 new Covid-19 cases, the highest in 149 days, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Sunday. The daily positivity was recorded at 1.56 per cent while the weekly positivity was pegged at 1.29 per cent.

According to the data issued by the ministry on Monday, the active cases in the country crossed 10,000-mark. Six more Covid-related deaths have been reported with total death toll at 5,30,837.

Also read: India logs 1,890 COVID-19 cases, highest single-day spike in 149 days

In November 2022, country saw active cases fall below 10,000 for the first time since April 2020.

Review meeting

In light of rising cases in the country, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan will on Monday (March 27) hold a meeting with states’ health secretaries and senior officers to review Covid-19 preparedness. Details of the nationwide mock-drill planned on April 10 and 11 at health facilities in all districts will be communicated at the review meeting.

Both public and private health facilities are expected to participate in the exercise aimed at taking stock of availability of medicines, hospital beds, medical equipment and medical oxygen, according to a joint advisory issued by the Union Health Ministry and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Ministry advisory

The advisory highlighted the decline in Covid testing levels as compared to the standards prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Also read: Covid cases: Govt plans nationwide drill to check hospital preparedness

The advisory pointed out that it was critical to maintain optimum testing for Covid-19, equitably distributed across the states. “It is especially important to identify any emerging hotspots and take pre-emptive steps to curb virus transmission,” it stated.

(With agency inputs)