Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
India sustains steady trend of
less than 10 lakh Active Cases for 13th Consecutive Day
Despite Extended Weekend, India Tests more than 10 lakh samples for 3
Successive Days
Posted On: 04 OCT 2020 11:14AM by PIB Delhi
For the 13th day in an unbroken string, India has maintained its
steady trend of clocking less than 10 lakh active cases.
The number of active cases today
is 9,37,625. This is 7371 cases less than yesterday.
Despite the extended weekend,
India has posted high daily testing numbers over Thurday-Friday-Saturday with
10,97,947, 11,32,675 and 11,42,131 tests respectively.
There has been an exponential
rise in India’s daily testing capacities. More than 15 lakhs tests can be
conducted every day.
An average of 11.5
lakh tests were
done on a daily basis during the past ten days.
From merely one in Janauary
2020, India’s total tests have crossed 7.89 crore so far. There has been a commensurate dip in the
Positivity Rate. With progressively falling Positivity Rate, testing has worked
as a highly effective tool to limit the spread of COVID-19 infection.
Very high levels of testing lead
to early identification, prompt isolation & effective treatment of COVID-19
cases. These have eventually resulted in a sustained low Fatality Rate.
India’s steady trend of posting
high level of daily recoveries also continues with 82,260
recoveries registered
in the last 24 hours in the country. In contrast, 75,829
new cases have been
reported. The new recoveries have exceeded the new cases in the recent days.
India’s total recoveries have crossed
55 lakh (55,09,966) today. Higher number of single day recoveries is
reflected in the continuous increase in the national recovery rate, which is at
present 84.13%.
75.44% of the newly recovered cases are recorded in 10
States/UTs.
Being the leading State with
highest number of active cases, Maharashtra has also contributed the highest
number to the newly recovered cases followed by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
10 States/UTs account
for 77.11% of the
active cases in the country. As on date, the percent contribution of active
cases to the positive caseload of the country has reduced to only 14.32%.
78% of the new cases are concentrated in ten
States/UTs. Maharashtra contributed more than 14,000 to the new cases.
Karnataka and Kerala reported 9886 and 7834 new cases, respectively.
Less than a 1000 deaths (940) have been registered in the last 24 hours.
80.53% of new reported fatalities are from 10 States and
UTs. 29.57% of deaths reported yesterday are from Maharashtra
with 278 deaths followed by Karnataka with 100 deaths. Maharashtra’s
contribution to death toll has been on a decline.
****
MV
HFW/COVID
States data/4October2020/1
(Release ID: 1661502) Visitor Counter : 168
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Dr Harsh Vardhan interacts with
social media users during Sunday Samvaad-4
“Government plans to receive and utilize 400-500 Million COVID-19 Vaccine doses”
“Government’s target is to cover 20-25 Crore people by July 2021”
“States have been advised to send details of Priority Population Groups by end
of October”
“Topmost priority in COVID-19 immunisation to be given to frontline healthcare
workers”
“Vaccine procurement is being done centrally and each consignment will be
tracked real time”
“Full Government support being extended to Indian vaccine manufacturers”
“India is not planning to venture into COVID-19 Human Challenge Trials”
“Government is committed to taking all measures to ensure equitable access to
vaccines”
Posted On: 04 OCT 2020 2:26PM by PIB Delhi
Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union
Minister of Health and Family Welfare responded to questions posed by his
social media interactors on the fourth episode of Sunday
Samvaad. The COVID
Vaccine seems to have been a dominant theme in the mind of those who chose to
submit questions for the episode. He also patiently explained related topics
like the use of Plasma Therapy in COVID, the eradication of TB by 2025 in light
of the COVID pandemic and the opening up of India’s schools.
On the questions of prioritising
the distribution of vaccines, Dr. Harsh Vardhan answered that the Health
Ministry is currently preparing a format in which States will submit lists of
priority population groups to receive vaccine, especially health workers
engaged in the management of COVID19. The list of frontline health workers will
include both government as well as private sector doctors, nurses, paramedics,
sanitary staff, ASHA workers, surveillance officers and many other occupational
categories who are involved in tracing, testing and treatment of patients. This
exercise is targeted to be completed by the end of this October and the States
are being closely guided to also submit details about cold chain facilities and
other related infrastructure which will be required down to the block level.
The Centre is also working on plans for building capacities in HR, training,
supervision etc on a massive scale and roughly estimates to receive and utilise
400-500 million doses covering approximately 20-25 crore people by July 2021.
He further informed that the Government is also keeping an eye on immunity data
with regard to COVID-19 disease while finalizing these plans.
He stated that there is a high
level committee under the chairmanship of Niti Aayog Member (Health) Shri
VK Paul which is drawing up the entire process. Vaccine procurement is being
done centrally and each consignment will be tracked real time until delivery to
ensure it reaches those who need it most. He added that these Committees are
working on understanding the timelines of availability of various vaccines in
the country, obtaining commitments from vaccine manufacturers to make available
maximum number of doses for India inventory & supply chain management and
also on prioritisation of high-risk groups. This is work in progress which will
be completed by the time the vaccines are ready to ensure the swift roll-out of
the immunisation program.
Clearing glaring misconceptions
that seem to have captured the imagination of rumour mongers in pockets of
Punjab, Dr. Harsh Vardhan strongly rebutted allegations that the COVID-19
pandemic was a government conspiracy to enable organ harvesting of healthy
individuals. He stated that the Government is not tied to fiscal considerations
from financing agencies for implementation of the COVID-19 emergency response
in light of the recent loan from the World Bank- Asian Infrastructural
Investment Bank and the Asian Development Bank to the tune of Rs 15,000 Crores
for managing COVID.
The Minister assured another
respondent that there would be no diversion or black-marketing, “Vaccines will
be distributed as per pre-decided priority and in a programmed manner. To
ensure transparency and accountability, details of the entire process will be
shared in the coming months.” He stressed the need to prioritize health care
workers and adults or those have underlying health conditions.
Answering similar questions, he
said that it is not possible to comment on the superiority of one vaccine over
the other although he would ensure “that even if we have multiple vaccines
available, they will all be safe and will elicit the requisite immune response
against novel coronavirus”. He said that all vaccines that have proven to be safe,
immunogenic and efficacious in clinical trials outside India need to undergo
bridging studies to prove their safety and immunogenicity in the Indian
population as well although these studies can be conducted with much smaller
sample size and end quickly.
While tackling a question on the
level playing field for various clinical trials, Dr Harsh Vardhan shared that
all proposed clinical trials in India are designed using set principles and are
stringently reviewed by the Subject Expert Committee set up by the Drug
Controller General of India. Recently, the DCGI has also formulated draft
guidelines on regulatory requirements for licensure of COVID-19 vaccines in
India. On a question regarding Phase 3 Clinical Trial of Russia’s “Sputnik-V”
vaccine in India, Dr Harsh Vardhan clarified that the matter is still under
consideration, and no decision has been taken as yet on the Phase 3 trials.
Stating that adverse events
developing after vaccination are common, Dr Harsh Vardhan said that adverse
events after vaccination include local reactions such as pain at the injection
site, mild fever and redness, anxiety-related such as palpitations, syncope or
fainting and that these events are transient, self-limiting and do not affect
the protective response of the vaccine. In a related question, he detailed on
the ethical concerns of Human Challenge Experiments, “India is not planning to venture into such trials
until the method is proven to have an established benefit as per global
experience. India has robust processes in place to ensure the vaccines
that successfully complete the clinical trials are safe and effective against
the novel coronavirus.” “When conducted, human challenge studies should be
undertaken with abundant forethought, caution, and oversight. The value of the
information to be gained should clearly justify the risks to human subjects,”
he added.
Sharing his views on single-dose
vs. double-dose vaccines, Dr Harsh Vardhan accepted that for quick control of a
pandemic, it is desirable to have a single-dose vaccine. However, it is often
difficult to achieve desired levels of immune protection using a single dose.
He added, two-dose vaccines are suitable for attaining the desired
immunogenicity as the first dose gives some immune protection, and the second dose
augments it further.
On the opening up of schools, he
mentioned the MHA Guidelines which states students may attend school only with
the written consent of parents and that attendance will not be enforced upon
the students. Schools that are allowed to open will have to mandatorily follow
the SOPs set by government.
The Minister enumerated steps
taken by the government to help senior citizens; All government and
non-government hospitals have been given strict instructions to treat and test
any potential corona-affected elderly on priority basis; The government's call
centers were asked to listen to the complaints of the elders seriously and to
give them proper advice immediately; The Ministry of Health issued special
guidelines for senior citizens detailing what to do and what not to do in the
pandemic; All the Old Age Homes were instructed to take all measures to protect
the elderly from Corona and deploy a Nodal Officer; CGHS beneficiaries 60 years
or older were provided free medicines directly to their home.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan detailed steps
taken to protect hard earned gains in TB from the COVID pandemic; Advance
directives were issued by the Central TB Division, Ministry of Health &
Family Welfare and reviewed with States/Districts to ensure continuity of TB
services; Guidance for TB diagnostic labs was provided for them to remain
functional during the Pandemic; Provisions were made for extended duration of
drugs, door-step delivery and advisory issued on extra precaution for TB
patients; New surveillance strategies were developed; TB Containment Facilities
were leveraged and support provided for institutional-based screening;
Awareness activities that concentrated on Infection, Prevention, and control
activities were focused upon. The minister restated that notwithstanding the
social determinants of TB like poverty, malnutrition, poor housing conditions,
community hygiene and poor health-seeking behaviour, TB will be eliminated by
2025.
Answering a question related to
the festival season, the Minister quoted the Hon. Prime Minister, and stated
that “Jaan hai to Jahan hai”. We can enjoy festivals only when we are healthy, he
said. It is a matter for the State governments to decide on allowing puja
pandals in the upcoming festive season. Maharashtra has issued an advisory for
the Navratri festival under which there shall be no garba and dandiya mahotsavs in the State. Gujarat has also
disallowed the garba and dandiya mahotsav this year.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan used the
medical parlance Prevention Fatigue to describe non-adherence to COVID appropriate
behaviour, rather than complacency. “People tire out when they have to
constantly take precautions. Some of them also give up taking precautions for
various reasons. My message to everyone is that we must all diligently take
precautions”. He urged all people to follow COVID appropriate behaviour during
the festival season. He also appealed to be responsible citizens. He also urged
“each and every one of you to take ownership at your own levels: personal,
society, RWA, colony, and office”.
****
MV
HFW/ HFM 4thSunday Samvaad/4October2020/2
(Release ID: 1661531) Visitor Counter : 153
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