Government preparing to handle 4.5-5 lakh COVID-19 cases a day
The Indian government is preparing to handle a surge of up to five lakh coronavirus cases a day, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr. VK Paul said. Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry said the upcoming three months are crucial, urging people to be careful during the festive season. India's COVID-19 situation has stabilized after hitting a record of over four lakh daily infections this year.
"The preparation will be of the level to make us safe. We move with preparation of 4.5 to 5 lakh cases per day surge but it does not mean that it will happen, should happen or may happen," said Dr. Paul. "Please watch your October, November, December," said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary at the Union Health Ministry.
Dr. Paul said that 8.36 lakh hospital beds are available for COVID-19 patients in the country and an additional 9,69,885 isolation beds are available at dedicated COVID-19 care centers. Further, 4.86 lakh oxygen-supported beds and 1.35 lakh ICU beds are available. He added that around 1,200 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants are functional across the country.
Five states—Mizoram, Kerala, Sikkim, Manipur, and Meghalaya—are reporting a weekly positivity rate of more than 5%. Thirty-four districts in nine states and union territories are reporting a weekly positivity rate of over 10% while 28 districts across 12 states and UTs are witnessing a weekly positivity rate between 5% and 10%, as per the government.
The overall COVID-19 situation in India has improved over the past few weeks. In the last 24 hours, the country reported 21,257 new COVID-19 cases and 271 deaths due to the coronavirus. The active caseload is 2,40,221—the lowest figure in 205 days. The daily positivity rate stands at 1.53%, i.e. less than 3% for the last 39 days.
More than 93.17 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in India so far. According to the government, 71% of India's adult population have received at least one vaccine dose while 27% have taken both doses. India has set a target to inoculate its entire adult population (nearly a billion people) by the end of this year.
