People must learn to live with coronavirus, says Health Ministry
On Friday, the Health Ministry urged Indians to learn to live with the coronavirus. The statement comes a day after the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director said that the outbreak will likely hit a peak in June-July. Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said on Friday that we might never hit the peak if we continue to follow all health precautions.
Agarwal said, "We have to learn to live with the virus. It is imperative that we adopt health precautions as a behavioral change in our community." Agarwal was responding to a query about the current doubling rate in India. He said the doubling rate was 12 days as of two days ago and has now "reduced" due to a sudden rise in cases.
When asked about the AIIMS Director's comments about India's COVID-19 curve hitting a peak next month, Agarwal responded, "If we keep following the required clinical management processes, we may never hit a peak and our curve would remain flat." Further, he said, "We urge everyone to follow rules of physical distancing, hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, required sanitation, and environmental hygiene as a behavioral change."
India reported 3,390 new cases and 1,273 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, Agarwal said. As of Friday morning, the Health Ministry had confirmed 56,342 COVID-19 cases, including 1,886 deaths, 37,916 active cases, and 16,539 recoveries. Out of the patients under active medical supervision, Agarwal said, 3.2% are on oxygen support, 4.7% on ICU support, and 1.1% on ventilator support.
Agarwal also said 42 affected districts in India have not reported any new cases in the past 28 days. Further, he said, 29 districts have not reported any new cases in the past 21 days, 36 districts in the past 14 days, and 46 districts in the past seven days. He said a total of 216 districts have not reported any cases thus far.
Home Ministry Joint Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said 222 'Shramik Special' trains have transported over 2.5 lakh persons thus far. Agarwal said the Railways has converted 5,231 train coaches into COVID Care Centers for mild/very mild cases. The coaches will be stationed at 215 stations, with health staff deployed across 85 locations. At the remaining 130 stations, health staff will be deployed on request.
