India said on Tuesday that the mutated strains of the coronavirus are not responsible for the upsurge in cases in two states, bringing potential relief for the country.
Maharashtra and Kerala account for 75% of India’s current active cases, amounting to about 147,000, and both states have seen a sudden rise in new infections in recent days, fuelling calls for a faster roll-out of vaccines.
A top government health official confirmed the long-time presence of two mutants—N440K and E484Q—in the two states as well as elsewhere in the country and abroad. Authorities have also found the UK variant in 187 people in India, the South African one in six and one case of the Brazilian mutation.
However, Vinod Kumar Paul, member of the NITI Aayog who heads a government committee on vaccines, told a news conference, “There is no reason today for us to believe, on the basis of scientific information, that these are responsible for the upsurge of the outbreak. We are constantly watching the behaviour of mutations in our country.”
Though cases have come down sharply since a September peak, Paul said that India is still vulnerable, given that even previously badly-affected cities like Pune in Maharashtra were getting hit again. He urged people to wear masks and avoid social events—guidelines which have been openly flouted even by federal and state ministers.
On Tuesday, India’s total tally of Covid-19 cases rose to 1,10,16,434, with 10,584 new infections being reported in a day, while recoveries surpassed 1.07 crore, according to data from the Union Health Ministry. With 78 new fatalities in a day, the overall death toll increased to 1,56,463.
In Punjab, which has also seen a rise in cases, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, chairing a virtual review meeting of the Covid-19 situation in the state, issued orders to limit indoor gatherings to 100 people and outdoor events to 200 attendees from 1 March. District heads have also been permitted to decide on night curfews in hotspots, and testing will be increased, the CM said on Twitter.
Punjab is one of the worst performing states in vaccinating their healthcare workers, according to the federal government.
Maharashtra’s Amravati on Tuesday, a day after the week-long lockdown started, recorded the highest single-day spike in cases with 926 people being detected with the infection, taking the caseload to 31,123. The earlier daily record was 727 cases, set on February 20.
39 students and five employees of a hostel also tested positive for the coronavirus in Maharashtra’s Latur city, an official said on Tuesday. At least 360 students who live in the hostel underwent the Covid-19 test, of which 39 from Classes 9 and 10 were reported to have contracted the infection, health officer Mahesh Patil of the Latur Municipal Corporation said.
Kerala reported 4,034 new Covid-19 cases and 14 related deaths on Tuesday, taking the tally of affected people in the state to 10,41,252 and the toll to 4,119. Health Minister K.K. Shailaja said that 69,604 samples were tested in the state in the last 24 hours and the test positivity rate was 5.80 percent.
Andhra Pradesh reported 70 fresh Covid-19 cases, 84 recoveries and one death in the 24-hour period ending on Tuesday. With the addition of the new infections, the state’s tally went up to 8,89,409.
Odisha’s Covid caseload mounted to 3,36,767 as 62 more people tested positive for the infection, a health department official said. Of the fresh cases, 37 were reported from quarantine centres and 25 were detected during contact tracing. Sambalpur district recorded the highest number of new cases at 12, followed by Khurda and Cuttack at seven each.
Meanwhile, Delhi recorded 145 fresh Covid-19 cases and two new fatalities on Tuesday, while the positivity rate stood at 0.25 percent, said authorities. With this, the toll for the national capital stood at 10,903.
WITH AGENCY INPUTS