80% new Covid cases in India being reported from 90 districts, says govt

Health Ministry cautions against rising travel to tourist spots; 73 districts still reporting over 10% positivity rate; north-eastern states vulnerable

Even as India is reporting a steady decline in daily fresh case additions, data shows that almost 80 per cent of the new Covid-19 cases in the country are now coming from 90 districts alone. This indicates the need to intensify action in these areas, the health ministry noted.

What’s more, there are 73 districts which are still reporting over 10 per cent case positivity rate, and a substantial number of these districts are concentrated in the North Eastern states. Data shows 43 out of these 73 districts or around 59 per cent of these districts are concentrated in the North Eastern states.

Reports suggest that concerned over the rise in Covid19 cases, the Ministry of Home Affairs has called a special meeting this week to review the Covid preparedness and vaccine rollout in the seven NorthEastern states.

Lav Agarwal, joint secretary, Ministry of Health said that there was need for localized action in the affected districts. Almost 80 per cent of the fresh cases are being reported from 90 districts alone. Most of these districts are in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka, Manipur, Goa, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura among others.

“The infection is spreading in a localized manner…Intensive localized infection-containing activity is required in these areas,” he said.

In terms of case positivity rate, 73 districts report more than 10 per cent case positivity rate now. Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Manipur, Kerala, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim are some of the states where these districts are concentrated.

Agarwal said that the second wave is still not over in some parts of the country.

He claimed that there has been a steady reduction in daily cases - from a peak of 414,188 cases during the second wave of infections; in the last 24-hours India has reported only 34,703 fresh cases of Covid19. From 531 districts with over 100 cases daily in week ending May 4 it is now limited to 91 districts with over 100 daily cases as of week ending July 4.

However, infection is still spreading in pockets, the official noted.

On Tuesday, the health ministry also showed concerns around people travelling to hill stations, or even local markets in herds.

Showing pictures flashed in the media captured in hill stations like Manali and Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, Mussoorie in Uttarakhand, crowded markets in Delhi and Mumbai, Agarwal said, “People have a perception that once the restrictions are relaxed, the virus is over. The virus is very much within us and a casual approach towards Covid-19 appropriate behavior will only give a chance for the infection to come back with vigour.” He called this recent surge in travelling ‘revenge travel’ by citizens who were confined to their homes during the lockdown.

The Health Ministry even quoted an survey by LocalCircles done in April across 319 districts and covering 33,000 respondents that showed 24 per cent of the people surveyed had no compliance at all for wearing masks, 63 per cent did not comply with social distancing norms, and 25 per cent did not comply with Covid19 appropriate behavior while travelling.