Covid cases hit five-month high, weekly deaths at 29, highest since Dec

Covid cases in India rose to a five-month high, with 1,890 new cases recorded on March 25, according to the Ministry of Health data. This is the highest number since October 28, 2022, when daily cases reported were 2,208.

The rise in Covid cases has coincided with the H3N2 influenza that has killed two persons so far in the country.

Weekly deaths due to Covid are also reported to be the highest since the second week of December, with 29 deaths reported until the week ended March 26.

The daily positivity rate has also increased to 1.56 per cent, after staying below 1 per cent for at least four months. The weekly positivity rate, too, has gone up to 1.29 per cent. The active caseload in the country is now at 9,433. 

There had been nearly 5,300 cases on average every day during September last year. This fell to around 2,100 daily cases on average in October. There were 240 cases recorded at the beginning of March.

The daily case average has crossed 1,000 over seven days. Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu are states with the highest number of active cases.

The health ministry recently said that the rate of hospitalisation and mortality has remained low because of accelerated vaccine roll-out that has largely helped mitigate the highly transmissible novel coronavirus variants.

Is It flu, Covid, allergies, or a cold?

Rising Covid cases have also been accompanied by an increase in cases of influenza, both of which exhibit similar symptoms.

The government, meanwhile, has started taking stock of hospital preparedness, including drugs, beds, intensive care unit beds, medical equipment, and medical oxygen, as directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, last week in a Covid review meeting.

Experts worldwide though aren’t pressing the panic button just yet, buoyed by the great wall of immunity.

Whether we are at an awkward stage of being between an epidemic and endemic or simply having waves of infection is still an ongoing debate.