At least 14 states have less than 5,000 active Covid-19 cases each: Health ministry

Experts in epidemiology, however, said that the possibility that states with a high case load are actually efficient in their Covid-19 data reporting should not be ruled out

Updated on: Oct 1, 2020, 11:10:46 IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Rhythma Kaul

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At least 14 states in the country currently have less than 5,000 active coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases each, highlighting the need to focus on states with a high case load to cut the transmission cycle of the viral infection, according to government officials.

They are Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Chandigarh, Puducherry, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Ladakh, Sikkim, Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep.

Ten states and Union Territories contribute 78% of the total recovered cases, with Maharashtra leading the tally with over 1,000,000 recoveries, followed by Andhra Pradesh with at least 600,000.

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Wednesday saw 86,764 new Covid-19 cases in the country, taking the total number of cases to 6,310,241. With 1,179 new deaths reported on Wednesday, the number of people having succumbed to the disease in the country so far since March 12, when the first death due to Covid-19 was reported from the south, is 83,722.

At least 36% of the new fatalities reported are from Maharashtra—on Wednesday, the state reported 430 deaths.

Apart from Maharashtra, other states that have reported a higher number of deaths are Karnataka, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

Experts in epidemiology, however, said that the possibility that states with a high case load are actually efficient in their Covid-19 data reporting should not be ruled out.

“It should be seen why some states are reporting fewer cases; is it because they are not testing enough or their reporting mechanism is not up to the mark?” said Dr Giridhara Babu, head, epidemiology division, Indian Institute of Public Health, Public Health Foundation of India.

“Sometimes during an outbreak, data surveillance takes time to pick up at some places. It needs to be monitored though,” he added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rhythma Kaul
Rhythma Kaul is the national health editor of the Hindustan Times. She has been reporting on public health, medicine, and medical research, with a particular focus on how government decisions and health system reforms shape people’s lives. Rhythma has over 25 years of journalistic experience. She joined Hindustan Times in 2008, and has since covered everything from pandemics and infectious diseases to cutting‑edge medical research and climate‑related health challenges. Her stories routinely track the work of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, department of pharmaceuticals, and key national health programmes, making complex medical science and policy accessible to a wide audience. One of her prominent news breaks has been the 2012 Baby Falak case: A two-year-old brutally battered baby girl was admitted to AIIMS-Delhi with severe head injuries, multiple fractures, human bite marks, and burns. The police investigation revealed this to be a case of multi-state human-trafficking racket. She was profiled by The Wall Street Journal for breaking this story. Rhythma holds a Master’s degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Prior to Hindustan Times, she worked with the India Today Group. Rhythma can be contacted at rhythma.kaul@hindustantimes.com. Her X handle is @RamblingBrook.Read More

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