Amid the ongoing apprehension of a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Niti Aayog member (health) VK Paul on Tuesday said the third wave is already there in the world and the wave has already recorded 3.90 lakh daily cases, 40 per cent of the number of cases reported in the second wave, which recorded around 9 lakh Covid-19 daily cases. "Our task is to ensure that the wave does not come in India," VK Paul said during the official briefing of the Union health ministry.
Citing global data, the Union health ministry said that the United Kingdom, Russia, Bangladesh, Indonesia are seeing a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases, which is indicating at a new wave of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Here are 5 things that you must know
1. In India, there is no sign of any fresh wave overall, as the country is registering a decline in the number of daily cases. On Tuesday, India recorded 31,443 new cases, which was the lowest in 118 days.
2. But in some states, the situation is not improving, the ministry has said. According to the health ministry's data, Kerala is now reporting 30.3 per cent of India's total caseload. In April, this share was 6.2 per cent. In May and June, these shares were 10.6 per cent and 17.1 per cent, respectively.
{{/usCountry}}2. But in some states, the situation is not improving, the ministry has said. According to the health ministry's data, Kerala is now reporting 30.3 per cent of India's total caseload. In April, this share was 6.2 per cent. In May and June, these shares were 10.6 per cent and 17.1 per cent, respectively.
{{/usCountry}}66 districts, over 10% Covid positivity rate: What these 2 maps tell about India's present situation
3. Similarly, Maharashtra is now contributing 20.8 per cent of the total number of cases, while this share was 26.7 in April. Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha are also contributing more to India's total number of cases than they were in April and May -- when the second wave of the pandemic began.
4. Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh are seeing a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases.
5. According to Union health ministry data, some states have recorded a decline in the number of cases, but the decline has stopped and the situation has moved towards a plateau.
The health ministry on Tuesday cited four reasons why people avoid masks and said that all these reasons are baseless and wearing a mask is one of the ways to stay off the infection. Among the reasons, cited by the ministry, people refuse to wear masks complaining of breathing problems, discomfort, while many believe that masks do not help in the prevention of Covid-19 and also mask is not required if social distancing is maintained.