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Covid-19 rise in Maharashtra, Punjab is of grave concern: Centre
The daily spike in Punjab, given its comparatively low population than the other hotspot states, is concerning, health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said.
The Covid-19 spike in Maharashtra and Punjab is of grave concern, the health ministry on Wednesday said, briefing about its covid-19 preparedness at a time when the country is seeing a renewed surge in the number of daily cases. Apart from these two states, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are reporting a concentration of cases, health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, adding that a meeting has been called with these states on Saturday to review their Covid-19 situation.
Nine out of the top 10 districts with the highest active number of Covid-19 cases — Pune, Nagpur, Mumbai, Thane, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nanded, Jalgaon and Akola — are in Maharashtra, the ministry said. Only one, Bengaluru Urban, is in Karnataka, the ministry said.
Terming the situation as "concerning", Niti Aayog (health) member VK Paul said the solution lies in strengthening surveillance as it was done last year. He also added that vaccination must be stepped up in these states
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Explaining the Centre's decision on opening the vaccination drive to anyone above the age of 45 years, Rajesh Bhushan said, "About 88 per cent of all Covid-19 deaths in the country are taking place above the age group of 45 years. The case fatality rate above 45 years is 2.85 per cent. So this age group is vulnerable and the decision has been taken based on scientific inputs."
The age-based approach towards vaccination is recognised by the World Health Organizations as well, VK Paul said. "We have enough vaccines. We have a seamless connection with the states. We take stock of the situation every day," he said.
"There is room for great improvement as far as the involvement of private facilities in vaccination. As of now, there are 5,425 private centre administering vaccines, while the number of government facilities is 34,481. From April, the private sector should increase their involvement more as we are opening up the vaccination drive," Paul said.
