Prepared to handle surge of 5 lakh Covid-19 cases a day: Govt

Union health ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal said the government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure full preparedness to tackle any surge, adding that three months are very crucial in the country's fight against Covid-19. "Please watch your October, November, December," Agarwal said.

The central government has said that it is prepared to handle a surge of up to 5 lakh coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases a day. It, however, stressed that this does not imply that such a high number of infections will be reported in the future.

A healthcare worker collects sample from a girl for Covid-19 test at a Children’s Home in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)

"The dynamics of the virus after vaccination and infection which can lead to herd immunity...we do not have a straight formula for that. As one can see, despite the administration of vaccines, cases are being reported and we are still learning. The preparation will be of the level to make us safe. We move with preparation of 4.5 to 5 lakh cases per day surge but it does not mean that it will happen, should happen or may happen," Niti Aayog member (health) VK Paul said at a press conference on Thursday.

Paul further said there is no issue of Covid-19 vaccine availability in the country now and urged people to come forward to take the second dose to be fully vaccinated.

Speaking about the different strains of Covid-19, Paul said that there is no new variant of concern as per the data available at present.

Union health ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal said the government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure full preparedness to tackle any surge, adding that three months are very crucial in the country's fight against Covid-19.

"Please watch your October, November, December," Agarwal said, warning people about the threat of Covid-19 resurgence during the coming festivals such as Dussehra, Diwali, Durga Puja, Milan-un-Id and Christmas and wedding season.

He asserted repeatedly that the second wave of the pandemic is not over, highlighting that the country is still reporting as high as 20,000-odd new infections every day.

While overall Covid-19 positivity across the country gives comfort, Agarwal pointed out that there are still a large number of districts reporting high case positivity.

He said five states - Mizoram, Kerala, Sikkim, Manipur and Meghalaya - are reporting a weekly positivity rate of more than five per cent.