Second wave not over: Health min says 9 states have more than 10k active cases

Agarwal while addressing the event underlined that the fight against the pandemic is a long-drawn battle and said that there is no scope for complacency in the fight against Covid-19.

The health ministry on Friday asked citizens to strictly adhere to Covid-19 preventative measures as the second wave of Covid-19 is still not over and there are at least nine states which have more than 10,000 active Covid-19 cases.

A health worker tests a person for Covid-19 at Govt Poly Clinic Sector 31, in Gurugram. (Vipin Kumar/ Hindustan Times)

Lav Agarwal, the joint secretary of the Union health ministry while hosting an orientation-cum-interaction session for officers and field reporters with UNICEF stressed on the need of exercising caution as the nation recovers from the second wave of Covid-19.

States	Active Cases
Andhra Pradesh	23,571
Assam	16,205
Karnataka	24,718
Kerala	129,381
Maharashtra	97,513
Manipur	10,395
Odisha	17,466
Tamil Nadu	25,526
West Bengal	12,205
Data taken from MoHFW

Agarwal while addressing the event underlined that the fight against the pandemic is a long-drawn battle and said that there is no scope for complacency in the fight against Covid-19. He said that the virus will strike back as soon as people become complacent. Agarwal also asked members of the media to play a positive role and encourage people to get vaccinated. He said that the media can play a huge role in helping people overcome vaccine hesitancy by busting myths and fake news.

Agarwal said that the nation has been able to record higher recoveries and lower the total number of active cases with a focus on containment and clinical management. He also emphasized that mental health during the pandemic should be addressed and asked mediapersons to address it by engaging with subject experts from state and at national level. He also said that community-led positive initiatives and role models are necessary for vaccinating large numbers of people.