Addressing a press briefing on Tuesday, the joint secretary of the Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) Lav Agarwal said that there is a “noticeable increase” in the number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases across the globe and that remains the “area of concern.”
"We've to work on containing the spread of the virus with strictness," he further said, adding that the pandemic is “far from over” if gauged from the global perspective.
Citing data on Worldometer, the Centre pointed out that as of July 26, as many as 5,27,828 new Covid-19 cases are being reported across the globe on a daily basis. Although the number is less in comparison to April and January this year when the global daily case count was 9,03,306 and 8,40,131, respectively, it is still higher to assume that the pandemic has subsided.
Coronavirus cases in the United States have witnessed 1.4 times increase in the past 14 days, while in France it has surged 3.5 times. Infections have gone up by 2.7 times in Italy and 1.2 times in Japan as well, according to data from Outworldindata.
“This is an indication for us that we still cannot relax and must continue to strictly follow Covid management rules in order to contain the virus,” the government said, adding that “we may be tired, but the virus is not.”
{{/usCountry}}“This is an indication for us that we still cannot relax and must continue to strictly follow Covid management rules in order to contain the virus,” the government said, adding that “we may be tired, but the virus is not.”
{{/usCountry}}Indonesia has become the new epicentre for Covid-19 cases after the country reported 45,416 fresh cases on Sunday, thereby overtaking India, Brazil and the US in terms of new infections, Worldometer data revealed.
As far as India is concerned, it reported less than 30,000 new cases on Tuesday – the first time in 132 days with 29,689 infections, Union health ministry’s bulletin data showed.
The warning comes at a time when India is fearing the probable arrival of a third wave of Covid-19, even as declining new Covid-19 cases has resulted in ignorance towards following pandemic protocols such as maintaining social distance and wearing of masks.
Furthermore, the Delta variant that was first identified in India, has become the most dominant of its kind with it being found in 124 countries now, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said last week. “It is expected that it will rapidly outcompete other variants and become the dominant circulating lineage over the coming months,” the UN health agency said in its epidemiological update on July 21.
Notably, Delta variant accounts for over 75% of the Covid-19 cases across the world, including Great Britain, Russia, Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Singapore and India, among others, the WHO report stated.