In Noida, 20% of all Covid cases reported in first 11 days of September

According to official figures, of a total of 9,808 cases in the district till September 11, 2,063 cases were reported from September 1 to 11. Not only that, the number of patients discharged after treatment also went down to 1,071 in September (till 11).

Of all the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases detected so far in Gautam Budh Nagar, 20% of them were reported in the first 11 days of September.

By contrast, in the entire month of August, as many as 2,864 new cases were reported and 2,174 patients were discharged. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

According to official figures, of a total of 9,808 cases in the district till September 11, 2,063 cases were reported from September 1 to 11. Not only that, the number of patients discharged after treatment also went down to 1,071 in September (till 11). By contrast, in the entire month of August, as many as 2,864 new cases were reported and 2,174 patients were discharged.

The data report reveals that the daily figure of active cases in the district has gone up six times in September so far, which up to August 31, had crossed the 200-mark only three times since March 8, when the first case was reported in the district.

According to chief medical officer Dr Deepak Ohri, the recent surge in cases is due to an increase in testing. “Earlier, we used to test around 1,500 persons a day, but now it is around 3,000 people a day. The more you test, the more will come out positive. But, we are not worried as the fatality rate in the district is low,” he said.

The district administration attributed this surge to the reverse migration of workers from their home towns to the industrial city of Noida, increased rate of testing as well as easing of movement restrictions, but the trading community felt that the rising tide of cases will prove an even bigger blow to industries than the lockdown.

The DM further said the main aim of the administration is to reduce the case fatality rate (CFR). “We are successful from that point of view. The district’s CFR has gone down to 0.48%, which is much better than the national CFR of 1.71% and the state CFR of 1.43%. It clearly indicates that our sampling rate and recovery rate have been increasing day by day. Not only that, Gautam Budh Nagar has the lowest mortality rate among all districts of the state,” he said.

Lalit Thukral, president of Noida apparel export cluster (NAEC), doesn’t appear to believe that reverse migration has caused the surge in Covid-19 cases. “Does the administration have any data on how many workers have been found infected with Covid-19 in the district? We are in a Catch-22 situation now. While our workers are scared to come back and we are continuing work with limited strength, our overseas buyers are apprehensive to give us orders as most of them feel that if the situation remains the same, the government may impose another lockdown,” he said.

Sushil Kumar Jain, the president of Sector 18 market association, also said he felt that the surge in cases adversely impacted businesses. “The turnout of customers, which had increased in the last week of August, has again gone down. If the situation persists for long, traders will have no option other than to permanently shut shop,” he said.