With the number of daily new COVID-19 infections declining for around a week, Niti Aayog member Dr V.K. Paul said the overall situation in the country was improving and that the government would work towards ensuring further stabilisation.
"It is evident that we can see a certain amount of stabilization of the second wave of the pandemic. Some states have shown a clear pattern, in some states there are concerns and in some others there is a trend towards an increase. It is a mixed picture. But overall, the situation is stabilising and we hope and we will work towards ensuring further stabilisation and rapid decline of this pandemic," Paul said at a press conference on Saturday.
The Niti Aayog member also responded to criticisms of the Centre’s recommendation to increase the dosing interval for the Covishield vaccine to 12-16 weeks, based on the advice of the COVID Working Group. Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had earlier pointed out that the United Kingdom had reduced their dosing interval to eight weeks for dose above 50, urging scientists to “make up their minds and speak the truth irrespective of the government”.
A report by The News Minute had said the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) recommendation had been due to the need to increase the number of people receiving at least the protection of the first dose.
Dr Paul noted that narratives about the Covishield interval being reduced due to the vaccine shortage were “saddening”. "I am pleading to all of you with folded hands to put these controversies to rest," Hindustan Times quoted him as saying.
"Saying that the decision was taken under some kind of pressure trivialises the matter. Our scientific institutions comprise independent scientists. National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) is a standing committee that guided the country in the past—on rotavirus and several other immunisation programmes. Scientists of this panel deliberate and then come to a consensus," he said.
"Had it really been because of a shortage of vaccines, we could have done it before when the UK did it as extending the gap suits the so-called shortage but at that time we respected scientific findings," he said.
Several states have reported shortages of vaccines, with some opting not to vaccinate those between 18-45 until they could inoculate the older demographics first.
18.04 crore vaccine doses adminsitered so far
India in a day recorded 3,26,098 COVID-19 cases that took the tally to 2,43,72,907, while 3,890 new fatalities pushed the death toll to 2,66,207, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday.
The active cases have reduced to 36,73,802 and comprise 15.07 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 83.83 per cent, it stated.
Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health, said a total of 18.04 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far in the country. This includes 12.74 crore people above the age of 45 years, 1.62 crore healthcare workers, 2.25 crore frontline workers and 42.59 lakh people between the age of 18-44 years who have received their first dose.
Agarwal also said the containment efforts of the government is working and the overall COVID-19 positivity rate in India, which stood at 21.9 per cent last week, has now fallen to 19.8 per cent.
At the press conference, top health officials said ten states account for 85 per cent of the total coronavirus cases in the country. The Union Health Ministry said 11 states have over one lakh active COVID-19 cases, 17 have less than 50,000 cases while eight have active cases between 50,000 and one lakh.
It also said Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh, which are recording a high number of novel coronavirus cases, are also reporting decline in the number of active cases.
Twenty-four states have a COVID-19 positivity rate of more than 15 per cent while Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Daman and Diu, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh have reported a major drop in case positivity, it said.
Agarwal also spoke of 'e-Sanjeevani OPD' which is a telemedicine platform that facilitates free online medical consultation to all citizens of India, as well as provides for online prescription of medicines.
He said this 'Stay Home OPD' is operational in 28 states and has so far provided over 30,000 consultations by more than 17,000 doctors.
AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria also warned against the spread of mucormycosis and recommended that with COVID-19 cases increasing, it's of paramount importance that protocols of infection control practices are followed at hospitals.
"It is been seen that secondary infections like fungal and bacterial are causing more mortality," Guleria said.
The black fungus infection, also known as mucormycosis, is caused by a fungus called mucor.
Recently, several states have flagged cases of COVID-triggered mucormycosis, especially among patients who are diabetic.
In an advisory released on May 9, the Centre said mucormycosis may turn fatal if uncared for. It also said the fungal infection mainly affects people who are on medication that reduces their ability to fight environmental pathogens.
With inputs from PTI