NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday underlined the need for aggressive containment, contact tracing and surveillance measures to combat Covid-19 pandemic in the country. He also urged states to urgently take steps to bring down the fatality rate to less than 1% soon.
During an interaction with chief ministers and representatives of 10 states contributing 80% of total Covid-19 cases and around 81% of total deaths, PM Modi asserted that if the virus is defeated in these states, then the country will also emerge victorious in its fight against the pandemic.
These states included Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.
“Our experience so far is that containment, contact tracing and surveillance are the most effective weapons against the pandemic, with experts of the view that if cases are identified within 72 hours of onset, then infection slows down to great extent,” the prime minister said.
He emphasised on the need to trace and test all those who come in contact with an infected person within 72 hours. This should be followed like a “mantra”, with the same earnestness as washing hands, maintaining social distance and wearing masks, he said.
PM also asked states like Bihar, Gujarat, UP, West Bengal, and Telangana to urgently ramp up testing for early detection and timely treatment.
He told CMs of the 10 states that such meetings and discussions are necessary as new situations are emerging amid the pandemic.
The Prime Minister recounted home minister Amit Shah prepared a roadmap to tackle the coronavirus pandemic in cooperation with Delhi and nearby states.
“The main pillars of this strategy were segregation of containment zones and focus on screening, especially of those in high-risk categories. The results of these steps are there for all to see,” he said, adding that steps like better management in hospitals and increasing ICU beds also proved very helpful.
Highlighting the decline in Covid-19 fatality rate in the country, Modi said it was a matter of satisfaction and noted that it has been very low compared to the world average.
Currently, the death rate due to Covid-19 in India stands at 1.99%. It has shown a significant drop from 3.33% in mid-June and 2.72% on July 10.
The percentage of active cases in the total number of infected cases have also started showing a decline, while the recovery rate is increasing. PM noted that these steps have boosted the confidence of people.
During an interaction with chief ministers and representatives of 10 states contributing 80% of total Covid-19 cases and around 81% of total deaths, PM Modi asserted that if the virus is defeated in these states, then the country will also emerge victorious in its fight against the pandemic.
These states included Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.
“Our experience so far is that containment, contact tracing and surveillance are the most effective weapons against the pandemic, with experts of the view that if cases are identified within 72 hours of onset, then infection slows down to great extent,” the prime minister said.
He emphasised on the need to trace and test all those who come in contact with an infected person within 72 hours. This should be followed like a “mantra”, with the same earnestness as washing hands, maintaining social distance and wearing masks, he said.
PM also asked states like Bihar, Gujarat, UP, West Bengal, and Telangana to urgently ramp up testing for early detection and timely treatment.
He told CMs of the 10 states that such meetings and discussions are necessary as new situations are emerging amid the pandemic.
The Prime Minister recounted home minister Amit Shah prepared a roadmap to tackle the coronavirus pandemic in cooperation with Delhi and nearby states.
“The main pillars of this strategy were segregation of containment zones and focus on screening, especially of those in high-risk categories. The results of these steps are there for all to see,” he said, adding that steps like better management in hospitals and increasing ICU beds also proved very helpful.
Highlighting the decline in Covid-19 fatality rate in the country, Modi said it was a matter of satisfaction and noted that it has been very low compared to the world average.
Currently, the death rate due to Covid-19 in India stands at 1.99%. It has shown a significant drop from 3.33% in mid-June and 2.72% on July 10.
The percentage of active cases in the total number of infected cases have also started showing a decline, while the recovery rate is increasing. PM noted that these steps have boosted the confidence of people.
