Toll shoots past 100 with 27 more deaths since Sat night

Total Fatalities In Maha 45; India Cases Top 4,000

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:06.04.2020

India’s death toll from the Covid-19 outbreak surged past 100 to 124 with 27 more patients succumbing to the infection - according to official state-wise reports — the highest number so far, with Maharashtra alone reporting 13 deaths on Sunday.

The number of coronavirus cases also went past 4,000 as states reported 541 fresh cases on Sunday, the fourth straight day of 500-plus infections in the country. The number of cases has doubled in the past four days, going from a little over 2,000 on April 1to more than 4,200 till the time of going to press on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Centre released more data showing how the surge in cases was mainly due to infections spread via the Tablighi Jamaat congregations in Delhi’s Nizamuddin last month.

Excluding the cases linked to the event, India’s Covid-19 cases would have doubled in 7.4 days, whereas it is doubling in 4.1 days at present because several infected members of the Jamaat dispersed across the country to spread the virus multiple times.

“The doubling rate, which means in how many days the number of Covid-19 cases double, at present is 4.1 days. But if cases reported due to the Tablighi Jamaat event, had not come, then the doubling rate would have been 7.4 days,” health ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal said.

According to the health ministry, a total of 3,374 positive cases and 79 deaths were reported from across the country till Sunday. Of this, at least 472 new cases and 11 deaths were reported in last 24 hours, according to health ministry data.

Govt plans massive increase in testing

The government plans to double after every three days the number of samples tested through RT-PCR process — considered mandatory for accurate results — by government labs. The scope of testing is going to be further widened by a number of other tests. Currently, labs under the ICMR are testing over 10,000 samples a day. This is expected to reach 20,000 in three days. P 8

Corona not airborne but a droplet infection, says doc

The ministry’s numbers arelikely tobe at variance with those reported by the state governments due to a time lag in collating and cross-checking data. On Saturday, the ministry had said 30% of the total cases reported in the country so far were linked to Tablighi Jamaat.

Around 274 districts across the country have reported Covid-19 cases so far. With increasing transmission of thediseasetowider geographies, the Cabinet secretary had asked district magistrates and collectors of different districts with larger number of cases to share their experience with other districts. In a meeting on Sunday, district administrations from such districts including Bhilwara, Agra, Gautam Buddh Nagar, East Delhi and Mumbai shared their observations. “The two key observations about strategies that worked were – one, proactive and ruthless implementation of containment measures atfieldlevel, and preparedness to the extent of being over-prepared,” Agarwal said.

Besides, the government has decided to have a crisis management plan for Covid-19 in every district. The government also allayed concerns over the spread of the virus through air, clarifying that the infection only transmits via droplets released duetocoughing,sneezing andfrom thebreathof a Covid-19 patient.

“The coronavirus infection is not airborne but a droplet infection. Had it been an airborne infection,every person in a family of an infected person would have caught the virus because they all would be breathing the air infected by the family member. The same would apply for other patients in a hospital. In some cases, scientists have found it in some settings,” said Dr R R Gangakhedkar, head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).