NEW DELHI: With the country slowly returning to the "new normal" following a long COVID-19 lockdown, imposed to contain the spread of the virus, the Centre’s narrative seems to be changing from "corona ko harana hai" (we have to defeat coronavirus) to "corona ke saath jeena hai" (we have to learn to live with coronavirus).
At a press conference on the outbreak management in the country on Tuesday, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare emphasised on action preparedness through a public service video underlined on the fact that working people should get out of their homes, with adequate precautions, to get the economy and the country running.
The key message in the video starring Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar was that people should return to work and even if they get sick due to exposure to the virus, most likely they will recover, as there are healthcare services available to cater to those in need.
Till a few weeks back, the theme of these press briefings was how the government was doing everything possible to "contain" the spread of the infectious disease with government officials insisting that "peak may never come in India if we are careful and follow social distancing, including lockdown norms diligently". The government has been maintaining that the decision to impose an early and strict lockdown prevented an exponential and sudden rise in cases and deaths.
But despite the lockdown — that was very stringent for the most part — the number of confirmed cases in India, however, has now reached 1,98,706, and as on Tuesday morning, 97,851 of these were active cases.
The number of infection-related deaths also have reached 5,598 with 205 deaths reported within 24 hours.
Joint Secretary (Health Department) Lav Agarwal, who addressed the briefing, said that the headlines such as India now being seventh worst-hit country in the pandemic are "unfair" and only comparisons should be made only in terms of cases or deaths per million, given India’s huge population.
"The number of deaths from corona in India per lakh population is 0.41, while the rate in the world is 4.9. In some countries, this figure has reached 62 and 82," he said. Agarwal said that the country is in a better position due to the timely detection of infection and the right treatment.