NEW DELHI: Even as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to surge in the country, there is a silver lining: 25 districts across 15 states in India have not reported a single case in last two weeks despite having reported cases earlier.
These include Gondia in Maharashtra, Raj Nandaon, Durg, Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh, Davangiri, Kodagu,Tumkuru,Udupi in Karnataka , South Goa in Goa, Wayanad and Kottayam in Kerala, West Imphal in Manipur.
Other districts are Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir, Aizwal West in Mizoram, Mahe in Puducherry, SBS Nagar in Punjab, Patna, Nalanda and Munger in Bihar, Pratapgarh in Rajasthan,Panipat,Rohtak,Sirsa in Haryana , Pauri Garhwal in Uttrakhand; and Bhadradari Kothagudem in Telangana.
The total number of confirmed cases in India have now risen to 9,352 with 324 casualties and 980 recoveries, according to Health Ministry data.
Maharashtra continues to be the worst affected with 1,985 positive cases, followed by Delhi at 1,154 and Tamil Nadu with 1,043.
Lav Agrwal, joint secretary in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in the daily briefing on the outbreak said that the core strategy Group on Coovid-19 is working on molecular surveillance, rapid and economical diagnostics and new drugs.
The government also maintained that said that there are enough testing kits as the pace of testing is being raised.
“Till yesterday we conducted 2,06,212 COVID 19 tests. There is no need to worry. We have enough stock to conduct tests for six weeks,” said Dr R R Gangakhedkar, chief epidemiologist with the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Gangakhedkar also said the first consignment of COVID19 testing kits from China is expected to arrive by Tuesday.
India has recently stepped up testing with the government allowing nearly 70 private labs or lab chains to carry out tests in suspected patients of the infection.
On Sunday, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan had reviewed the research efforts of COVID 19 by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research whose laboratories are working on five verticals: digital and molecular surveillance, rapid and economical diagnostics, new drugs and repurposing of drugs and associated production processes, hospital assistive devices and PPEs and supply chain and logistics support system.
Meanwhile, the ministry also wrote a letter to the states asking to take "preventive measures under appropriate law" to prohibit the use and spitting of smokeless tobacco" as chewing smokeless tobacco products, paan masala and areca nut increases the "production of saliva followed by very strong urge to spit"--which could be a public health hazard in the current times.