As of 8 am on Wednesday, the total nationwide Covid cases reached 341, with Kerala contributing 292 cases. Delhi and Gujarat reported 3 cases each, Karnataka recorded 9 cases, Telangana and Puducherry reported 4 cases each, and Tamil Nadu documented 13 cases.
On Tuesday, Mumbai accounted for eight out of the 11 new COVID-19 cases reported in Maharashtra, based on data from the Union Health Ministry.
Dr Shalmali Inamdar, an internal medicine specialist at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Andheri, told the Hindustan Times, “There has been a noticeable increase in COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks. However, the cases exhibit mild symptoms such as runny nose, cough, cold and fever, which typically subside within a couple of days.”
Also Read: COVID-19 Update: 292 fresh cases, three deaths in Kerala
Dr Inamdar further informed that all the cases are manageable at home.
Meanwhile, HT reported that Dr Pratit Samdani, an internal medicine consultant at Breach Candy Hospital, said the winter season usually brings about a rise in viral infections due to a drop in temperature. “We have seen a surge in cases of cough and cold, upper respiratory infection, and influenza in our outpatient department over the past two weeks.”
Meanwhile, Mansukh Mandaviya also urged all states and Union Territories (UTs) to ensure preventive measures are taken, given the cold conditions during the winter season, and the upcoming festival season.
Dr Subhash Salunke, who recently resigned as head of the state Covid-19 task force, stressed on virus surveillance. Salunke told HT, “Our virus surveillance has to be strong to detect the mutated virus at the earliest. Keep an eye on virulence and transmissibility.”
“Ensure monitoring and reporting of district-wise influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory illness cases in all health facilities regularly including in the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal, for detecting the early rising trend of cases,” read the advisory released by the Centre on Monday.
Also Read: WHO classifies JN.1 as ‘variant of interest’ amid sharp uptick in Covid-19 cases
As reported by ANI, regarding Kerala reporting the highest number of cases with a positivity rate of 21 percent, State Health Minister Veena George, who was present at the meeting, stated, “We have increased surveillance and ramped up testing. We are also regularly reviewing hospital preparedness and stocks of PPE kits and other equipment. Senior citizens, pregnant women, and those with comorbidities are being advised to wear masks.”
Dr Rajiv Bahl, director of ICMR, Niti Aayog member Dr VK Paul and Dr Saumya Swaminathan, ex-DG of ICMR, also attended the meeting.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 20 Dec 2023, 02:26 PM IST
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