80% coronavirus cases are reported from 50 districts: Health Ministry

New Delhi: Out of 739 districts in the country, 80% coronavirus cases are reported from 50 districts, said Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Health Ministry, Rajesh Bhushan, at a press briefing here on Thursday (July 30).

When asked about upcoming bhoomi pujan for Ram temple construction on August 5, Rajesh Bhushan, said that the Ministry of Home Affairs permitted certain activities in the Unlock 2 guidelines, under which, it included religious places, SOPs were made for it.

About vaccine development, the Health Ministry official said that currently, three vaccines are undergoing phase 3 of the clinical trials. When the vaccine is prepared, our role will be important as India is a very big hub with adequate infrastructure.

So far, over one million, 10,20,582, patients have been cured of coronavirus in India, he said, adding that in a country like India, where there were limited resources, we did better.

According to Rajesh Bhushan, 16 states in the country have shown a better recovery rate than the national average.

On the recovery of 1 million people, the Health Ministry official stood up and cheered doctors, nurses, and other medical staff. 

There are 5,28,242 lakh active COVID-19 cases, and around one crore coronavirus tests have been done in a month. In the first week of July, 2 lakh 40 thousand tests were done, said the Health Ministry official, adding that the country is doing more than 5 lakh tests every day.

The Ministry official, however, said that herd immunity "cannot be a strategic choice or option" given the size of India's population. It also urged people to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour until a vaccine is developed.

When asked whether India was approaching herd immunity against the coronavirus infection, the OSD said that herd immunity is a kind of indirect protection from an infectious disease like COVID-19, adding it happens only when a population becomes immune either through vaccination or immunity is developed through a previous infection.

He said herd immunity can be achieved through immunisation but that is in the future. "The health ministry believes it still far away and in the future. For now, we have to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour like wearing masks, avoiding gatherings, following hand hygiene, and maintaining 'do gaz ki doori (maintaining distance of two yards)," the OSD said.

About the spread of coronavirus infection in the country, Bhushan said Maharashtra, Delhi, and Telangana have reported the maximum number of cases.

Bhushan further said that 21 states and Union Territories have a case positivity rate less than 10 per cent, while in four it is less than five per cent. The COVID-19 positivity rate in Rajasthan is 3.5 per cent, Punjab 3.9 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 4 per cent, and Jammu and Kashmir 4.7 per cent, he said.

Rajesh Bhushan further said that effective clinical management has led to a decline in the COVID-19 case fatality rate from 3.33 per cent on June 18 to 2.21 per cent on July 30.