Covid-19 Cases Rising Fast; India’s active Covid-19 Caseload has reached 25,587 with over 5,000

India has witnessed a rapid surge in Covid-19 cases, with the country recording over 5,000 new infections on Thursday. According to the Union Health Ministry data updated at 8 AM, this marks an increase of nearly 20% compared to the previous day. The active Covid-19 caseload has now risen to 25,587. Of the new cases, 335 were recorded during this period. The daily positivity rate stands at 3.32%, while the weekly positivity rate is 2.89%. The recovery rate currently stands at 98.75%, with 2,826 Covid-19 recoveries reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries to 4,41,82,538.

The Union Health Ministry’s website reported that the Nationwide Vaccination Drive has administered a total of 220.66 crore vaccine doses, including 95.21 crore second doses and 22.87 crore precaution doses. In the last 24 hours, nearly 1,993 doses were administered, according to the data. The website also revealed that 92.23 crore Covid-19 detection tests have been conducted so far, with around 1,60,742 tests conducted in the last 24 hours.

On Wednesday, India witnessed its largest single-day surge in coronavirus infections in 163 days (five months and 13 days), with 4,435 new cases recorded, as per the Health Ministry data. The active Covid-19 cases in the country on Wednesday stood at 23,091.

India’s total Covid-19 cases surged to 4.47 crore (4,47,33,719) on Wednesday, following the addition of fresh cases. The death toll stood at 5,30,916, with 15 new deaths recorded in the last 24 hours, according to data updated at 8 am. Maharashtra reported four deaths, while one each was reported from Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Puducherry, and Rajasthan. Additionally, four deaths were reconciled by Kerala on Wednesday. The active Covid-19 caseload reached 21,179, with 3,038 fresh cases reported on Tuesday. India has been witnessing an upward trend in the number of daily fresh infections, with cases ranging from 2,994 on April 1 to 3,824 on April 2, 3,641 on April 3, and 3,038 on Tuesday. In last week a Single-Day Rise of 2,151 Fresh Covid-19 Cases in India.

Need to Remain Vigilant, Says Union Health Minister

On Monday, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya stated that despite the rising COVID cases in India, the sub-variant of Omicron that is circulating in the country has not resulted in an increase in hospitalizations and there is no cause for concern. However, he stressed the need for remaining vigilant and alert. “We need to be alert, but there is no reason to worry. The sub-variant of Omicron currently circulating in the country has not resulted in an increase in hospitalizations,” Mandaviya commented.

Govt Revises Covid-19 Guidelines 

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released updated guidelines for Covid-19 due to the recent surge of cases across the country. The new guidelines state that antibiotics should only be used if there is a clinical suspicion of bacterial infection and that the possibility of coinfection with other endemic infections should be taken into account. Additionally, the guidelines state that systemic corticosteroids are not recommended for mild cases of Covid-19.

The guidelines, which were discussed and prepared in January, advise individuals to seek immediate medical attention if they experience difficulty breathing, high-grade fever, or severe cough, especially if it lasts for more than 5 days. It also emphasizes the importance of keeping a low threshold for those with any high-risk features.

The revised guidelines for Covid-19 also recommend the use of Remdesivir for up to 5 days (200 mg IV on day 1 followed by 100 mg IV OD for the next 4 days) in moderate or severe cases with a high risk of progression. The Covid-19 pandemic entered India in 2020, leading to the first-ever nationwide lockdown in March.

The government initiated a Pan-India vaccination campaign starting with frontline healthcare workers, followed by the elderly with comorbidities, and then people aged 18 years and above. After receiving approval from the DCGI, the government has also commenced Covid-19 vaccination for children to safeguard them from the deadly virus that originated in Wuhan, China.