Second Wave Not Over Yet: Govt Warns Of Covid Surge During Festival, Wedding Season

Advising the people to avoid crowded places and celebrate festivals virtually, Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said: “Please watch your October, November, December.”

(File Photo/ Getty)

New Delhi: Reiterating the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is not over yet, the Central government on Thursday warned the people about a high risk of resurgence in Covid-19 infections during the upcoming festival and wedding season.

Advising the people to avoid crowded places and celebrate festivals virtually, Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said: “Please watch your October, November, December.”

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The Joint Secretary also advised the people to avoid unnecessary travel and explore online modes of shopping.

“We cannot take the current stable situation for granted. We have to be mindful of the fact that the pandemic is going on and can take an untoward turn if we are not careful,” the official said at a joint media briefing, PTI reported.

The government said though the situation is plateauing, the country is still reporting as high as 20,000-odd new infections every day.

The government said the five states of Mizoram, Kerala, Sikkim, Manipur and Meghalaya are reporting a weekly positivity rate of over five percent.

Thirty-four districts across nine states and Union Territories, as per the government, are reporting a weekly positivity rate of more than 10 percent, while twenty-eight districts across 12 states and Union Territories are reporting a weekly positivity rate between 5 and 10 percent.

The government also informed that 71 percent of the country’s adult population has received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, while 27 percent have got both doses.

Throwing light on the preparations to deal with any surge in Covid-19 infections, the government said 8.36 lakh hospital beds, including 4.86 lakh oxygen-supported beds and 1.35 lakh ICU beds, are currently available for the coronavirus patients in the country, adding this is in addition to nearly one million isolation beds in dedicated care centres.

Asserting there is no issue of vaccine availability in the country now, an official said: “We are prepared to face a daily surge of 4.5-5 lakh Covid-19 cases.”

The Union Health Ministry in a release said 22,431 new Covid-10 cases have been reported in the last 24 hours, adding India’s active caseload stands at 2,44,198.

With 318 fresh fatalities, the death toll in the country climbed to 4,49,856.