The health ministry on Saturday stated that 12,193 fresh covid cases were reported in India, within a span of 24 hours. The number of active cases reached 67,556. According to the ministry's data, the death toll has climbed to 5,31,300 with 42 more fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours, including 10 reconciled by Kerala.
Out of the total caseload, the active cases amount up to 0.2 percent. The national Covid-19 recovery rate stands at 98.7 percent. The fatality rate is about 1.2 percent, while the number of recovery cases from Covid-19 infection has reached up to 44,283,021. The Ministry reported that about 220.6 crore doses of Covid vaccines have been administered across the country.
The surge in Covid-19 cases has been attributed to the spread of a new Covid variant, named Arcturus. It is a sub-variant of Omicron, known as the XBB.1.16 strain.
Dr Aklesh Tandekar, Head Consultant, Critical Care, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road said that Arcturus, which is a subvariant of the Omicron variant, is created by a combination of two other variants. This variant has been founded in 22 countries including the US, Singapore, Australia and the UK.
The technical lead for Covid in WHO, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said: "It's been in circulation for a few months. We haven't seen a change in severity in individuals or in populations, but that's why we have these systems in place. It has one additional mutation in the spike protein, which, in lab studies, shows increased infectivity as well as potential increased pathogenicity."
According to the senior consultant, Dr Namrata Jasani, Senior Consultant, Pulmonology, Global Hospitals, Parel, Mumbai, the symptoms of this infection is different from the previous ones, as it has been reported to cause conjunctivitis or pink eye, especially in children below 12 years, Indian Express reported.
"The child can have high-grade fever and cough, along with redness, itching, and watering from eyes. The symptoms can be very similar to other viruses like the adenovirus which is very common in the summer season in India," she said.
As the Covid scare looms, the Centre has advised eight states to follow stringent measures and to take precautions to control the rapid spreading of the infection. It includes Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Amid all these tensions surrounding the Covid pandemic, Health Secretary, Rajesh Bhushan has sent letters to these states, instructing them to strengthen covid-19 surveillance in all districts, maintain adequate levels of testing, and monitor influenza-like-illnesses.
Bhushan warned: "The pandemic is still not over, and we (states/UTs) must remain cautious against laxity."
At the sub-district level, the states are given strict instructions to enhance the hospital infrastructure and to make sure the availability of essential drugs and equipment and adequately trained manpower.
