Coronavirus: Months into pandemic, Centre admits to "limited" community transmission
After saying for months that coronavirus "community transmission" is merely a term and that it would be premature to declare the same for India, considering the large population, the Centre admitted on Sunday that the deadly virus has entered the third stage of transmission in the country, although it is limited to certain districts. The declaration was made by Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan.
Community transmission expected in densely-populated areas: Dr. Harsh Vardhan
Last week, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said community transmission has started in her state. Concurring her statement at "Sunday Samvaad," Harsh Vardhan said, "In different pockets across various states, including Bengal, community transmission of COVID-19 is expected to occur, especially in densely-populated areas." But, the transmission is limited to certain districts in a handful of states, he added.
In community transmission stage, source of infection can't be traced
In the dreaded community transmission stage, the source of the infection can't be traced. Indian authorities have repeatedly asked citizens to adhere to coronavirus-necessitated precautions to ensure the third stage of transmission is avoided. Naturally, a community transmission would overburden the already exhausted healthcare system.
Earlier, states hinted at community transmission, even as Centre denied
Although the Union government and ICMR, the top agency leading India's battle against coronavirus, insisted that community transmission hasn't started, some states claimed otherwise. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in July said community transmission began in Poonthura and Pulluvila. In May-June, when the coronavirus cases surged worryingly in Delhi, the AAP government indicated that in some cases, the source was untraceable.
Kerala suffering because it avoided restrictions, claimed Harsh Vardhan
Talking about how states are performing, the Health Minister claimed Kerala was paying the price of letting the guard down during the Onam festival. The state, from where the first case was reported, witnessed merely 499 cases and two deaths between January 30 and May 3. Currently, Kerala has recorded 341,860 cases and 1,162 deaths. Harsh Vardhan said "hasty unlocking" derailed Kerala's fight.
As per minister, Kerala should serve as a good lesson
"Kerala is paying the price of gross negligence during the recent Onam festivities when state-wide unlocking of services, along with an increase in inter- and intra-state travel for trade and tourism, led to the spread of COVID-19 cases across various districts," he said.
Harsh Vardhan's remarks came amid dipping coronavirus numbers
To note, India's new coronavirus numbers have been dipping, without much of a decrease in testing. On Sunday, 8,59,786 samples were tested, and 55,722 tested positive, taking the national tally to 75,50,273. As per the Ministry of Health, the number of active cases stands at 772,055. With the addition of 579 deaths, the number of coronavirus-linked fatalities swelled to 1,14,610.
Meanwhile, study claimed India is past coronavirus peak
On a related note, a government-appointed panel concluded that India, most probably, crossed the coronavirus peak in September, when the nation was reporting nearly one lakh new infections a day. The panel also said that 30% of Indians have developed antibodies against the disease. It was also claimed that without lockdown, India's death toll could have reached a staggering 25 lakh by August.
