NEWS

The Covid-19 pandemic situation in rural areas is worse than urban parts due to lack of medical infrastructure and testing facilities.

Tushar Barhate, who is living near Chakan, said, “Five members of my family have been showing symptoms of the virus since last three days. We are awaiting test reports for the past three days as there is a huge rush. Doctors said the treatment can begin only after seeing the test report. One of the doctors has given basic medicines.”

Dr Rahul Joshi, rural health officer at Ghodegaon in Pune district, said, “The Covid situation is almost the same like Mumbai and Pune. In Ambegaon taluka, the situation is better as there is enough health facility and Covid centres, unlike neighbouring talukas.”

Delhi carried out one lakh Covid-19 vaccinations in a day for the first time as the vaccine festival or ‘Tika Utsav’ kicked off across the country to encourage citizens to get themselves vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“An all-out mobilisation was the main thrust of Tika Utsav due to which a specially focused effort was made by the officials resulting in Delhi crossing the one lakh per day figure,” according to details shared by officials in the Delhi government.

“After having put the required regulations, related enforcement measures and the ramping up of the supporting medical infrastructure in place … under the aegis of the Delhi Disaster Management Act, the Lt Governor has been keenly overseeing the measures taken,” officials told media. The efforts are to ensure proper implementation of the vaccine ‘festival’ which will go on till 14 April.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with Governors of various states on April 14 on the COVID-19 situation, sources said on Monday. It would be the first meeting of this kind during the pandemic and has been convened amid the Centre looking to push for stronger adherence to the pandemic protocols among citizens across the country.

The development comes days after Modi in a virtual meeting with chief ministers had called for the involvement of governors in handling the pandemic and also of personalities from different fields to push compliance with COVID-appropriate behaviour and pandemic management guidelines, including for providing vaccination to eligible people. The meeting comes amid a surge in COVID-10 cases across the country. India hit a new coronavirus infection record with 1,68,912 cases, taking the total tally of cases to 1,35,27,717, according to the health ministry data updated on Monday.

Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday ordered the closure of all schools till April 30 and directed the imposition of a night curfew in the districts, which report 100 new infections in a day or have 500 active cases. According to a government statement, the government also ordered that not more than 100 people be allowed to assemble at an open space for an event while the number has been put at 50 for closed spaces.

The fresh government directives have come on a day the state reported its highest single-day spike of 15,353 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic. So far, 9,152 people have died from the infection in the state, which has reported 6,92,015 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic.