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The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Saturday, 31 July, said that districts reporting over 10 percent COVID-19 positivity rate in the last few weeks need to consider strict restrictions to stem the spread of infection.
The centre reviewed the COVID-19 situation in 10 states that witnessed a rise in COVID cases and positivity rates.
"All districts reporting a positivity rate of more than 10 percent in the last few weeks need to consider strict restrictions to prevent/curtail the movement of people, formation of crowds and intermingling of people to prevent the spread of infection," the health ministry said in a statement.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan chaired a high-level meeting to review the COVID-19 situation in Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh, and Manipur.
Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr Balram Bhargava warned that around 40,000 cases have been reported daily over the past few weeks.
He further advised the states to ramp up vaccination in the 60+ and 45-60 age groups as research showed that nearly 80 percent of the mortality rate are from these vulnerable age groups.
The ministry advised states to undertake intensive containment and active surveillance in clusters that are reporting high COVID-19 cases as well as report the death count according to ICMR guidelines.
The ministry also said that the states had been advised to direct private hospitals to put up hospital-based PSA plants.
According to Johns Hopkins' data, 7.44 percent of the Indian population has been fully vaccinated as on July 31.
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