The Health Ministry on Thursday, 7 October, observed that great caution needs to be practised in the upcoming festival and wedding season, in order to prevent the resurgence of COVID-19 in the country.
"Please watch your October, November, December," stated Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal.
"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."Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal, as quoted by news agency PTI
The senior officer advised people to avoid unnecessary travel and crowded places. He instead encouraged the use of online modes of shopping and celebration.
36 Lakh COVID Beds Available, Can Deal With Daily Surge of 4.5 Lakh Cases: Health Ministry Official
Joint Secretary Agarwal, during a press briefing on Thursday, said that the second wave of COVID-19 was not fully over, and that India was reporting as many as 20,000 coronavirus cases daily.
He observed that five states – Kerala, Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, and Meghalaya – were witnessing a weekly positivity rate of over five percent, PTI reported.
71 percent of India's adult population has been inoculated with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 27 percent of the adult population has received both the shots, the health ministry official said.
Listing the preparations made by the government to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, Joint Secretary Agarwal noted that 36 lakh hospital beds are currently available in the country for COVID-19 patients, of which 4.86 lakh are oxygen-supported beds and 1.35 lakh are ICU beds.
"We are prepared to face a daily surge of 4.5-5 lakh COVID-19 cases," he was quoted as saying by PTI.
According to a press release issued by the government on Thursday, 92.63 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the country so far.
India recorded 22,431 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, and witnessed a recovery rate of 97.95 percent – the highest since March 2020.
(With inputs from PTI)
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