In the past weeks, a sharp decline has been reported in cases of corona infection in Delhi, the capital of India. So is it to be believed that Delhi, which was being called India’s ‘biggest corona hotspot’ a few days ago, will flatten the graph of corona infection in the coming days?
Two weeks ago, the pace of infection in Delhi seemed to have become uncontrollable. A total of more than 1.18 lakh cases have been registered in Delhi so far. Of these, more than 17 thousand cases are currently active and more than 97 thousand people have been cured after infection.
The month of June was very bad for Delhi. Everyday a record number of new cases are being recorded. The whole country was watching the way cases were increasing in Delhi. There were labs filled with crowds of Kovid-19 test, there was panic and tension in government hospitals. Also, conflicting information was coming out from the statements of Delhi Government and Central Government.
nsidered to be less reliable than the RT-PCR test.But in late June the Delhi government implemented some changes in its strategy. Such as door-to-door health screening and increasing the number of antigen tests. However the antigen test is co
But all these things have shown the effect’
, Dr. K Srinath Reddy of the Public Health Foundation of India believes. Dr. Reddy is also a member of the National Covid-19 Task Force. He told that ‘Testing is happening in Delhi as much as before, but new cases of corona infection have seen a decline.’
1200 to 1600 cases were reported daily this week, which is less than half of the last week of June. In the last week of June, an average of more than 3000 cases were reported every day. While Maharashtra, which has the highest number of infections, is still at the same pace of infection.
Tamil Nadu has also been a major hotspot of corona infection in India. There are also new cases coming, but the pace of new cases has come down a little earlier. But Dr. Reddy is not completely sure about the current situation in Delhi. He says, “It can be interpreted in two ways at the moment. First, the cases are coming down in Delhi and the situation is improving. Secondly, the number of antigen tests that the Delhi government has increased, it is Is the result of that. “
The difference between antigen test and RT-PCR is
faster antigen testing. Through this, the test results are revealed in a few minutes. While the result of RT-PCR test takes time and it is also a bit complicated. The important difference between the two is that they look for different parts of the virus as evidence of infection. The antigen test looks for viral proteins whose presence is taken as evidence of infection. But their absence does not mean that the person is not infected.
On the other hand RT-PCR test looks for RNA of viruses which is a far more reliable indicator. That is why RT-PCR test is considered more robust test than antigen test. In fact, India’s current testing protocol requires that all those individuals who are found to be negative in antigen test be tested with RT-PCR kit.
So the question is, how many tests of each type are being done in Delhi? And is everyone being tested again? The data answering them is not publicly available at the moment and this is why some experts feel that the declining pace of registering new cases of infection in Delhi may be the result of poor testing strategy.
Says Dr. Reddy, “I would like to believe that new cases of infection have declined as the number of deaths from Kovid-19 has also fallen.” The daily number of deaths from Kovid-19 in Delhi has started falling after the end of June.
What changed in Delhi?
However, many experts are of the opinion that deaths from Kovid-19 are not being reported properly and are being under-reported. “There is no reason to underestimate more deaths now than before,” says Dr. Reddy.
Most experts consider the number of deaths from Kovid-19 to be the second best scale after the number of confirmed cases of corona infection, given the inconsistency of testing. Dr. Reddy feels that ‘Delhi Government has taken some concrete steps, except antigen testing, due to which the pace of new cases of corona infection has come down to some extent’.
“There is a greater emphasis on public health in Delhi, more homes are being visited, there is a fair amount of testing and public communication is also better,” he says. According to him, “Being alert at the right time has also made a difference. There is a lot of energy in the functioning and Delhi Government’s coordination with the Center is also better now.”
But they also say that “there has been a big change in the situation, it is too early to say. Right now there is a steady decline in the number of new cases being registered and the number of deaths from Kovid-19 which is a good sign.” As should be seen. “
He says that “Delhi government should further improve the process of hospitalization so that the recovery of the people is speeded up and they are saved from dying. This creates confidence in the people and the people themselves will see the infection I inform, do not hide it. “
But Delhi seems to be going out of focus at the moment and the focus is now more on other states and cities in the country, where cases of corona infection are now increasing rapidly. Corona infection is increasing rapidly in the southern states, such as Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Telangana too has seen a sharp increase in infection cases till recently, but testing in Telangana has been very inconsistent.
The reason for the low speed of new cases of infection in Tamil Nadu may be the strict lockdown there, but the reason for the number of testing is the big reason. The highest testing rate in India is in Tamil Nadu and only the RT-PCR kit is being used for testing of Kovid-19 in Tamil Nadu.
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According to Manoj Murkhekar, director of the National Institute of Epidemology located in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, “Fever camps were set up in Tamil Nadu during the lockdown. Those who had symptoms and were suspected of having corona infection were sent to the testing center. , Transport was also provided. It may have benefited. But it is too early to say whether the transition will begin to decrease, or the trend will continue to be so. ”
Maharashtra is
still witnessing an increase in the number of daily cases at the forefront of Maharashtra infections and deaths . However, the state capital Mumbai has started declining gradually. But the surrounding district, such as Thane and Pune or other big cities of the state, is now seeing a spike. Dr. Subhash R. Salunke, advisor to the Maharashtra government in the case of Kovid-19, says, “The movement of people after the lockdown was much higher than the government estimated. So the infection increased. But we are more concerned about people’s deaths.”
So far more than 25,600 people have died due to Kovid-19 in India. Of these, more than 11,150 people have died in Maharashtra alone, more than in any other state. And even now the death toll from Kovid-19 is increasing. After Maharashtra, 3,545 people have died in Delhi, 2,236 in Tamil Nadu and 2,089 in Gujarat from Kovid-19 till Friday evening. Doctor Subhash Salunke says, “Mumbai will soon see a decline in infection cases. But it is not going to end soon.”
