India's Covid cases show a slight drop, with only 1,539 new infections and four deaths in the last 24 hours

• India recorded 1,569 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of active cases to 10,981.
• Delhi, Maharashtra, and Kerala lead in covid cases.
• The Union Health Secretary emphasized the need for increased testing, conducting whole genome sequencing of positive samples.

India recorded 1,569 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday (March 28), bringing the total number of active cases to 10,981, per data from the Union Health Ministry. This is slightly less than the number reported on Tuesday. The daily positivity rate is at 3.19%. In the last 24 hours, four people died from Covid-19, all from Kerala. According to the data, 31 districts across 14 states have a weekly test positivity rate of 10% or more, which indicates a high caseload.

As per the ministry's website, the country has administered over 220 crore doses of Covid vaccine, and 11,339 people got vaccinated under the national vaccination drive.

Delhi, Maharashtra, and Kerala lead in Covid cases

Some states already have high caseloads. The latest government data shows a 3.5-fold rise in tally in two weeks in four districts of Delhi, two each in Kerala and Maharashtra, and one in Gujarat recorded the highest weekly test positivity rate (TPR). The number of districts with a weekly TPR of 10% or more has increased to 32 across 14 states and Union Territories. The report states that there were 63 districts across 19 states/ UTs where the TPR was 5-10% in the March 19-25 week, up from 15 (across eight states) two weeks ago. Also, active covid cases in Uttar Pradesh have increased thrice in the past 10 days.

Centre reviews public health preparedness for management of Covid-19

During a meeting on Monday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan emphasized the importance of increasing testing for Covid-19 using RT-PCR and conducting whole genome sequencing of positive samples. He also stressed the need for people to follow Covid-19-appropriate behavior and to administer precautionary doses, especially to vulnerable populations.

Bhushan advised states to conduct mock drills on April 10 and 11 to ensure hospitals are prepared with adequate infrastructure, including oxygen cylinders, ventilators, logistics, and human resources.

Bhushan reiterated that the approach of ‘test-track-treat-vaccinate and adherence to COVID-19-appropriate behavior’ remains the effective strategy for pandemic management, irrespective of new Covid variants. States were also urged to ensure sufficient designated beds and health workers, enhance community awareness about the disease and vaccination, and update Covid-19 data regularly on the Covid India portal.

(With agency inputs)