PM Modi to Hold Virtual Meet With CMs Amid Surge in COVID-19 Cases

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to hold a virtual meeting with the chief ministers of the states on April 27 amid a sudden surge in COVID-19 cases in India.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan will make a presentation on the matter, said official sources as per a PTI report.

India on Saturday logged 2,527 fresh coronavirus infections, pushing the country’s cumulative caseload to 4,30,54,952 while active cases have increased to 15,079. The death toll has increased to 5,22,149 with 33 fatalities on Saturday.

India has been witnessing a spike in the number of coronavirus cases, triggering fears of a possible fourth wave of the pandemic. Several states, including Punjab, Delhi, and Haryana that recently dropped the mask mandate have once again made it compulsory for people to wear a face mask in public places.

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Earlier this week, a researcher from Chennai's Institute of Mathematical Sciences said that India’s R-value, which indicates how quickly the infection is spreading rose to over one for the first time since January.

If R-value goes above 1, it means that the number of active cases has increased. R-value should be contained below 1 to control the pandemic, reported Times Now.

The country's R-value stood at 1.07 for the week between April 12-18, according to Sitabhra Sinha. I

n the preceding April 5-11 week, it was 0.93, PTI reported.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Tuesday wrote to Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, and Mizoram and advised them to maintain strict watch and take pre-emptive action, if required, in areas of concern to control any emerging spread of COVID-19.

He also urged the states to focus on monitoring clusters of new cases and containment efforts for curbing the spread of the infection as well as on vaccination of the eligible population, including primary vaccination and administration of precaution doses.

Earlier on April 8, Centre has written to five states - Delhi, Haryana, Kerala, Maharashtra and Mizoram - asking them to maintain a strict watch and take pre-emptive action if required.

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