43% Week-on-Week Rise in New COVID Cases, Deaths up by 37%: Centre

Sixty percent of all active cases are concentrated in Maharashtra, a Health Ministry official said. Image used for representation. 

(Photo: PTI)

India has seen a nearly 43 percent week-on-week increase in new coronavirus cases and a nearly 37 percent week-on-week increase in new deaths, Union Health Ministry Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said during a government briefing on Wednesday, 17 March.

The lowest point of daily coronavirus cases count was 9 February, he said, adding that 70 districts across 16 states have seen an increase in infections by 150 percent in 15 days, from 1 to 15 March.

Bhushan said that 60 percent of all active cases are concentrated in Maharashtra. In Punjab, the positivity rate is 6.8 percent, which he said was worrying and said that it was due to a lack of COVID-19 appropriate behaviour. Though states are seeing a surge in cases, the mortality rate remains less than two percent.

Karnataka's case positivity rate is at 1.3 percent, Bhushan said, adding that there was a need to increase the number of tests. Delhi’s positivity rate is less than one percent. In the last 24 hours, more than 400 cases have been reported in Delhi, as the positivity rate increased from 0.4 percent to 0.6 percent.

India’s Vaccination Drive

On 15 March, 8.34 million COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered worldwide, of which India alone administered 36 percent, the Health Ministry secretary pointed out.

About 3.51 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far, including 1.38 crore for those above 60 years and aged between 45-60 with comorbidities.

The Health Ministry official also said that India's overall percentage of COVID-19 vaccine wastage is 6.5 percent, with the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh recording 17.6 percent and 11.6 percent of vaccine wastage, respectively.

“We have told the states that vaccine wastage needs to be drastically reduced,” Bhushan said.

On Concerns Over AstraZeneca Vaccine

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual meeting with the chief ministers of states and union territories, and said that the emerging second wave of COVID-19 will have to be stopped immediately.

The PM said during the meeting that testing and clinical care facilities need to be strengthened in Tier 2 and 3 cities, VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog said at the Health Ministry briefing. The Prime Minister also expressed disappointment on the issue of vaccine wastage, he added.

On the issue of the AstraZeneca vaccine administration being stopped in some European countries amid concerns, the NITI Aayog member said:

“There are reports on the AstraZeneca’s vaccine relationship with thrombotic events (blood clotting) in people who received the vaccine. Ten countries have paused the AstraZeneca vaccine programme. The European medical agency says it’s a precautionary measure and there’s no data, assessment is being done. India’s group that looks at adverse effects is aware of the issue and is tracking the information available. I assure you that we have no signal of concern in this regard.”

VK Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, as quoted by ANI

Earlier on Wednesday, India reported 28,903 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally in the country to 1,14,38,734. The death toll increased by 188 to 1,59,044.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI)