COVID-19 weekly positivity rate over 10% in 120 districts, check 10-point cheatsheet

In the current third wave of the pandemic, driven by the ‘highly transmissible’ Omicron’variant, as many as 120 districts across 29 states and Union Territories have recorded a weekly Covid-19 positivity rate of 10%, according to government statistics released on Wednesday.

Until December 24, just two districts had a positivity rate of 10% (the number of people who tested positive for every 100 tests). By January 6, it (the weekly positivity rate) had risen to over 10% in 41 districts across 17 states and UTs. According to data collated from states and laboratories in the ICMR site, approximately 120 districts had a weekly positive rate of more than 10%.

“Testing is the backbone for reducing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 as it facilitates early detection of cases, isolation, and contact tracing,” the Indian Council of Medical Research, or ICMR, wrote in a document commenting on the weekly positivity rate. In underprivileged areas, rural areas, and places where RT-PCR testing is not practicable, all states are encouraged to scale up testing to the highest possible levels utilising quick antigen tests.”

Here’s a 10-point cheatsheet:-

• In Delhi, the percentage of people who are positive has risen to 25.65%. After 21,259 new Covid-19 cases were discovered yesterday, the total number of infections in the city reached 15,90,155.
• According to Dr Shashank Joshi, a member of the Maharashtra Covid Task Force, the Omicron wave in Mumbai is flattening, and the positive rate is likely to drop to 20% from 30% previously.
• On Tuesday, Karnataka’s Covid test positivity rate jumped from 10% to 10.3%, as daily cases topped 14,473 in the state, with 10,800 in Bengaluru.
• After testing 63,898 samples, Kerala reported 9,066 new Covid cases yesterday, bringing the daily test positivity rate to 14.18 percent.
• Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) have warned that repeating booster doses of the original Covid vaccines is not a realistic method for combating developing variations, and have called for new and improved coronavirus vaccines.
• While the current increase in Covid cases in India is mostly attributable to Omicron, experts yesterday argued that this does not suggest Delta has deteriorated.
• In a letter to his counterparts in states and union territories on Monday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan stated that India is seeing a hospitalisation rate of 5-10% in the current surge, but that the situation is changing swiftly. “So far, 5-10% of active cases in the current surge have required hospitalisation.” His letter stated, “The situation is dynamic and developing, and the requirement for hospitalisation may change swiftly.”