NEW DELHI: The
Union health ministry on Wednesday said that as many as 70 districts across India have reported more than 150 per cent rise in active
coronavirus cases in the first 15 days of the month as the nation stares at a fresh surge in infections.
Maharashtra, which is the worst-affected state due to Covid, accounts for maximum 13 "districts of concern", according to the ministry.
Addressing a media briefing, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that most of these districts are located in west and north India.
"From March 1-15, about 70 districts in 16 states have registered over 150 per cent increase in active cases while 55 districts in 17 states have registered 100-150 per cent rise in cases," he said.
Among the districts of concern identified by the Centre are Haryana's Yamunanagar (300% rise), Karnal (245% rise), Faridabad (225% rise), Panchkula (215% rise); Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur (367% rise), Solan (267% rise), Una (220% rise); Maharashtra's Nanded (385% rise), Nandurbar (224% rise), Beed (219% rise) and Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam (500% rise), Gwalior (360% rise), Khargone (250.0% rise) and Ujjain (214% rise). Punjab's Rupnagar has recorded a 256% rise in cases.
Speaking about the rise in cases, Bhushan listed several states in India which have witnessed a marked rise in coronavirus infections in the first 15 days of the month.
Maharashtra saw its positivity rate rise from 11% on March 1 to 16% on March 15.
"On March 1, an average of 7,741 new cases were being reported. By March 15, the number increased to average 13,527," he said.
Similarly, several other states saw a surge of almost 100% in the first 15 days of the month.
India on Wednesday recorded its highest daily tally of cases this year with 28,902 new infections.
The death toll increased to 1,59,044 with 188 new fatalities, the highest in around two months, according to health ministry data released at 8am.
Fresh surge in MaharashtraMeanwhile, Maharashtra continues to witness a record surge in numbers as it witnessed a sharp spike of over 23,000 cases on Wednesday.
According to the state health department, Maharashtra reported 23,179 new Covid-19 cases and 84 deaths while 9,138 people were discharged in the last 24 hours.
This is an almost 30% rise compared to Tuesday's tally when the state had reported 17,864 infections.
Maharashtra had last reported over 23,000 daily infections in September last year, during the peak of the pandemic in the country.
Bhushan said that Maharashtra accounts for almost 60% of all active cases in the country.
Vaccine wastageAmid concerns over a fresh peak in infections, the health ministry has also flagged the issue of vaccine wastage in the country, which currently stands at 6.5%.
Bhushan said Covid-19 vaccine wastage in five states — Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir — is higher than 6.5 per cent, which is the national average.
"The message we have shared with states is that vaccines are invaluable commodities. They are public health goods and therefore vaccines have to be optimally utilised. Vaccine wastage has to be drastically reduced. Any reduction in wastage means that you end up inoculating more people and therefore the chances of disrupting the chain of infection grow that much more," he said.
Must stop emerging second peak: PM Earlier today, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi held a high-level meeting with the chief ministers of all states and expressed concern over the rise in coronavirus cases across the country.
In the virtual interaction, the Prime Minister stressed on the need to stop the emerging "second peak" of the virus and warned that a nationwide outbreak can occur if the pandemic is not controlled.
He also asserted that vaccine is an effective weapon against the diseases and asked states to establish more vaccination centres, be it government-run or private.
The Prime Minister urged states to scale up RT-PCR tests, which he said should account for more than 70 per cent of overall testing, increase vaccination centres while targeting zero wastage of vaccines, follow diligently the practice of "test, track and treat" and create micro-containment zones to curb the infection's spread.
Over 3.6 million get vaccine jabs in a dayIn a separate statement, the health ministry said that the cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 3.64 crore.
Till 7pm on Wednesday, a total of 3,64,67,744 vaccine doses were administered, as per the provisional report.
These include 75,47,958 healthcare workers (HCWs)/76,63,647 frontline workers who have taken the first dose and 46,08,397 HCWs/17,86,812 FLWs who have taken the second dose.
Besides, 1,24,74,362 beneficiaries more than 60-years-old and 23,86,568 beneficiaries aged 45 to 60 with specific comorbidities have been given the first dose, according to health ministry.
(With inputs from agencies)