Covid pandemic: India not in community transmission stage, says govt

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 9

India is not in community transmission stage of SARS Cov2 virus, the government on Thursday clarified, even as cases hovered near eight-lakh mark.

Noting that only 49 Indian districts out of 733 districts in the country account for 80 per cent of the COVID case load, the Ministry of Health special secretary Rajesh Bhushan today said “in a country of 733 districts and where only 49 districts account for 80 per cent cases talking of community transmission is not justified.”

Bhushan said certain areas of India are reporting local outbreaks amenable to containment and the strategy going forward is test track and treat through active containment, house to house surveys and isolation.

The government also said India’s recovery rate is among the best in the world and death rate is among the lowest globally.

The previous mortality trends continue to hold with 85 per cent of all Covid deaths in people above 45 years of population.

The 45 to 59 year old group accounts for 32 per cent of all deaths; 60- to 75-year-olds make up 39 per cent mortality and 75-year-plus people are involved in 14 per cent deaths.

The population age group under 14 years to 44 years accounts for only 15 per cent of all deaths, the ministry data shows.

Just 10 per cent people (60 to 74 year olds who are eight per cent of Indians population and 75-plus who are two per cent of national population) account for over half the deaths at 53 per cent.

This group remains the highest risk group, Bhushan said.