Page 5 - The Indian EYE 021921

BIG STORY February 19, 2021 | The Indian Eye 5

cOvid-19 pandemic: has india wOn?

>> Continued from previous page... coveries on Tuesday. Due to
people by a diagnostic compa- the surge in coronavirus in the
ny showed that 55% of Indians state, Maharashtra Chief Minis-
may have already been infected. ter Uddhav Thackeray directed
The reason why millions of senior officials on Tuesday to
Indians are asymptomatic — as take strict action against peo-
survey numbers suggest — has ple or organizations who flout
flummoxed experts. Theories COVID-19 guidelines.
range from India’s early lock- Also, in view of the recent
down implementation to its surge in coronavirus cases in
youthful population and an in- Maharashtra, Shiv Sena on
trinsic immunity among Indians. Wednesday termed the situation
Some say an open-air lifestyle in as alarming and warned that the
villages could have prevented a Uddhav Thackeray government
surge in rural India, where two- One of the most crowded countries in the world, social distancing norms would be forced to take some
thirds of India’s 1.3 billion people have been rarely followed in India (ANI) harsh decisions including lock-
live. But epidemiologists say find- down to avoid more infections.
ing the true reason will require In an editorial in its mouth-
research that could take years. piece “Saamana”, the Shiv Sena
While experts agree many expressed displeasure over peo-
Covid-19 cases and deaths may ple violating pandemic guide-
be under-reported in India, lines and said, “The govern-
available indicators like hospi- ment has again issued a stern
tal-bed utilization rates point to warning to the people of the
a falling curve. state to follow the corona rules
Epidemiologists say a key and restrictions for the corona-
factor would be how aggressive- virus pandemic.” “Follow the
ly India moves on its vaccination rules -- otherwise the lockdown
drive. “We have administered will have to be imposed again.
over 87,40,000 vaccine doses. The same warning has been giv-
Out of this, 85,70,000 are first en by the State Health Minis-
doses and over 1,70,000 are sec- ter (Rajesh Tope) himself. The
ond doses. These numbers are public should take it seriously,”
increasing,” said Rajesh Bhu- it said urging people to take pre-
shan, Secretary, Union Health A girl looks at a mask as a gift shop decorated with gifts ahead of Valen- cautions and warned of another
Ministry at a press conference tines Day, in Mumbai on Friday. (ANI) lockdown if COVID-19 cases
here. He added, “Active cas- continue to surge.
es in the country are less than dakh, Jharkhand, Assam, UP, mandatory health protocol to be It further said the govern-
1,40,000. Average daily deaths Telangana, Tripura, Gujarat and followed amid the COVID-19 ment is planning adequate mea-
in the previous one week have Goa, he said. pandemic. sures to curtail the spread of the
also decreased to 93 and the Bhushan further stated that In a joint drive with the virus. “The public will have to
cumulative positivity rate in the the range of daily active cases in BMC, the Mumbai division avoid negligence and take nec-
country is decreasing, as of now the last 15 days has varied from of Railways has fined 2558 essary precautions. This is all it
it is 5.27 per cent.” 12,900 per day to 9,000 per day. passengers for not wearing a takes to crush the head of the
Bhushan also informed that He also said in the last seven mask in the train, informed the corona again. This is the right
the first doses have been ad- days, India has recorded 56 new Chief Public Relation Officers time to be cautious,” Shiv Sena
ministered to over 70 per cent cases per million population (CPRO), Western Railway. A editorial said.
of the registered healthcare and 0.5 new deaths per million total penalty of Rs 3,28,500 col- Further reacting to the re-
workers in Rajasthan, Sikkim, population, which is significant- lected from them, CPRO said cent rise in virus, Shiv Sena
Jharkhand, Mizoram, Kera- ly lower than other countries. further. Meanwhile, the Central said, “Most of the public is still
la, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Hi- But the threat is not over yet, Railways informed that 2060 following the corona rules com-
machal Pradesh, Tripura and especially in Mumbai which was passengers on Mumbai Subur- pletely. The question is of care-
Bihar. Chhattisgarh, MP, Ut- the worst hit. ban Network were fined for not less people. ...The rapidly in-
tarakhand, Lakshwadeep and Now, the Mumbai Division wearing masks while onboard creasing number of new corona
Tripura. of Railways and Brihanmumbai and a total of Rs 1,21,600 have patients is alarming. It cannot
The second doses of the vac- Municipal Corporation (BMC) been collected from them. be ignored.”
cine have been administered to have fined 4618 train passen- This comes after Maha- But even in the middle of
more than 60 per cent of the el- gers between February 1 to 14 rashtra reported 3,663 new such concern, India is making
igible healthcare workers in La- for not wearing face masks, a COVID-19 cases and 2,700 re- Continued on next page... >>

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