Vidarbha authorities have launched a rigorous campaign to strictly enforce Covid-19 restrictions in light of the growing number of positive cases in the region.
The total daily number of positive cases has increased alarmingly during the last fifteen days in almost all the 11 districts of the region, forcing the authorities to tighten compliance with the Covid-19 restrictions, on which the people had become relaxed. Vidarbha had seen Covid-19 numbers drop from a high of more than 90,000 cases in September 2020 to a low of more than 21,000 in January. In February, as of Wednesday, the figure has already exceeded 15,500. This despite the fact that the total number of new cases was just 448 on February 1.
The worst affected districts in the region are Amravati and Nagpur, which are witnessing the daily detection of more than 400 to more than 500 cases in recent days. On Wednesday, Amravati reported 498 new positive cases and six deaths, while Nagpur reported 596 cases and five deaths.
The daily death toll has been hovering between February 10 and 20 and the highest, 16, recorded on February 9. On Tuesday, the figure was 12 for the 11 districts taken together, while on Wednesday it was 18.
In the peak month of September, the daily death toll had crossed 100 in a few days. The region’s death rate (2.48 percent) is nearly on par with the state average, while the recovery rate is about 94 percent, slightly less than the state average of more than 96 percent.
“We have increased contact tracing per patient from approximately six people to 15 people. Raids and searches are being carried out at places of weddings and other gatherings to verify whether or not the permitted limits on the number of participants are being met. The owner of the place will be penalized for any infraction in this regard. Similarly, social distancing and wearing of masks are now also being strictly enforced, ”said Amravati Division Commissioner Piyush Singh.
He added that the closure of schools and coaching classes in the division has already been ordered. Universities have not been able to open so far.
Singh also reported that the number of tests has also increased from about 400 a day to 2,500 in Amravati district, with a similar increase in other districts of the division such as Akola, Buldana, Washim and Yavatmal.
“We discovered that people who were supposed to be in home isolation had carelessly left. So now we are posting notices on their homes that say the home has a Covid-19 patient. This would deter them from venturing out and would also alert others to the risks they face from offenders, ”he added.
Singh, however, said: “There is no such thing as a partial shutdown. It’s just that the rules are being strictly enforced. ”He said most of the patients come from urban areas and that the division’s rural areas are still relatively unaffected by the latest surge in cases.
“Also, only about 1 percent of patients are hooked up to a ventilator. For example, in the Amravati district, we only have fans to 25 people. More than 80 percent of people are in home isolation … 2,200 are in home isolation. The number of deaths has not increased much in proportion to the greater number of positive cases, ”he said.
Meanwhile, as new strains of the coronavirus emerge, Amravati civil surgeon Shyamsundar Nikam said: “We have sent five samples to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, on Wednesday to determine if a new strain has been circulating in the region. “.
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She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.