India sees 4,100 new Covid-19 cases as Tuesday count reaches 46,711
05 May 2020
India on Tuesday recorded 4,100 new coronavirus cases and 210 deaths in 24 hours, the highest single-day surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths since the infection was first reported in the country on 30 January.
Total Covid-19 cases in India reached 46,711 as of Tuesday, while the number of recovered stood at 12,726, leaving 1,583 dead so far.
In its daily briefing, the Health Ministry noted the “highest increase in both new infections and deaths” calling for community support and shared responsibility to fight the disease.
Ministry spokesperson Lav Agarwal said the country has seen 4,100 new cases since yesterday and 210 new deaths. Corresponding cases for a single day on Monday were 2,573 and deaths were 83.
Cases have increased nearly by 40 per cent and mortality has more than doubled over the past 24 hours, which the central government attributed to previously data-cagey states beginning to report cases and deaths.
“This sudden rise that you see is due to states beginning to report cases. Some states were not reporting cases earlier and there were gaps. Those gaps have now been addressed. Timely reporting of COVID cases is very important so that contact tracing and containment can then begin,” Agarwal said.
West Bengal has been particularly lax in full case reporting, which had led the government to send a central team to the state to assess the situation.
He also said community would need to step up precautions as the government starts relaxing the lockdown conditions.
“We need community ownership of the battle. Government responsibility after easing the lockdown has increased and so has that of the community,” Agarwal said as India’s disease graph started to take an upward curve after linear growth for many days.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also chaired the 14th meeting of the COVID group of ministers to take stock of containment and availability of essential equipment.
Daily cases have now been surging to new highs for the past four days in a row.
Yet, union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan continued to insist that India has so far been able to stave off community transmission of Covid-19.
The nation in a post-coronavirus future could well look back on the pandemic period as a “blessing in disguise” if Indians imbibe hand, respiratory and environmental hygiene and practise it in their everyday lives, the minister said.
On the lockdown that has been extended till 17 May, the minister said health should be on the radar just as much as the economy. “The government has to do a balancing act,” he said.
He added that India has so far been able to keep itself from “slipping into the stage of community transmission of the novel coronavirus”.
"By now we know that fighting coronavirus is no rocket science. If behavioural changes such as hand, environmental and respiratory hygiene, which are being practised more rigorously during this period, get imbibed in society it will become the new normal," Vardhan said.
Such practices will bring down the instances of communicable diseases and society will evolve for the better, he said.