OdishaPlus Bureau
The nationwide tally of COVID-19 cases crossed 1.45 lakh on Tuesday with states like Bihar, West Bengal, Assam and Odisha reporting a significant rise in their numbers amid the large-scale return of migrant workers from other states. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik warned of more challenging days ahead and called for a new strategy to check the pandemic.
The numbers also rose further in the worst-hit states including Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu, while Delhi, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, among other states and union territories, also reported more new cases. Some experts flagged there is a need for more intense surveillance and monitoring in areas where migrants have returned to contain the outbreak.
The Union Health Ministry, however, said the recovery rate for COVID-19 cases in the country has seen an upwards trend and is better than many other countries, while the fatality has fallen further. At a press briefing, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said, “The recovery rate in the country continues to improve and is presently 41.61 percent. The COVID-19 fatality rate has reduced from 3.3 percent on April 15 to 2.87 percent which is among the lowest in the world.”
In its morning update, the Ministry said the COVID-19 death toll has risen to 4,167 and the number of cases has climbed to 1,45,380 in the country, registering an increase of 146 deaths and 6,535 cases since Monday 8 AM. It put the number of active cases at more than 80,000 and recoveries at over 60,000.
The Union health ministry also suggested to the five states reporting a surge in COVID-19 cases over the last three weeks to analyze the trends in containment zones and adopt course correction measures through proper implementation of micro-plans. These states are UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh.
Several states have been attributing the increase in their tallies to the arrival of people from outside in special trains, being run since May 1 to ferry migrant workers to their native places, and special international flights that began on May 1 to bring back stranded Indians and expatriates from abroad.
Besides, domestic flights have also begun since Monday in a phased manner. During a review meeting on the COVID-19 situation in Odisha, which saw its tally rising to 1,517 with 79 new cases, Patnaik said a new strategy would be needed to deal with the pandemic.
“With flight and train services having been restored, the next 15 to 30 days will be challenging, but I am sure we will be able to handle it all in a professional manner,” he said. More than three lakh people have returned to the state in Shramik Special trains and buses in a span of just 24 days. Overall, Indian Railways has ferried over 44 lakh migrant workers on board 3,276 ‘Shramik Special’ trains since May 1, according to official data.