Centre asks Maharashtra, AP, Karnataka to break chain of coronavirus transmission

New Delhi: The central government on Saturday exhorted Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, accounting for about 46 per cent of active Covid-19 cases and 52 per cent of deaths in the last 24 hours, to focus on aggressive measures to break the chain of transmission and keep mortality rate below 1 per cent.

The states have been advised to proactively ensure higher testing, effective clinical management along with efficient monitoring at various levels to lower fatality, the Union Health Ministry said.

The central government named Koppal, Mysuru, Davangere and Bellari as Covid-19 hotspots and asked the state government to optimally utilize RT-PCR testing facilities, strengthen their door-to-door search for active cases and protect their healthcare workers.

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka account for about 46 per cent of active cases reported nationally in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra alone accounts for 22 per cent of all active cases reported in a day, it said. "These three states also account for 52 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths reported across the country in a day. Maharashtra alone accounted for 35 per cent of all deaths registered in 24 hours," the ministry highlighted. The Union Home Ministry also highlighted districts in each of these states that raised concern.

The need for effective containment and contact tracing was underlined for Pune, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Raigad, Jalgaon, Solapur, Satara and Palghar districts of Maharashtra. In Andhra Pradesh, Prakasam and Chittoor were highlighted as districts of concern and the need for daily monitoring of facility-wise deaths, strengthening of hospital facilities, increasing the number of ICU, oxygen beds and efficient clinical management were focused upon. In cumulative terms, five states account for more than 60 per cent of the total active cases in the country, with Maharashtra contributing the maximum to the active caseload amounting to almost 25 per cent, followed by Andhra Pradesh 12.06 per cent, Karnataka 11.71 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 6.92 per cent and Tamil Nadu 6.10 per cent.

Of these, three states -- Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka -- account for nearly 49 per cent of all active cases and more than 57 per cent of coronavirus-related deaths. Of the total deaths in the country, 70 per cent are recorded in just five states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh. Maharashtra alone accounts for 37.33 per cent of the total fatalities, the Health Ministry said. India's COVID-19 caseload mounted to 40,23,179 on Saturday, with a record 86,432 cases being reported in a day, while the death toll climbed to 69,561 with 1,089 people succumbing to the disease in 24 hours, the health ministry data updated at 8 am showed.