Punjab has again begun seeing an uptrend in Covid-19 cases and has recorded a jump in infection rate. if the projections are correct, the caseload may rise by 300% by the end of November.
“After the Dussehra and Diwali festivities, there is a mild surge (in new cases). But this can’t be generalised for the whole country. Some States are reporting mild increase in new cases, but the trend isn’t the same everywhere.
“Currently, it is too early to say how much and when the third wave surge will occur,” said Jayesh Lele, Secretary General, Indian Medical Association (IMA).
Covid-19 cases in Punjab started to rise post-Diwali -- with the state registering a growth of 4.2% on November 8 -- and kept on increasing for five consecutive days, touching 10.3% on November 13. Punjab is among six states in India currently witnessing a daily growth rate of more than 5%.
Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand are the other states/UT where the pandemic situation has deteriorated.
Dr Rakesh Kumar Gupta, president of Strategic Institute for Public Health Education and Research (SIPHER) attributed the rise in cases to the opening up of activities during the fes tive season and people not taking required precautions. He urged the health authorities to ensure that people follow Covid appropriate behaviour so that the pandemic is kept under control.
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India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.