New Delhi:
The Health Ministry has released an aggressive containment plan for large outbreaks of COVID-19, which includes buffer zones and sealing off areas for nearly a month. The government made the containment plan after clusters posing high risk of further spread of COVID-19 emerged in several states.
The strategy is meant to contain the highly contagious disease caused by a novel coronavirus, first detected in China in December, within a defined geographical area by early detection of cases, breaking the chain of transmission and thus preventing its spread to new areas. A novel virus is one that has not been previously identified in humans.
The 20-page document says the aggressive containment strategy will be scaled down only if no new cases of COVID-19 are reported for at least four weeks after the last confirmed test.
Some of the steps the government seeks to take include sealing containment areas and stopping movement of people in and out of these areas.
All suspect and confirmed COVID-19 cases will be hospitalised and kept in isolation in hospitals dedicated to fighting the coronavirus, says the document available on the Health Ministry's website.
Patients will be discharged only if two samples test negative for coronavirus. Those with mild symptoms will be quarantined in stadiums, those having moderate symptoms will be admitted to hospitals meant for COVID-19 care, and those with severe symptoms will be sent to tertiary or advanced hospitals.
Another step mentioned in the strategy is closure of schools, colleges and offices in containment and buffer zones. There will be no public and private transport in these areas. Only essential services will be allowed to move.
The containment plan will be eased if no COVID-19 cases are reported from the quarantine zone for at least four weeks after the last confirmed test.
The Health Ministry document says the geographic distribution of COVID-19 mimics the distribution of H1N1 pandemic influenza, which suggests that while the spread of COVID-19 in the population could be high, it's unlikely that it will be uniformly affect all parts of the country.
"This calls for differential approach to different regions of the country, while mounting a strong containment effort in hotspots," the document says.
Large-scale measures to contain COVID-19 over large territories have been tried in China. Mathematical modelling studies have suggested that containment might be possible especially when other public health interventions are combined with an effective social distancing strategy.
At all times doctors, nurses and paramedics working in clinical areas will wear three-layered surgical mask and gloves.
Seventy-nine people have died in India after being infected with COVID-19, the Health Ministry said today, adding that the country recorded 472 cases in last 24 hours that takes the total to 3,374.
India recorded the highest number of cases (601) and deaths (12) on Friday amid an unprecedented surge in the COVID-19 count over the last week linked to a controversial religious gathering in Delhi.
World
Coronavirus has spread to 181 countries. The total confirmed cases worldwide are 12,03,041 and 64,793 have died; 8,91,400 are active cases and 2,46,848 have recovered as on April 5, 2020 at 9:27 am.
India
In India, there are 3,374 confirmed cases including 77 deaths. The number of active cases is 3,030 and 267 have recovered as on April 5, 2020 at 9:00 am.
State & District Details State Cases Active Recovered Deaths Maharashtra
490
472
42
24
Tamil Nadu
485
482
6
3
Delhi
445
436
15
6
Kerala
306
259
49
2
Telangana
269
244
32
7
Uttar Pradesh
227
210
19
2
Rajasthan
200
179
21
0
Andhra Pradesh
161
161
1
1
Karnataka
144
136
12
4
Gujarat
105
101
14
10
Madhya Pradesh
104
110
0
6
Jammu And Kashmir
92
90
4
2
West Bengal
69
62
10
3
Punjab
57
61
1
5
Haryana
49
25
24
0
Bihar
30
31
0
1
Assam
24
24
0
0
Uttarakhand
22
20
2
0
Odisha
20
20
0
0
Chandigarh
18
18
0
0
Ladakh
14
4
10
0
Andaman And Nicobar Islands
10
10
0
0
Chhattisgarh
9
6
3
0
Goa
7
7
0
0
Himachal Pradesh
6
6
1
1
Puducherry
5
4
1
0
Jharkhand
2
2
0
0
Manipur
2
2
0
0
Mizoram
1
1
0
0
Arunachal Pradesh
1
1
0
0
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