New Delhi: The reproduction number of coronavirus has increased beyond one in eight States with the Union Health Ministry sounding cautious that the second wave of the epidemic was still raging.
The Delta-driven second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is still not over and the ‘R-Value’ is inching up in eight States, the Central Government on Tuesday said, calling it a ‘significant problem’. The government’s remarks come amid concern over a third wave.
Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, said Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Tamilnadu, Mizoram, Karnataka, Puducherry and Kerala have registered a rise in the Reproduction Number (Rt ), which was a cause of concern.
Reproduction Number is the average number of new infections generated by one infected individual during the entire infectious period. R>1 denotes a spreading infection. Rt for India is 1.2.
“A high number of Covid-19 cases are being reported across the world and the pandemic is far from over. As far as India is concerned, the second wave is still not over,’ he said.
Agarwal added: ‘US, Canada, Australia, and India have 1.2 R number, on average. This means one infected individual is infecting more than one person. R number is high in eight states of India.”
“The Covid situation in the country is showing a mixed picture. The high caseload in Kerala is a significant worry. The R number of the country is moving in the wrong direction. It is truly a cause of concern as the second wave is persisting,” said V K Paul, member-health, NITI Aayog and chairman of the National Covid Task Force.