FAQ: Amid Second Wave Scare, How Are Different States Faring?

Maharashtra, Kerala, and Punjab are among the five states termed “concern states” by the Centre due surge in cases.

Maharashtra, Kerala, and Punjab are among the five states termed “concern states” by the Centre due surge in number of cases.

(Photo: The Quint)

At least five states across the country are witnessing a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases and fresh infections, despite a dip in November and December, the Centre had said earlier this week. Meanwhile, India also saw a spike in India’s seven-day average of new cases.

While some argue that the spike is expected and is not necessarily unexpected, other’s say that this is a ‘warning before the second wave.’

Maharashtra, Kerala, and Punjab are among the five states termed as “concern states” by the Centre due surge in number of cases, while the other two in the list are Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

Here’s a look at how different states are faring.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is unarguably the state worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic. With more than 21 lakh confirmed infections, Maharashtra accounts for just less than 20 percent of India’s caseload.

The state has been consistently recording more than 6,000 cases in the last three days, with almost 7,000 cases recorded on Sunday, 21 February. In Mumbai, cases have increased by 37 percent, and 19 February saw 823 cases, the highest single-day spike in infections since December.

This has prompted a series of restrictive measures – complete lockdown in Amravati for the next one week, and curbs placed in Nagpur and Pune, among others.

You can read about the restrictions placed here.

Kerala

Except Kerala, almost all the other states saw their COVID-19 numbers decline since December. Kerala saw its confirmed cases go past the one million mark earlier this week, with Maharashtra being the only other state to record as many cases.

Kerala also has the highest number of active cases in the country – accounting for almost half of active cases in India. Since January 2021, Kerala has contributed between 45 to 50 percent of all the new detections in the country.

Punjab, Chhattisgarh & Madhya Pradesh

Punjab has also shown a sudden spike in the number of daily new cases reported in the past week with 348 daily new cases in the last 24 hours. Earlier on Sunday, it recorded over 380 cases. Notably, in Punjab, the cases are rising as the testing has fallen down.

In the last seven days, Chhattisgarh has also seen a gradual spike in daily active new cases. In the last 24 hours, 259 daily new cases have been reported.

In Madhya Pradesh, the active cases have been rising for almost two weeks now, since 13 February. Almost 300 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours in the state.

Delhi

Delhi on 22 February registered 128 new COVID-19 cases, after the number dipped to below 100 earlier last week. One more related death pushed the overall tally and death toll to 638,028 and 10,901 respectively, according to the health department’s bulletin. Notably, the recovery rate in Delhi has now gone up to 98.12 percent.

Tamil Nadu

As many as 449 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu on 22 February – making it one of the states with higher number of fresh infections.

Chennai reported 151 cases, Coimbatore 40 and Chengalpattu 34. The fresh cases took the state’s tally to 8,48,724.

The state is also witnessing a dip in vaccination, reported The Hindu. According to the newspaper, over 19,000 persons a day were vaccinated in the last seven days, with the coverage dipping to 14,754 on 22 February.

Karnataka

Karnataka on 22 February reported 317 new COVID-19 cases and five fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 9,48,466 and the death toll to 12,299. According to the health department, 287 patients got discharged after recovery, while 128 are in the ICU.

While Karnataka is not seeing an unusual spike, the state has closed its border with Kerala – which is still witnessing spike in cases.

Those who wish to enter Karnataka from Kerala will have to produce a negative coronavirus certificate, obtained through a test taken 72 hours before their journey. Those who do not carry this certificate, will not be allowed to enter Karnataka.