BHOPAL: The number of active Covid-19 cases has more than doubled in Madhya Pradesh in a month, triggering alarm bells. The average daily count has also gone up by 50% over the previous three months.
On November 13, there were 75 active Covid patients in the state, and the December 13 bulletin puts this count at 161.
This month, 207 new Covid cases have been reported, averaging about 16 per day. It’s significantly higher than any of the previous three months. In October and November, 323 and 316 cases were reported, which turned out to be an average of a little over 10 a day. September’s tally was 356, or a daily average of 11.
December began on a note of concern, with a steady rise in daily cases amid the worldwide Omicron scare. There have been only three days — December 2, 5 and 8 — when less than 15 new cases were reported. Official sources said there is a mild but definite spike in Covid cases, and given the contagious nature of the disease, the next few weeks could be crucial.
Slowdown in vaccination, poor testing a worry
It is important to adhere to Covid-19 precautions — face masks, social distancing and hand hygiene.
What adds to the worry is a slowdown in vaccination, drop in testing and lack of mask enforcement. Just over 57,000 tests were conducted on Monday — far short of the 70,000 ordered by the government. Daily tests have averaged around 55,000 this month. Going by the pace of vaccination, 100% second-dose coverage looks extremely difficult to achieve by month-end.
On Sunday, there were just 71,075 vaccinations, which rose to 3.93 lakh on Monday, but still short of the daily average needed to meet the target.
