India has recorded a single-day rise of 10,158 coronavirus cases, the highest in nearly eight months. The active caseload now stands at 44,998. The current surge in cases has been attributed primarily to the XBB.1.16 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant, according to Dr. SK Chhabra, HOD- Pulmonary, Primus Super Specialty Hospital.
On Wednesday, top health ministry sources revealed that the cases will continue to come for the next few days, and may climb up for the next 8 to 10 days. The XBB sub-variant of COVID has been isolated, assessment of vaccine efficiency has been done, and this variant is not fatal. According to Dr. Chhabra, the rising number of COVID-19 infections serves as a stark reminder that we must remain vigilant in our efforts to combat this pandemic.
Dr. Chhabra also pointed out that the number of cases in the community is almost impossible to estimate because a large number of cases are likely to be asymptomatic and many patients do not get tested or do home testing that doesn’t get reported. Dr. Pramod V Satya, Consultant – Internal Medicine, Manipal Hospital, Millers Road, Bangalore, informed Gangtokian that the present COVID-19 strain is very mild, though the infectivity is very high.
He also added that the symptoms of influenza, virus, and COVID-19 are very similar, so it might cause confusion among the patients to identify. With each new case, a person, a family, or a community is affected. The positivity rate is high in Delhi as the testing rate with PCR is low, but there is no need to panic.
Gangtokian Web Team, 13/04/2023