It's been nearly two years and Covid pandemic is still far from the end. According to the government of India, the pandemic is 'still raging' as eight states have reported an increase in the R-factor.
The Center has described this development as a 'serious concern'.
According to VK Paul, who heads the government's Covid task force, as many as 44 districts have recorded high case positivity, and the Delta-driven second wave is still not ended. According to the government, eighteen areas have seen an increase in cases in the recent four weeks.
Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Mizoram, Karnataka, Puducherry, and Kerala are the states with the highest R-factor. Only Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra are showing a downward trend, whereas states like Bengal, Nagaland, Haryana, Goa, Delhi, and Jharkhand have an R-factor of 1.
"Whenever R number goes over one, it implies that the case trajectory is growing and it has to be managed," said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary of the Union Health Ministry.
"Delta variant is a major concern. The pandemic is still raging and the second wave is already affecting our country," said Dr Paul expressing concern about the R-factor, or a virus's reproductive rate, which shows how quickly it spreads.
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"Please keep in mind that the R-value should be less than 0.6. If it has risen beyond 1, it indicates that there is a serious problem and that the virus wants to propagate," Dr Paul said.
The R factor determines how many people are infected by a single individual. The statistic is used all around the globe to measure and monitor coronavirus transmission, and if the R-factor is more than one, it implies that one COVID-positive person is infecting many people. When the R-factor is 2, that means that one COVID-infected individual infects two additional people on average.
Dr Paul said that the government was still in negotiations with Moderna and Pfizer about bringing in new vaccines and that India was on track to increase its manufacturing capacity by next month. Work on introducing COVID-19 vaccination for children was also ongoing.
India recorded 30,549 new Covid cases and 422 fatalities in the last 24 hours on Tuesday.