“We are still in the midst of the second surge”: Health Sec Rajesh Bhushan

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan addressed the press today on the progress of the Coronavirus vaccination drive. He stated that “We are still in the midst of the second surge of COVID 19 in our country… It is not over. Therefore, we have to maintain all necessary precautions, particularly in the light of our experience”.

The experience he referred to was the spike in cases observed after major festivals. He said that since the coming months of September and October have some important festivals, it is important to celebrate them within the safety precautions against COVID.

The Health Secretary informed that:

• 58.4% of total new cases last week were reported from Kerala. There were 46,000 new cases in the country in the past 24 hours.
• Kerala leads the country’s total active cases at 1.7 lakh, contributing 51.19%. It is the only state with more than 1 Lakh active cases.
• Average doses (Lakh/day) administered have gone up from 2.35 in January 2021 to 52.16 in August 2021.
• For adult population (18+), 50% have received Dose 1 and 15% have received Dose 2.