India is between Stage 2 and 3 of coronavirus pandemic with large number of cases being found in particular areas, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday concurring with the AIIMS Director’s remarks that localised community transmission is being observed in some pockets of the country.
AIIMS Director Dr RandeepGuleria, who is also a member of a Task Force on COVID-19, on Monday reportedlysaid that “localised community transmission” has been seen in somepockets and that India is between Stage 2 (local transmission) and Stage 3.
He had clarified that the most of India is currently atStage 2 of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked about Guleria’s remarks, Joint Secretary in the Ministryof Health Lav Agarwal said, “What the AIIMS Director has said is not invariance with what we have been explaining to you.”
Explaining further, Agarwal said that they go for a clustercontainment strategy when limited cases are reported from a particular areawhile the government’s action and intervention gets intensified when largernumber of cases are reported.
“We tell you everytime that if there will be a community transmission we will be the first one totell you so that everyone gets alert. If we go by the wordings (of AIIMSDirector), he said localised community transmission, which implies largernumber of cases are being found in a particular area,” the official said.
“We are in betweenStage 2 and 3 and that implies that our efforts and actions should be focusedon ensuring we do not shift to stage 3,” the joint secretary said, addingthere are clear defined strategies for containment in areas reporting largernumber of cases and the government was working according to that.
In Stage 2, disease transmission is limited to those withtravel history to affected countries or those in contact with the infectedpersons.
Community transmission or Stage 3 means a patient was infected though he had no known contact with another confirmed case of COVID-19 or travelled from a country affected by the pandemic.