Joint Secretary of Union health ministry, Luv Agarwal revealed that yesterday, on 9 April, the ministry had conducted 16,002 tests for Wuhan coronavirus infection. He asserted that on the basis of samplings collected, the infection rate is not high. He confirmed there was no community transmission in the country yet.
Yesterday, we conducted 16002 tests. Only 0.2% cases tested positive. On the basis of the samples collected, the infection rate is not high; Rapid diagnostics kits have also been sanctioned: Lav Agrawal, Jt Secy Ministry of Health pic.twitter.com/Y1aIVxYg7p
— ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2020
Luv Agarwal said that “Yesterday, we conducted 16,002 tests. Only 0.2% of cases tested positive. On the basis of samples collected, the infection rate is not high; rapid diagnostics kit also has been sanctioned.”
Punjab Chief Minister Amrinder Singh had said earlier on Friday that with the new cases emerging it shows the possibility of community transmission in the state of Punjab, as some of the patients who have been diagnosed have no travel history from abroad. He said, “27 cases are there with no travel history. It can be said that most of the cases are of community transmission.”
Read: After Odisha, Punjab to extend coronavirus lockdown, to remain in place till May 1
Union Health secretary has refuted the claims of community transmission in the state and said that there is no need to panic. Aggarwal said, “Today the challenge is not local or community transmission. Whenever the community transmission stage will arrive we will inform you. There is no community transmission in the country so no need to panic.”
As per World Health Organization, community transmission is a stage of infection which is evidenced by the inabilities to relate confirmed cases through chains of transmission for a large number of cases. 101 cases have been reported by the state of Punjab. 6412 cases have been diagnosed across the country while 503 have been recovered and discharged. 206 people succumbed to the disease.
