NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday noted that 10 states account for 80 per cent of active Covid-19 cases, and asserted if the virus is defeated in these states, then the country will also emerge victorious in its fight against the pandemic.
At a video conference with chief ministers and representatives of these 10 states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, Modi said the recovery rate has gone up which, he added, meant that government efforts have proved to be effective.
The Centre and states have been able to work as a team in the fight against Covid-19, he said.
“Our experience so far is that containment, contact tracing and surveillance are the most effective weapons against the
pandemic, with experts of the view that if cases are identified within 72 hours of onset, then infection slows down to great
extent,” the prime minister said.
He emphasised on the need to trace and test all those who come in contact with an infected person within 72 hours. This
should be followed like a “mantra”, with the same earnestness as washing hands, maintaining social distance and wearing
masks, he said according to an official statement.
The prime minister pointed out that the number of active cases in the country stands at over six lakh, and most of them have been reported from the 10 states.
Today, 80 per cent active cases are in these ten states. Hence the role of all these states is very big in the fight against coronavirus, he said.
He told the participants that such meetings and discussions are necessary as new situations are emerging amid the pandemic.
“Pressure on hospitals, pressure on our health workers, lack of continuity in everyday work. They bring a new challenge every
day” Modi elaborated.
He said there was a need for the ten states to sit together, review and discuss. “… from this discussion, we also leant a lot from
each other’s experiences, best practices” he said.
Modi said it was a matter of satisfaction that the average fatality rate in India has been going down and noted that it has been
very low compared to the world average.
He noted that the number of daily tests has reached almost 7 lakh and is increasing continuously, which has helped in early
identification and containment. The average fatality rate in the country is amongst the lowest and is continuously going down.
The percentage of active cases is reducing, while the recovery rate is increasing, he said. He noted that these steps have
boosted the confidence of people, and said that the target of bringing down the fatality rate below one per cent can be achieved soon.
States where testing rate is low and where the positivity rate is high, the need to increase testing has come to the fore.
—PTI
![All those who came in contact with infected person should be traced and tested within 72 hours: PM All those who came in contact with infected person should be traced and tested within 72 hours: PM](https://i0.wp.com/kashmirreader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Modi-extends.jpg?fit=255%2C247&ssl=1)