No need to panic over rise in COVID-19 cases in U’khand: Official

The Uttarakhand government on Saturday asked people not to panic over the rise in COVID-19 cases, assuring them that active cases will start coming down in 10-15 days.

"There is no need to panic over the recent rise in coronavirus cases. There is no community spread of the virus yet in Uttarakhand. Those testing positive in the state either have a travel history or are contacts of those infected," Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh told reporters.

The cases may continue to rise over the next few days, but the number of active cases will begin to drop in 10-15 days, he said. The doubling rate of coronavirus cases in Uttarakhand has improved over the last three days. The positivity rate is lower than the national average and the death rate is less than one per cent at a time when the national average is 2.8 per cent, Singh assured.

Contact tracing has been taken up on priority and coronavirus testing has also been stepped up, he said. Sampling average has gone up from one in the first week to 834 in the 16th week which will soon rise to 1,000 per day, he said.

Thirty-one containment zones have been made in the state where lockdown norms are being strictly implemented, Singh said. The situation is challenging but can be overcome with discipline, patience and courage, he said.