40,845 cases of mucormycosis infection so far: Health Minister

Concentration of active cases in Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Odisha

Updated - June 28, 2021 04:40 pm IST

Published - June 28, 2021 04:38 pm IST - NEW DELHI

A doctor treats a Black Fungus infected patient at Mucormycosis ward of ENT hospital, in Ajmer, Monday, June 7, 2021.

A doctor treats a Black Fungus infected patient at Mucormycosis ward of ENT hospital, in Ajmer, Monday, June 7, 2021.

India has reported 40,845 cases of mucormycosis infection so far during the second wave, said Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday while chairing the 29th meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on COVID-19 by a video-conference.

Also read:Mucormycosis not uncommon in India: Studies

He said of 31,344 them are rhinocerebral in nature.

Fatality from the infections stands at 3,129. While 34,940 patients had COVID-19 (85.5%), 26,187 (about 64.11%) were co-morbid for diabetes while 21,523 (52.69%) of those infected were on steroids.

Also 13,083 patients were in the age group 18-45 (32%), 17,464 were in the age group 45-60 (42%) while 10,082 (24%) patients were 60+ years of age.

At the meeting Balram Bhargava, Secretary (Health Research) & DG (ICMR) cautioned that the second wave has still not subsided as 80 districts still have high positivity.

He advised against any laxity at this stage. He said vaccines have been found effective against the alpha, beta, gamma and delta variants.

Trajectory of virus

The GoM reiterated the importance of COVID-appropriate behaviour and Sujeet K Singh, Director (NCDC) presented a detailed report on the trajectory of the virus, said the Health Ministry.

He said active cases continue to be concentrated mainly in Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Odisha which are reporting growth rate more than the national COVID Growth Rate.

“While 19 States are reporting fatality figures in single digit (less than 10), Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are reporting more than 100 deaths daily,” he said.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.