Lok Sabha Question No. 2155 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-23
Subject: Community Transmission of COVID-19
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Kani K. Navas, Anto  Antony, Sumedhanand Saraswati, D.K. Suresh, Uttam Kumar Nalamada Reddy, Pratima Bhoumik, Gaurav Gogoi, Dean Kuriakose, Sunil Kumar Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUE STION NO. 2155 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23 RD SEPTEMBER, 2020

## COMMUNITY TRANSMISSI ON OF COVID - 19

## 2155. SHRI K. NAVASKANI:

SHRI ANTO ANTONY:

SHRI SUMEDHANAND SAR ASWATI:

SHRI D.K.SURESH:

SHRI UTTAM KUMAR RED DY

NALAMADA:

MS. PRATIMA BHOUMIK:

SHRI GAURAV GOGOI:

ADV. DEAN KURIAKOSE:

SHRI SUNIL KUMAR SIN GH:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is a community transmission of COVID - 19 in the country, if so, the details of first case of community transmission of COVID - 19 observed and the total number of such cases in  the  relevant States/UTs  at  that  time,  State/UT - wise  along  with  the action  ta ken  by  the Government to stop community ransmission;
- (b) the details of the protocol recommended by the Government to prevent further community transmission of COVID - 19 and the date of identification of the first instance of an active case of COVID - 19 which could not be traced to a known infected contact and with no travel history;
- (c) whether Government has any data with regard to the testing done for COVID - 19 virus in the country, if so, the details thereof, State/UT -wis  and number of positive cases detected State/UT -wise including Jharkhand; and
- (d)  whether  Government  has  any  plan  to  reduce  the charge/fee  of  RT - PCR  or  TrueNat  or CBNAAT or RAT test in the country, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor and the number of private la bsauthorized to conduct these tests in the country, State/UT - wise?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a)The epidemic curve of any pandemic goes through an ascending, peaking and descen ding phase. The current phase of pandemic in India is on multiple trajectories across the ur semi urban areas of the country. India has reported large outbreaks in certain districts indica spread of infection in those districts. Only 10 States a re currently contributing to 75% of active

cases in the country, which suggests that COVID is still limited in sp (details at Annexure I ). India has among the lowest cases and deaths per million populati among similarly affected countries. This is further corroborated by the fact that the n sero - prevalence for COVID - 19 conducted in May, 2020 was found to be less than 1%.

(b)  Government  of  India  has  adopted  containment  strategy  for  containing  the spread  of COVID - 19 by suppressing/breaking the cycle of transmission in the country. The contain plans envisage a strategy of breaking the chain of transmission by (i) defining containm buffer zones, (ii) applying strict perimeter control, ( iii) intensive active house to house search for cases  and  contacts,  (iv)  isolation  and  testing  of  suspect  cases  and  high  risk  cont quarantine of high risk contacts, (vi) intensive risk communication to raise community awa on simple preventiv e measures and need for prompt treatment seeking and (vii) strengthening passive  Influenza  Like  Illness  (ILI)/  Severe  Acute  Respiratory  Illness  (SARI)  surveill containment and buffer zones.

(c) State/UT wise details of total cases and tests condu cted is at Annexure II .

(d) In all public health institutions under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Health & Fami COVID - 19 test such as RT - PCR, Truenat, CBNAAT and Rapid Antigen test are done free of cost. ICMR has also provided COVID - 19 testing reagents to all the States and UTs free of cost. As  health  is  a  State  subject,  Ministry  of  Health  &  Family  Welfare  has  also  written States/UTs  to  negotiate  with  private  laboratories  and  fix  up  mutually  agreeable  pri samples being sent by gove rnm nt and also for private individuals desirous of testing by th laboratories.

Top 10 states/UTs with most active cases (as on 20 th September, 2020)

| State/UT       |   Total number of active cases | Percentage contribution to total cases in the country   |
|----------------|--------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
| Maharashtra    |                         297866 | 29.47%                                                  |
| Karnataka      |                          98583 | 9.75%                                                   |
| Andhra Pradesh |                          81763 | 8.09%                                                   |
| Uttar Pradesh  |                          66874 | 6.62%                                                   |
| Tamil Nadu     |                          46453 | 4.60%                                                   |
| Kerala         |                          37535 | 3.71%                                                   |
| Chhattisgarh   |                          37489 | 3.71%                                                   |
| Odisha         |                          33202 | 3.28%                                                   |
| Delhi          |                          32064 | 3.17%                                                   |
| Telangana      |                          30573 | 3.02%                                                   |

## Annexure II

State/UT  wise  details  of  total  COVID - 19  cases  and  tests  conducted  (as  reported  on  20 th September, 2020)

|   S. No. | Name of State / UT                   |   Total Cases |   Total samples tested |
|----------|--------------------------------------|---------------|------------------------|
|        1 | Andaman & Nicobar Islands            |          3644 |                  37595 |
|        2 | Andhra Pradesh                       |        617776 |                4760533 |
|        3 | Arunachal Pradesh                    |          7250 |                 109932 |
|        4 | Assam                                |        155453 |                2246763 |
|        5 | Bihar                                |        166788 |                5095174 |
|        6 | Chandigarh                           |          9796 |                  65031 |
|        7 | Chhattisgarh                         |         84234 |                 797597 |
|        8 | Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli |          2887 |                  62296 |
|        9 | Delhi                                |        242899 |                2571746 |
|       10 | Goa                                  |         28022 |                 254779 |
|       11 | Gujarat                              |        121768 |                3393279 |
|       12 | Haryana                              |        108952 |                1665306 |
|       13 | Himachal Pradesh                     |         11908 |                 284101 |
|       14 | Jammu & Kashmir                      |         62533 |                 938317 |
|       15 | Jharkhand                            |         69860 |                1591990 |
|       16 | Karnataka                            |        511346 |                4265333 |
|       17 | Kerala                               |        131005 |                1301622 |
|       18 | Ladakh                               |          3708 |                  40095 |
|       19 | Lakshdweep                           |             0 |                   3210 |
|       20 | Madhya Pradesh                       |        103065 |                1886861 |
|       21 | Maharashtra                          |       1188015 |                5641371 |
|       22 | Manipur                              |          8724 |                 185203 |
|       23 | Meghalaya                            |          4557 |                  91495 |
|       24 | Mizoram                              |          1578 |                  59762 |
|       25 | Nagaland                             |          5392 |                  38267 |
|       26 | Odisha                               |        175550 |                2791317 |
|       27 | Puducherry                           |         22456 |                 106222 |
|       28 | Punjab                               |         95529 |                1558454 |
|       29 | Rajasthan                            |        113124 |                2548045 |
|       30 | Sikkim                               |          2423 |                  35774 |
|       31 | Tamil Nadu                           |        536477 |                6240959 |
|       32 | Telangana                            |        171306 |                1639039 |
|       33 | Tripura                              |         22032 |                 324739 |
|       34 | Uttar Pradesh                        |        348517 |                8249091 |
|       35 | Uttarakhand                          |         40085 |                 563829 |
|       36 | West Bengal                          |        221960 |                2717710 |