Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Monday said the source of infection in many coronavirus cases in the Capital was not known, ANI reported. However, he added that it was up to the Centre to decide whether it was local or community transmission. Community spread, or the third stage of a pandemic, is declared when the source of infection is not known.
“There is spread in community, now it’s very technical to say either it’s local or community spread,” Jain said. “[The] Source of many [coronavirus patients] remains unknown after test. Let’s leave the technical battle to the Centre to decide over community spread.”
Jain has denied reports of community spread of the virus in Delhi in the past as well. However, in June, he had admitted that in almost 50% of cases in the Capital, the source of infection could noy be detected.
Delhi is one of the worst-affected regions in the country. The city has reported 1,22,793 cases, including 3,628 deaths, as of Monday, according to the health ministry figures.
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Why has the Delhi government not yet declared community transmission of Covid-19?
The Union health ministry has repeatedly denied community transmission of the coronavirus in India. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Friday that community transmission had begun in some parts of Thiruvananthapuram. On Saturday, Thiruvananthapuram was split into three critical containment zones and put under lockdown for 10 days.
India reported 40,425 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday morning, taking the total to 11,18,043. The toll rose by 681 to 27,497. This is the highest single-day rise in the number of fresh infections as well as deaths. More than 7 lakh people have recovered so far.
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