India COVID cases
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India has reported an increase in COVID cases since yesterday. As of January 13, 2022 (8:00 IST), there has been a total of 237,304 new cases reported across India.
Maharashtra has reported 46,723 cases followed by Delhi registering 27,561 cases, and West Bengal stands at 22,155 cases at this time. This is the first day that the cases crossed the 200,000 mark in a while.
Omicron Cases
Many top health officials from around the globe including Dr. Anthony Fauci urge the public to not treat omicron as the common flu. The symptoms might appear mild but we must not let our guard down. “Omicron, with its extraordinary, unprecedented degree of efficiency of transmissibility, will ultimately find just about everybody,” Dr. Fauci stated. WHO also made an announcement that it could infect just about everybody.
In recent weeks, India has seen a jump in the number of districts reporting an increase in cases. More than 300 districts are reporting a 5%-7% positivity rate. This is in comparison to 78 districts a few weeks ago. Some of the districts that have seen a rise in cases are Uttar Pradesh (14 times), Bihar (11.27 times), and Madhya Pradesh (10.95 times).
Antigen Kits
As the cases are increasing, the demand for rapid antigen tests has also flooded the market. Many have turned to the test kits as the omicron cases begin to rise. Many PCR labs are trying to keep up with the rising test counts per day. In response, governments around the world have begun procuring test kits and making them available to consumers. Some countries have allowed supermarkets to sell rapid antigen kits.
Many also public health officials are concerned about the accuracy of the tests. Not every consumer is aware that the accuracy of the test depend on the reach of the swabs. The swabs are meant to reach the nasopharyngeal area to be more accurate. That’s is why the PCR test is very effective. Health officials also sighted that due to self-test kits availability, the governments will not be able to track the cases properly. There are also concerns that new variants might not be detected early.
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