Hotspots that can swing India's Covid-19 war

Though the Union Health Ministry said there is no evidence of widespread community transmission yet, it has identified 20 existing and 22 potential virus hotspots in the country for special containment measures. A Ministry advisory has stressed that these hotspots need enhanced deployment, surveillance, clinical management, containment operations and laboratory testing at grassroots levels. Luv Aggarwal, Health Ministry's Joint Secretary, said that containment measures are being taken in all areas, including hotspots. Delhi's Nizamuddin West area, which has become an epicentre after a gathering of Tablighi Jamaat last month saw thousands of participants who went on to travel throughout the country. Another hotspot in Delhi is Dilshad Garden where a woman with travel history to Saudi Arabia tested positive and infected her daughter and two relatives. Other hotspots are reported to be Rajasthan's Bhilwara, UP's Noida and Meerut, Mumbai and Pune, Ahmedabad, Kerala's Kasaragod, Pathanamthitta, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and J&K. Officials said that the government's National Task Force, scheduled to meet on Thursday night, was to take a call on this. Antibody "positives" will have to go for further tests of throat and nasal swabs which may take several hours, according to an ICMR note released on Thursday. The Pune district administration has appealed to private doctors to guide suspects to Drowpadibai Murlidhar Khedekar Hospital in Bopodi. The government has also procured necessary permission from ICMR to conduct COVID-19 tests on the Kerala Central University Campus in the district.