India’s COVID-19 situation may get worse: Top court

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI, India (AA) - India’s Supreme Court on Monday sought a report from four states over the recent spike in coronavirus cases, and observed that “worse things will happen in December if states are not well prepared.”

"We are hearing of a huge spike in the current month. We want a latest status report from all states. Worse things may happen in December if states aren't well prepared," the top court said on Monday, according to local broadcaster NDTV.

The court asked the Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Assam to file the report in next two days, on the present situation and steps taken to stem the spread of the virus.

"The situation is likely to grow grim in the coming months. We are of the opinion that all states must be prepared for the coming months,” Local English daily Hindustan Times quoted the court as saying.

The observation from the top court has come at a time when a parliamentary panel report said that the “number of Government hospital beds" "was grossly inadequate keeping in view the rising incidence” of cases.

The report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare also said that out-of-pocket expenditure on health “may have further driven many families to below poverty line.”

While there is an overall decline in the new daily cases -- less than 50,000 daily new patients over the last two weeks. However, several states are reporting higher cases compared to the cases reported beginning this month.

The capital New Delhi is among the cities which is witnessing an upsurge in the new cases.

Battling with a higher number of cases, many states have imposed night curfews to prevent further spread of cases.

On Monday, the country’s total number of coronavirus cases topped 9.1 million, as 44,059 new cases were registered across the country over the past 24 hours. The country also saw 511 new fatalities, taking the death toll to 133,738.

Health experts say the situation in India may worsen, if people don’t start taking precautions and follow the guidelines.

“Situation may turn very bad and get out of control, if people don’t act responsibly. If the same trend continues, it will be difficult to handle,” Prof. Digambar Behera, an award winning Indian pulmonologist, told Anadolu Agency.