India's COVID-19 curve remains flat but rise in cases at steady rate a cause for concern: AIIMS director

The COVID-19 curve has remained relatively flat so far but the continued rise of cases at a steady rate is a cause for concern, AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria said on Tuesday.

Different modelling experts have predicted that a peak in number of cases of novel coronavirus infection may occur in the next four to six weeks, that is by the end of May or middle of June, Guleria said stressing on the need to be extra vigilant and to make efforts to reduce the number of cases in the hotspots.

He also said, "The country may see a rise in COVID-19 cases during the winter again but that time will only tell."

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These remarks come amid several state governments giving relaxations and opening up liquor shops in accordance to the guidelines issued by the Home Ministry.

"The curve has remained relatively flat so far because of the implementation of the lockdown and other containment measures and this has given us time to prepare our health infrastructure and ramp up testing facilities in the country.

"However, the number of cases continue to rise at a steady rate and this is a cause of concern. Every citizen should understand his responsibility and sincerely follow the principles of lockdown and social distancing, especially if they are in hotspots or containment areas," Guleria, a pulmonologist, said.

He stressed on focusing on areas having a high case load of COVID-19 so that there is no further transmission of virus there.

Simultaneously, he emphasised on stepping up surveillance in green zones which have reported no cases so far so that they continue to remain infection-free.

On Tuesday morning, the death toll due to coronavirus rose to 1,568 and the number of cases rose to 42,836 in the last 24 hours, according to Union Health Ministry data.