Coronavirus pandemic | Community transmission has started in some areas: AIIMS Delhi director

AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria

The Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, believes the novel coronavirus outbreak in India might have reached Stage 3 in some pockets of the country, meaning, in these areas, community transmission has started taking place.

An India Today report quoting Dr Randeep Guleria’s interview to Aaj Tak stated that though India is largely still in Stage 2 of the outbreak, in certain areas of Mumbai, cases of localised community transmission have been noted.

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Adding that India is in between Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the outbreak right now, Guleria said if the spread of the highly contagious disease can be stopped in the hotspots right away, we can prevent slipping into Stage 3.

Upholding the importance of strict vigilance to make sure the situation in the country does not worsen any further, he said the Tablighi Jamaat event held in Delhi last month is partly responsible for the sudden spike in the number of COVID-19 cases reported from India.

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To allay the dangers of it, tracing those who attended the event or come in contact with the attendees would be of utmost importance, Guleria said. He added all such persons need to be quarantined for 14 days immediately so that they do not infect anyone else.

When asked about the chances of the 21-day nationwide lockdown announced on March 24 to be extended, he said there would be no clarity on the situation till April 10 at least; so, we have to wait and watch.

“We expect more to be available after April 10. Only then we will be able to say whether the lockdown should be extended or not. It will take some time for the situation to normalize,” Guleria said.

Meanwhile, when asked about the interview during a press conference today, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry said that if there is indeed community transmission, "we will come and tell you because we want the country to be alert".