In Maharashtra, the districts with highest deaths are Mumbai, Pune and Thane. (Representational)
Nearly half of the India's total COVID-19 deaths are concentrated in 25 districts of eight states, said the government today. 15 of these districts are in Maharashtra alone.
"Out of these 25 districts, 15 districts are in one state alone that is Maharashtra. Two districts each are in Karnataka, West Bengal and Gujarat and one each in Tamil Nadu, Punjab, UP and Andhra Pradesh. The Union government is focusing on these districts and has been in touch with district officials so that the situation can be controlled," said the health secretary, Rajiv Bhushan.
In Maharashtra, the districts with highest deaths are Mumbai-7,694, Pune-7,094 and Thane-4,486.
Two Karnataka districts - Bengaluru urban (3,069) and Mysuru (810) - also feature in the list .
Gujarat's Ahmedabad with 1,830 deaths and Surat with 772 also figured in the list.
When the Secretary was asked if deaths were high due to poor hospital arrangements he said, "The kind of hospital arrangements that France and Italy had were far greater than us, yet they failed. The question is not of hospital setup but whether the Covid patient came to the hospital at the right time or not. If they come too late then mortality risk is high. This is why higher testing is needed. Faster testing leads to faster isolation and quicker treatment."
The Health Ministry also spoke about India's vaccine preparations.
"The National Expert Group on vaccines is looking at all aspects. As the Health Minister said on Sunday, we are hoping for vaccine supplies by first quarter of 2021.We are also looking at preparing online modules for vaccine administrators so that they can have complete know-how of the process and know how to handle any adverse events," said Mr Bhushan.
On Russian vaccine Sputnik-V, the Ministry said that the Russians have tied up with a commercial entity in India which has applied for trials to the Indian regulator. The Indian regulator has made some suggestions. Once the commercial entity responds and works on those, things will proceed, it said.
When asked whether the COVID-19 peak has been crossed or not, the Health secretary said, "The Health Ministry has repeatedly said that peaks are mathematically assessed. But, to give a sure shot declaration on that at this point is not in the welfare of public health. We need to continue all precautions. Several nations suffered because they became lenient after saying that they passed the peak. With winter months and festivities approaching we need to be extra cautious."