Centre asks Kerala govt to provide COVID-19 data daily as it impacts India's key pandemic monitoring indicators

The Centre on Monday asked the Kerala government to update the COVID-19 data daily. Earlier, it used to report figures after a gap of five days which impacted and skewed the status of India's key pandemic monitoring indicators like cases, deaths and positivity rate.

Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal in a letter to Kerala's Principal Secretary of Health, Rajan N Khobragade, said that there is a need for continued intensive monitoring at the State and District levels to detect emerging challenges and undertake suitable steps for preparedness and management of Covid-19.

"We need to continue maintaining an effective watch and take pre-emptive action to contain any imminent surge," the ministry said.

"It has been observed that Kerala has reported its State-level COVID-19 data after a gap of five days (since 13 April). This has impacted and skewed the status of India's key monitoring indicators like cases, deaths, and positivity. India has reported a 90 per cent increase in new cases and a 165 per cent increase in positivity in a single day," Agarwal added.

He said the Centre has regularly emphasized the need for a robust reporting mechanism for monitoring state-wise cases and deaths on daily basis.

Since the start of the pandemic, the government has been receiving relevant data daily which has helped in proactive analysis and strategy building at the national level.

Agarwal in a letter said that daily and diligent reporting of data is critical, to arrive at a meaningful understanding of pandemic in the districts, state and national levels and ensure that any anomalies, surges or emerging trends can be captured in a timely manner.

"This is especially relevant as it is a highly infectious disease and also has an associated risk of emergence of new variants. Quick and continuous update of data will assist in India's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and will help not only in tracking and monitoring but will also help in defining the strategies and plans at the Centre, State and District level," he said.

"You are, accordingly, requested to ensure that daily updation of required details is undertaken by the state to Union Ministry of Health," he added.

Agarwal further said that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will continue to provide requisite support to the States or UTs in this ongoing and collective efforts.

( With inputs from ANI )