‘No Stage 3 Coronavirus Spread In India Yet’: Top Health Policy Maker Dr V K Paul In-Charge Of India’s Covid-19 Response

Dr V K Paul the Co-chair of Empowered Committee for India’s COVID-19 Response has said that the country is yet to reach stage three of the coronavirus pandemic and that the government is doing all it can to prevent it from happening, Indian Express has reported.

While speaking to the media, Dr Paul said that the lockdown and containment measures are part of the government’s efforts to prevent the onset of stage 3 - that is community transmission.

Community transmission means that an individual who has no travel or contact history with any Covid-19 patient tests positive for a coronavirus infection.

Dr Paul also assured that the situation in the country has not yet reached the stage of serious deaths and disease.

“Today, you can say, as of now we are preparing for Stage 3 and intensification of containment to the best possible extent”, Dr Paul was quoted as saying.

Dr Paul also rubbished claims of India’s testing strategy being dictated by a lack of testing kits. He said that there is no dearth of testing kits and their approach is dictated to ensure no wastage of resources.

Dr Paul has been a faculty member for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi for over 32 years and has been serving as the Head of Department (HoD) of Pediatrics for the last 10 years.

An internationally renowned paediatrician, academic, medical researcher and public health exponent, he was conferred the prestigious Ihsan Dogramaci Family Health Foundation Prize by WHO in 2018.

A NITI Aayog member since August 2017, Dr Paul was recently appointed as the Chairman of The Board of Governors of Medical Council of India.