COVID-19 cases not going to go beyond what's being reported now: Scientist

Bengaluru, Apr 13 () Eminent scientist and NITIAayog member V K Saraswat said on Monday the number of COVID-19 cases is not going to go beyond what's being reported dailyin India as he maintained that the country is in the processof flattening the curve.

The former Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister saidthe coronavirus positive cases have seen a sharper rise in thelast four-five days because of increase in the number oftesting.

"It's a good sign; all those asymptomatic cases lyinghiddenthey are also coming out," Saraswat told P T I. "Wecertainly had a catalytic factor which was basically this(Nizamuddin) Markaz problem which has actually createdclusters at different places and that has also been one of thefactors for the kind of rise that has taken place."

But he said India is in a much better shape comparedto other nations in the battle against COVID-19. "I can onlysay that the rate is not going to go beyond what has beengoing on now, may be 700 to 800 cases per day. So, we are inthe process of flattening the curve."

The government's decision to declare nation-widelockdown has paid dividends, Saraswat, a former chief of theDefence Research and Development Organisation, said.

Noting that India has seen a series of virus attacksin the last 15-20 years including Chikungunya and Dengue, hesaid the emphasis now should be on more and more R & D to findvaccines in advance. RS SS