If you have been involved in monitoring and observing data for COVID-19 you may have seen a category Cases being reassigned to states or Unassigned. These were the numbers that were added on the MOHFW site as a “Cases being reassigned to states” category.

Unassigned category

Many of you asked us on various mediums about this category as the total count would reduce/increase every morning based on this category.

So, one of our volunteers had filed an RTI (Right to Information) to get the details about this category with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 20/06/2020. It was transferred to NCDCD (National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi) on 20/06/2020. NCDC is the institute under the Indian Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It was established in July 1963 for research in epidemiology and control of communicable diseases and to reorganize the activities of the Malaria Institute of India.
The reason for transferring was that the data regarding COVID-19 is monitored under IDSP (Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme). It is the backbone of India’s disease monitoring network and is set up under NCDC. It is responsible for alerting the central government and the wider world on a weekly basis about the emergence of disease outbreaks, surge in novel pathogens, the rate of spread and remedial action taken to control diseases.

RTI application

A reply has been provided by NCDCD on 17/07/2020 with some details which are mentioned below. But for now, the RTI has been transferred to ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) for further details (ICMR is the second authority with NCDCD which is involved in COVID-19 activities).

  • Q1: Provide the details of the criteria used to define the cases being reassigned to states Category on the Ministry of Health & Family welfare website (https://www.mohfw.gov.in/) for collection of the data relating to COVID-19.
    Reply: Information is not available with Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.

  • Q2: Provide the details of location where these samples of these cases of COVID-19 are collected.
    Reply: More than 900 laboratories are authorized by Indian Council of Medical Research for testing of COVID-19 cases details of which are available on ICMR website (www.icmr.gov.in).

  • Q3: Provide the breakup of total number of cases re-assigned to each states till now (in a date-wise order).
    Reply: Information sought at point No. 3 & 4 pertains to ICMR thus not available with Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.

  • Q4: Provide the details of total number of cases collected in this category (cases being reassigned to states) till date.
    Reply: Information sought at point No. 3 & 4 pertains to ICMR thus not available with Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.

  • Q5: Provide the details of why this category (cases being reassigned to states) was added.
    Reply: Information sought at point No. 5,6,&7 is not available with Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.

  • Q6: Provide the details till when this category (cases being reassigned to states) may remain on the website.
    Reply: Information sought at point No. 5,6,&7 is not available with Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.

  • Q7: Provide the details of the time needed to re-assign these cases of COVID-19 in the category of (Cases being reassigned to states)to the respective states.
    Reply: Information sought at point No. 5,6,&7 is not available with Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.

  • Q8: Provide the details of the Cut-off time of the respective states regarding there data of COVID-19 which is uploaded on the website of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare(https://www.mohfw.gov.in/)
    Reply: The data regarding COVID – 19 cases of the respective States is uploaded on the website of Ministry Welfare Website(https://www.mohfw.gov.in/) on daily basis.

RTI Response

Timeline of Unassigned Cases:
The table below gives the details about the changes that occurred in the Unassigned cases category over a period of time.