India's doubling rate slows to 7.5 days, says Health Ministry
The Ministry of Health on Monday said that the rate at which the number of coronavirus cases is doubling in India has slowed to 7.5 days. The Ministry also said that the doubling rate is slower than the national average in 18 states and Union Territories. Meanwhile, the number of infections due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) rose to 17,656.
Doubling rate slowed from 3.4 days to 7.5 days
Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said the doubling rate of the COVID-19 outbreak was 3.4 days before the lockdown and has since slowed to 7.5 days. Till Friday, the doubling rate was 6.2 days. Agarwal said that 18 states and UTs have slower doubling rates than the national average and in Odisha and Kerala, the doubling rate is slower than 30 days.
Till Sunday, the doubling rates for some states were:
Delhi (8.5 days), Karnataka (9.2 days), and Telangana (9.4 days). Andhra Pradesh (10.6 days), Jammu and Kashmir (11.5 days), Punjab (13.1 days), Chhattisgarh (13.3 days), Tamil Nadu (14 days), and Bihar (16.4 days). Andaman & Nicobar (20.1 days), Haryana (21 days), Himachal Pradesh (24.5 days), Chandigarh (25.4 days), Assam (25.8 days), Uttarakhand (26.6 days), Ladakh (26.6 days)
No new cases in Pauri Garhwal for over 28 days
All seven COVID-19 patients in Goa have recovered, Agarwal said. Besides Puducherry's Mahe and Karnataka's Kodagu, Pauri Garhwal (Uttarakhand) has not reported new cases in the past 28 days. Six new districts—Rajasthan's Dungarpur and Pali; Gujarat's Jamnagar and Morbi; Goa's North Goa; Tripura's Gomati—have not reported new cases in 14 days. A total of 59 districts have not reported new cases in 14 days.
Health Ministry confirms 17,656 COVID-19 cases, 559 deaths
According to the Health Ministry's latest update, by 5 pm on Monday, India had reported a total of 17,656 COVID-19 cases. These included 559 deaths and 14,255 active cases, along with 2,841 cured/discharged patients and one patient who migrated out of India. Agarwal said at the press briefing that 1,553 new cases and 36 new deaths had been reported in the past 24 hours.
Journalists should take required precautions while reporting: Agarwal
When asked if journalists reporting on the ground would be tested for COVID-19, Agarwal said that they should take all required precautions and "anyone who needs to be tested, will be sampled." Earlier on Monday, 53 journalists in Mumbai tested positive for the disease. The Home Ministry said that six inter-ministerial teams have been deployed across districts where the outbreak is "especially serious."
