In first since mid-July, less than 30,000 coronavirus cases recorded
India's steep decline with respect to new coronavirus cases is continuing, with Monday bringing some much-needed good news. For the first time since mid-July, the country logged less than 30,000 fresh COVID-19 infections. With the addition of 29,164 new cases yesterday, India's tally now stands at 88,74,291. 449 people died of coronavirus-linked complications, increasing the death count to 1,30,519. Here are more details.
Active cases less than 5 lakh, recovery rate at 93.42%
The last time India's fresh coronavirus tally was under 30,000 was on July 15. Since then, the country has seen a continuous surge in cases, with nearly 1,00,000 cases being registered in mid-September. As per the Union Health Ministry, India now has 4,53,401 active cases, which is 5.11% of the total caseload. 82,90,370 have defeated the disease and the recovery rate is 93.42%.
Nearly 8.5 lakh samples were tested yesterday
As per ICMR, 12,65,42,907 samples have been tested till November 16. On Monday, there was a slight decline in testing with 8,44,382 samples being tested. Of the 449 new deaths, the most — 99 — were from Delhi, followed by 60 from Maharashtra. In West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, 53, 26, 22, and 21 died respectively.
For 45 successive days, recoveries have trumped daily case tally
It is also worth highlighting that for 45 straight days, India has registered more recoveries than new cases daily. Though the first peak is behind the country, there is a palpable concern that infections will rise steadily and severely in the coming winter months. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his last address to the nation, urged not to lose sight of precautions.
Delhi tested less than 30,000 samples yesterday, 3,797 judged positive
While the rest of India is faring satisfactorily, the national capital Delhi is suffering. Between November 10 and 14, Delhi reported over 7,000 cases daily, after registering more than 5,000 cases per day since November 3. On Monday, 3,797 new coronavirus cases came to the fore. This decline could be driven by less testing as only 29,821 samples were tested.
Delhi's seven-day average more than New York's
To note, on November 11, Delhi tested 64,121 samples, which further declined to 56,553 on November 13. On Sunday, just 21,098 samples were tested. What is more worrying is that Delhi's positivity rate is 12.73%. To give a perspective, on Monday, the national positivity rate was 5.3%. In fact, Delhi's seven-day average of 7,341 (recorded on Monday) is more than New York's 5,291.
Delhi could see 500 coronavirus cases/million: NITI Aayog
On a related note, NITI Aayog termed Delhi's coronavirus situation "unprecedented," predicting that it could worsen in the coming days. Due to norms flouted in the festive season, Delhi could see 500 coronavirus cases per million, up from the current 361. Anticipating a surge, the Central government has asked to increase bed's capacity, particularly the ICU ones, in the national capital.
