Active coronavirus cases dip. Is India's worst phase over?
For the first time in weeks, the active number of coronavirus cases in India fell below nine lakh, data from the Ministry of Health revealed on Friday, giving the country a rare moment to rejoice as the pandemic rages. At the time of publishing, the number of active cases stood at 8,93,592. In mid-September, this number was over 10.17 lakh. Here's understanding the numbers.
There has been a sustained drop in new cases
The most plausible explanation behind this decent fall in the active cases is the detection of fewer new cases daily. India, despite not losing sight of extensive testing, has been registering less fresh cases than it did last month. On Thursday, 11,68,705 samples were tested, 70,496 tested positive, and 964 deaths came to fore. 78,365 people defeated the disease yesterday.
Recoveries trumped new cases for three consecutive weeks
The Health Ministry said new recoveries have been surging past the detection of new cases, unabated, for three straight weeks. "The new cases during these three weeks have displayed a steady trend of decline," the Ministry's statement read. Now, the recovery rate of India stands at 85.52% and the gap between active and recovered cases has crossed 50,00,000 — 50,12,477 to be specific.
Comprehensive testing, tracking, hospitalization contributed to these results: Ministry
"This is the result of collaborative action by States/UTs under the Centre's strategy of comprehensive testing, tracking, quick hospitalization, and adherence to the Standard Treatment Protocol which has ensured a standardized quality of medical care across the public and private hospitals," said the Ministry.
Sudden dip in Kerala's numbers helped
The dip in fresh cases on Thursday was driven by a sudden decline in Kerala. The state, seen as the fastest-growing one in terms of coronavirus numbers, recorded less than 5,500 new cases. On Wednesday, the Southern state reported over 10,000 fresh cases, for the first time since the outbreak. For the last two weeks, the state has been recording 7,000-9,000 fresh cases daily.
Maharashtra still the worst-affected, though, recovery going strong
Eight months into the pandemic and Maharashtra continues to remain the worst-affected state, as it logged more than 13,000 cases yesterday. Karnataka registered over 10,000 cases yesterday. Both states have 14,93,884 and 6,79,356 total cases, respectively. In Maharashtra, 12,12,016 have defeated the disease, and in Karnataka, 5,52,519 have recuperated so far. As per the government, 78% of new cases were reported from ten states/UTs.
Delhi could be burdened with 15,000 cases/day soon
While the trend is heartening, India can't lose sight of precautions just yet. A report by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) suggested Delhi, where the number of fresh cases has been low, should brace for 15,000 new infections daily during winter. Separately, doctors asked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to release stringent rules during Durga Puja to avoid "tsunami" of infections.
