In the seven days to August 14, India added an average of 934 deaths daily — about 34% hike from the average 615 fatalities added in the week ending July 19.
The number of deaths from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in India exceeded 50,000 on Saturday, making it the fourth country — after the United States, Brazil and Mexico — to cross this bleak milestone as infections mount world over.
However, India’s case fatality rate (CFR) — the proportion of deaths to the total recorded infections is lower than the global average, indicating that the country has controlled deaths better than other nations with similar or higher caseload.Scientists believe that until a vaccine is developed, retaining a low death rate while focusing on boosting health care infrastructure and widespread testing remain crucial to controlling the disease’s impact in the country.
This steady rise in the death toll is in line with the trajectory of the epidemic in the country. The virus first found a foothold in India in metropolises such as Delhi and Mumbai — which scaled up testing and other precautionary efforts in response — it has in recent weeks spread to rural areas as restrictions on movement gradually eased, and workplaces and businesses reopened.
India is ranked third in the number of infections — only the US and Brazil have recorded more cases than India and have substantially higher death tolls from the viral illness.
As of Saturday, India recorded a cumulative 2,587,872 cases and 50,079 deaths.India, in the early stages of the outbreak, enforced a 68-day nationwide lockdown starting March 25, when the country had around 602 confirmed cases and 12 deaths. Most curbs have slowly been relaxed in the months since, with the government announcing a phased “unlock” plan from June.
Post Your Comments