COVID-19: '5 states account for 62% of total active cases in India', says Centre

Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra account for 62% of total active Coronavirus cases in the country while Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra account for 70% of total COVID-19 deaths, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.

Although, there has been a 13.7% weekly decrease in the number of active cases in Andhra Pradesh, a 16.1% decrease in Karnataka, a 6.8% decrease in Maharashtra, a 23.9% decrease in Tamil Nadu, and a 17.1% decrease in Uttar Pradesh, said Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan. Maharashtra has seen around 7% decline in active cases in the last three weeks (week on week basis), he added.

Moreover, there has been a 4.5% weekly decrease in case fatalities in Andhra Pradesh, an 11.5% decrease in Maharashtra, and an 18.2% decrease in Tamil Nadu. On the other hand, there is an increase in the case fatality trajectory in two states — Karnataka and Delhi. Delhi has seen 50% and Karnataka has seen a 9.6% increase in average daily case fatality, the Ministry official said.

He also revealed that COVID-19 positivity rate among healthcare workers is highest in six states — 18% in Telangana, 16% in Maharashtra, 14% in Delhi, 13% in Karnataka, 12% in Puducherry and 11% in Punjab.

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Over 29.70 lakh recovered cases

Addressing a press briefing, Bhushan revealed that the number of recovered cases is now more than 29.70 lakh which is 3.5 times more than active cases. The single-day highest recovery of 68,584 has been recorded on Wednesday. More than 11 lakh COVID-19 tests have been done in the last 24 hours.

Furthermore, the Health Secretary said that although new COVID-19 cases are increasing on a daily basis, it has to be seen in the context of the total population. He said the government has adopted a graded approach of opening the economy, ensuring adequate testing capacity, clear guidelines of clinical treatment protocol and enhanced hospital infrastructure.

Commenting upon the recent surge in new Coronavirus cases in Delhi that has raised concerns of a possible second wave of infections, Bhushan said the Centre is engaging with the state government and has given specific instructions, which if followed, can bring control over the situation. On Wednesday, the national capital recorded 2,509 fresh cases — the highest single-day spike in nearly two months.

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