Published 19:59 IST, May 22nd 2020
'Lockdown put a brake on spread of coronavirus', says Empowered Group 1 chairman Dr Paul
Dr VK Paul on Friday said that the growth rate of COVID-19 cases has seen a steady fall from April 3 as the lockdown was able to put a brake on the spread
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Empowered Group 1 Chairman, Dr VK Paul on Friday said that the growth rate of COVID-19 cases has seen a steady fall from April 3 as the lockdown was able to put a brake on the spread of the coronavirus in the country. The Empowered Group 1 was formed by the central government for coordinating medical emergency management plan in view of coronavirus pandemic.
Dr Paul said the lockdown was timely, graded, proactive and pre-emptive public health measure to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
"The growth rate of coronavirus cases has witnessed a steady fall from April 3, as the lockdown was able to put a brake on the speed of growth. The number of cases today would have been much higher had lockdown not been implemented. It has been a part and parcel of our overall strategy," Dr. Paul said.
"Like the number of cases, the growth rate of the number of COVID-19 deaths too has fallen significantly due to lockdown, marking a notable difference between pre-lockdown and post-lockdown situations," he added.
Talking about the effect of lockdown, the Empowered Group 1 chairman said, "The confinement of COVID-19 to certain areas has been due to actions taken during the lockdown. It enabled us to be more prepared for the future."
He said that due to the lockdown, 80 per cent of active cases are in just five states and more than 60 per cent cases are in just five cities. According to Dr Paul, the lockdown has saved a lot of lives as it averted a large number of coronavirus cases that otherwise would have happened and "we are confident that we are on the right track."
Health Minister hails India's pro-active approach
Union Health and Family Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday said that in a country of 1.35 billion people, there are only 0.1 million cases of COVID-19. This comes as there are a total of 1,18,447 confirmed COVID-19 cases in India including 48,534 people cured, 66,330 active cases and 3,583 deaths and one migrated.
"Today we have a mortality of 3 per cent only. In a country of 1.35 billion, there are only 0.1 million cases of COVID19," he said.
"India faced COVID-19 in a proactive and pre-emptive way, with unmatched scale and determination. The recovery rate is above 40 and the doubling rate is 13 days," he added.
Meanwhile, as the country battles with the deadly Coronavirus pandemic, the total count of COVID-19 cases is rising by the hour. As many as 6,088 COVID-19 cases were detected across the country on Friday, making it the highest spike in 24 hours, surpassing the previous high. As many as 150 coronavirus patients succumbed to death in the last 24 hours.
States such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi are reporting COVID-19 cases at an alarming rate as the financial capital and the national capital continues to possess a large number of red zones and the hotspots in the country.
(with inputs from ANI)
19:59 IST, May 22nd 2020