So far, 4,204,613 cases have been reported with 71,642 deaths. India’s mortality rate is 1.72 per cent, far less than that of Brazil and the United States, which is 3 per cent, or worldwide, which is 3.2 per cent. The government is trying to revive the economy, which has suffered a severe blow, with millions losing their job and going hungry. Over a million people are tested daily.
New Delhi (AsiaNews) – With over 90,000 cases in the last 24 hours, India has become the second most affected country in the world by the novel coronavirus, ahead even of Brazil.
According to the Union (federal) Health Ministry, the number of cases in India has reached 4,204,613, ahead of Brazil, which has 4,137,606, and behind the United States, which tops the list with 6,460,250.
More than a thousand people died between yesterday and today, bringing the number of deaths to 71,642. However, the country’s mortality rate is very low, pegged at 1.72 per cent, far less than the 3 per cent of Brazil and the United States, and the 3.2 per cent worldwide.
The rate of recovery is also very high, 3,250,429 or 77 per cent so far, with an active caseload of 862,320, most in the five states: Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
Over the past week, the number of cases has increased at a very high rate, more than 75,000 per day.
This follows the government’s decision to gradually lift the lockdown imposed in late March in order to revive the economy, which has suffered a severe blow, causing millions to lose their jobs and go hungry.
Between March and June, the Indian economy shrank by 23.9 per cent, the worst slump since the country started releasing quarterly data in 1996.
Some attribute the jump in cases to greater testing conducted across the country, more than a million a day.
However, health authorities are concerned because more and more cases are being reported in rural areas where medical facilities are inadequate and where malaria and dengue fever have already spiked this summer.
COVID-19 could increase the mortality rate. According to experts, most people who die from COVID-19 have existing health conditions, which become fatal for those who contracted the coronavirus.