HIGHLIGHTS
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi are the hotspots of Covid-19 cases in India
- These three states have seen significant rise in new cases recently
- Together, they account for 43% of India's Covid-19 cases
India is currently battling its worst health emergency in the form of the coronavirus outbreak that is spreading rapidly across the country with tens of new cases being reported every day. Though the government has maintained that India is yet not in the stage of "community transmission", new cases continue to be reported daily. The past one week has seen significant spike in the number of new cases being reported, especially in states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi. The scale of this health emergency is such that the entire country has been put under a 21-day lockdown and only essential services are operational.
In the 10 days between March 10 and 20, the number of people in India who tested positive for Covid-19, the disease caused by novel coronavirus, jumped from 50 to 196. By March 25, it reached 606 and by the end of the month (March 31) India had 1,397 confirmed Covid-19 cases. As on April 6, India's tally rose to 4,281 cases.
This health emergency has put immense pressure on the country's healthcare system and the economy has been severely disrupted. To help explain the scale of the coronavirus outbreak in India, IndiaToday.in is regularly analysing key data and trends related to this health emergency. We bring to you this in-depth analysis and a daily tracker on Covid-19 cases in India.
Coronavirus cases: The national picture
The geographical spread of coronavirus outbreak in India has now extended to 29 states and Union Territories with Arunachal Pradesh and Jharkhand being the latest to report Covid-19 cases.
The first Covid-19 case in India was reported on January 30 in Kerala's Thrissur district. The patient, a student studying in Wuhan, China (the epicentre of the novel coronavirus pandemic), had returned home on account of the Lunar New Year festivities in China.
In a span of four days, two other cases were reported in Kerala--in Kasaragod and Alappuzha districts--prompting the state government to declare a state-level emergency on February 3. These two patients were also students who had returned from China.
Following detection, the three patients were immediately put in isolation at state medical facilities and over 3,400 people who were suspected to have come in their contact were quarantined and observed for Covid-19-related symptoms. Days later, the three patients were discharged upon recovery.
How Covid-19 cases are rising in India
As mentioned above, the first Covid-19 case in India was reported on January 30 in Kerala's Thrissur district and by February 3, India had three confirmed Covid-19 cases.
India did not see any new case for nearly a month, until March 2 when two positive cases were reported, one each in Delhi and Hyderabad. Both the patients had a travel history to countries already affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The graph below shows the trend that Covid-19 cases have followed in India.
What has changed in last 5 days?
In normal times, five days may not necessarily be a very long time in a nation's life, but during a rapidly spreading pandemic, a five-day period can be quite significant. For example, between March 29 and April 2, the number of Covid-19 cases in India rose from 1,024 to 2,069 i.e. India's Covid-19 cases doubled in this five-day period.
To understand the rate at which Covid-19 cases are increasing in India, we have prepared the chart below. It will compare the number of Covid-19 cases in states and see what has been change in the past five days. We are updating this chart every day to provide you the latest information.
Good news! People are recovering too
While the number of new Covid-19 cases in India have been rising rapidly with tens of new cases being reported, there is also some positive news.
Some of the patients who were admitted and put in isolation after they tested positive for Covid-19, have recovered and been discharged.
The first three cases in India were reported in Kerala between January 30 and February 3 and were put under isolation. However, later in February they recovered and were discharged.
Since then, more patients have recovered in India. As on April 6, a total of 319 Covid-19 patients had recovered.
India's first 50 Covid-19 cases
While most patients in India have had a travel history to countries that have reported a high number of Covid-19 cases, of late there have also been many cases where local transmission (i.e. people contracting the disease in India) has been reported.
analysis showed that 39 of them had a travel history to a country that was already affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The remaining 11 contracted the disease through local transmission in India.
These first 50 Covid-19 cases were reported from: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, J&K and Ladakh.
Coronavirus test labs: Where and how many?
As on April 4, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had tested 79,950 samples for Covid-19. However, it remains unknown how many of these were repeat tests of the same indivuals and how many were fresh tests.
ICMR has earmarked 122 government labs across the country to test samples for Covid-19. Of these, 113 are operational and nine will become operational soon.
Here is a tool using which you can find the testing facilities in your state/city:
Besides the 122 government labs, ICMR has also given permission to 47 private labs to conduct tests for Covid-19.
The global picture
The interactive dashboard below has been prepared by the World Health Organisation and monitors Covid-19 cases on a daily basis. You can explore the dashboard to find global trends and developments in regards to the coronavius pandemic.
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