Slowing growth in Covid-19 cases as second phase of lockdown begins

Slowing growth in Covid-19 cases as second phase of lockdown begins

The growth rate in new Covid-19 cases has shown a decline during the period of the lockdown, which started in the last week of March. This first phase of the lockdown ended on April 14. It has since been extended to May 3.

The five-day moving average rate in the growth of confirmed cases was in excess of 20 per cent every day in the period leading up to the lockdown in March. It has since dropped to under 12 per cent shows data as of April 16.

India has among the lowest testing rates in the world, which means fewer cases may be identified. The case fatality rate, which is the number of deaths for every 100 cases, is lower than most of the top 10 affected countries. India ranks 20th in the number of confirmed cases and 65th in terms of case fatality rate. Over 120 countries have been affected by the pandemic, shows Johns Hopkins University data.

A few states account for the bulk of numbers confirmed so far. Maharashtra and Delhi together account for 35.2 per cent of the country’s total cases. The top five account for over 60 per cent of confirmed cases.