India placed fourth in global Covid-19 platform

The nationwide count of Covid-19 cases rose over 2.97 lakh and the death toll topped 8,400. India surpassed the UK to become the fourth most affected Covid-19 nation in the world.

New Delhi:In less than one week, India reached 4th position from 7th in the global Covid-19 ranking. As per Covid-19 dashboard prepared by Centre for System Science and Engineering of John Hopkins University, India toppled UK (29,2860), Spain (24,2707) and Italy (23,6142) with its total Covid-19 numbers of 2,97,535.

India now comes after the US (20,23,347), Brazil (802828) and Russia (501800).

In the last 24 hours, India witnessed the highest spike of 10,956 Covid-19 cases. Records indicate that the country's Covid-19 trend is going upwards in the last 4 weeks.

One week ago, India recorded 9851 cases on average on every alternate day. Two weeks ago the figure was almost 7466 and three weeks ago the figure was 3967 on every alternate day.

The number of active cases also jumped from 2182 (three weeks ago), 3877 (two weeks ago), 4223 (one week ago).

Interestingly, India's recovery rate also witnessed a sharp increase from 1685 (four weeks ago) to the present recovery number of 6166.

In comparison to India's total positive cases, the death rate has also come down from 3.2 per cent (four weeks ago) to 2.9 per cent at present. In the last 24 hours, 396 people died taking the total death toll to 8498.

Officials in the Union Health Ministry told ETV Bharat that India's death percentage per lakh population is amongst the lowest in the world with 0.59 against the world death figure of 5.23 per lakh population.

Spain recorded the highest death of 60.02 per lakh population, followed by Spain (58.0) and Italy (56.3).

Positive cases in India per lakh population is also amongst the lowest in the world.

India recorded 20.77 cases per lakh population against the world figure of 91.67, the health ministry has recorded.

Currently, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is testing symptomatic SARI individuals.

"But the increasing Covid-19 trend emphasis on the need to test asymptomatic patients to expose any possible undercurrent," officials said.

In revised guidelines, the ICMR on May 18 said that all symptomatic ILI symptoms, SARI patients as well as asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case (once between day 5 and day 10 of coming into contact) need to be tested.

The ICMR had earlier said that 69 per cent of all Covid cases in India are asymptomatic.

Following the upsurge in Covid cases, the health ministry has appealed everyone to approach medicare centre and consult doctors so that the disease can be detected at an early stage.