India Coronavirus Numbers Explained: Tamil Nadu consistently reporting more recoveries than new cases

India coronavirus numbers explained: For a month and a half, Tamil Nadu has been showing an unusual consistency in the number of daily new cases that it has been reporting

India coronavirus cases: Since the start of this month, Tamil Nadu has been reporting more recoveries every day than new infections of novel coronavirus. While this is not the first time such a thing has happened in the state, this is certainly the longest period of time that this trend has held on.

The result has been that the number of active cases in the state has gone down below 50,000 for the first time since the middle of July, when it had first crossed that figure. Incidentally, Pune, the city with the maximum number of infected people, alone has more than 75,000 active cases.

Till the end of August, Tamil Nadu had the second-highest number of infected people in the country, after Maharashtra, before being overtaken by Andhra Pradesh. For a month and a half, Tamil Nadu has been showing an unusual consistency in the number of daily new cases that it has been reporting. Except on four occasions, the daily increase in the state has been confined between 5,500 and 6,000 since August 1. In fact, on more than two-thirds of the days in this period, the daily new infections were between 5,800 and 6,000. Usually, this kind of uniformity in numbers over such a prolonged period is not expected.

https://images.indianexpress.com/2020/08/1x1.png

Recoveries exceeding new infections is a good sign because, if it continues over a prolonged period, this could be a signal for the beginning of the decline of the disease. However, as we have seen in the case of Delhi, this is no guard against the onset of a new wave of infections that could completely undermine all the gains made. Still, while it lasts this trend does result in reducing the active cases, thereby reducing the burdens on the hospitals and healthcare workers.

There has also been a reduction in the number of deaths being reported by Tamil Nadu these days. Towards the end of last month, the state had been reporting more than 100 deaths a day. This has come down to level of 60s and 70s now. With more than 8,300 coronavirus related deaths so far, Tamil Nadu still has the second highest death count in the country after Maharashtra.

These days, Karnataka has been reporting more than 100 days daily, and apart from Maharashtra, is the biggest daily contributor to India’s death count, which has gone beyond 78,500.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh now has more than three lakh people who have so far been infected with the virus, while Rajasthan crossed the one-lakh figure on Saturday. There are now 14 states in the country with a total caseload of more than one lakh. Six cities — Pune, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Thane and Chennai — also have seen more than one lakh of their people getting infected.

More than 94,000 new infections were detected across the country on Saturday, the fourth consecutive day that this number has remained in the 90,000s. The total number of confirmed infections in the country has gone beyond 47.54 lakh now. Close to 78 per cent of these, or more than 37 lakh, have already recovered from the disease.