The total number of coronavirus positive cases in India is nearing 20,000-mark (19,984) including 640 deaths after 50 deaths and 1383 new cases were reported in last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry’s figures on Wednesday. 3,869 patients have recovered so far. Maharashtra is the worst-affected state with 5,218 cases and 251 deaths so far. Maharashtra is followed by Delhi and Gujarat that have over 2,000 coronavirus case each.
Till Tuesday evening, the total confirmed positive cases in the country stood at 18,985 including 603 deaths. Though positive cases are rising with an average of 1,000 to 1,100 cases per day, India’s doubling rate has seen a declining graph. During the initial days of the lockdown, the doubling rate of coronavirus cases in the country was somewhere around 6 to 6.5 per cent but has now declined to 3 to 3.2 per cent.
The nation is under an extended lockdown till May 3 after PM Modi announced on April 14 in his televised address to the nation that the situation was not feasible to lift the lockdown if the spread of the virus has to be contained.
However, there was a ray of hope after the Union Health Ministry said that the rate at which the number of COVID-19 cases in the country was doubling in the last one week declined to 7.5 days, as against 3.4 days before the nationwide lockdown was imposed.