Delhi added cases twice as fast as Mumbai

NEW DELHI: In the last fortnight, Chennai and Delhi have added coronavirus cases twice as fast as Mumbai and three times as fast as Ahmedabad, an analysis of the four metros badly hit by the infection shows. Together, they account for 44% of India’s nearly 3 lakh cases and 43% of all deaths reported till June 11.
Though Mumbai has the highest number of Covid-19 cases reported at more than 54,000 and continues to add a large number daily, the growth rate of infections is much higher in Chennai and Delhi, which have added 105% and 100% more cases to their tally of May 29. In comparison, Mumbai added 52% and Ahmedabad 35%. Across India, the increase in cases in the last two weeks was 72%.
However, in terms of fatality rates, Ahmedabad at 8% reported twice as many deaths per 100 cases as Mumbai (4.4%) and Delhi (4%) in the two weeks between May 29 and June 11. Chennai had the lowest fatality rate of 1.2% among the four. High fatality rates could underline the need for better clinical management, indicate late detection or low testing or that only the sickest are being tested. Widely varying mortality and testing rates also raise questions about how comparable case numbers are.
During the last two weeks, Ahmedabad added 319 deaths from the virus, taking the total to 1,117, second only to Mumbai, where the Covid-19 death toll climbed to 1,954 as of June 11.