India coronavirus numbers explained: How Rajasthan, south and northeast India are tackling COVID-19

The seven-day compounded daily growth rate in India has fallen during June. (Image: Reuters)

Coronavirus in India: In June, India saw a big surge in coronavirus cases, with over 3.86 lakh cases of the total of 5.85 lakh cases having been reported in the month. Not only that, out of these cases, as many as 2 lakh were reported in the last 12 days, an IE report stated. Moreover, the number of active cases went up from 97,000 as on May 31, to over 2.2 lakh by June 30, indicating the pressure on the medical infrastructure. Apart from this, of the 17,400 deaths reported so far, over 11,800 were recorded in June. Along with the cases, however, the testing has also been ramped up, with more than half of the total 88.26 lakh tests having been conducted in June itself. Another point of relief, the report stated, is that the seven-day compounded daily growth rate has also fallen from 4.78% to 3.61%, now, even though it is now increasing slowly.

While the coronavirus cases in India are growing rapidly, trends in some states have remained largely out of the focus. Let’s take a look.

Rajasthan: The unsung hero

Rajasthan has been tackling coronavirus with commendable efficiency. Its total number of cases as on Tuesday night stood at 18,014. While the death rate in Rajasthan was at 2.29%, below the national death rate, the number of active cases only stood at 3,381. The number of recoveries stood at 14,220, translating into a recovery rate of a whopping 78.93%, around 20% higher than the national average.

COVID-19: Trend in Kerala

Kerala quickly gained momentum and became the state which was recording the highest number of cases. For a long time, it remained a cause of concern before the strong medical community in Kerala managed to overpower the virus and managed to flatten the curve by May.

Till mid-May, Kerala had managed to bring down the number of active cases to a mere 16. However, a steep rise in the second half of the month, likely to be attributed to the unlocking of the country, managed to blindside the state authorities and now, the curve is increasing exponentially. In this regard, keeping in mind the robust medical infrastructure in the state and the upper hand it had, the recovery rate in the state is a little low at 51.86%, quite below the national rate. Moreover, the gap between total cases and the number of recoveries is also widening, which is a little worrisome. On the other hand, the state, of its total of 4,442 cases, has only witnessed 24 deaths, managing to keep the death rate at mere 0.54%, which is commendable.

COVID-19 trend in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu has a total of 90,167 coronavirus cases, out of which, Chennai accounts for 58,327. In the state as a whole, the rate of recovery stands at 55.53%, more or less similar to the country’s recovery rate. The death rate is 1.33%, less than half that in India.

The state has been witnessing a steep rise in cases, but they have managed to keep the recoveries high too. In Chennai, 31,858 patients have recovered. The next highest number of cases are in Chengalpattu with 5,419 cases, where also, around 50% of the patients have been discharged.

The southern state saw a very slow increase in the number of daily cases till the end of April, but they spiked in the beginning of May, before then becoming flat throughout the month. However, the end of May again witnessed a rapid rise in cases, which the state also managed to somewhat control by mid-June. A few days ago, though, Tamil Nadu saw a massive jump in the number of daily cases and this figure has been increasing since. However, since the state had managed to stop the rapid increase twice before, it might be able to repeat its measures and control the cases once again.

Coronavirus status in North-east India

The seven sisters in India have been tackling the pandemic in the shadows, without much highlight to the problems they might have been facing. In Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur, the number of recoveries is much less than 50%. While the total number of cases in all the seven states is relatively much less than the rest of the country, with the low population and the poor access to proper healthcare due to remote locations, the pandemic is bound to impact these states more.

Still, the states have managed to keep deaths at a very low level. Assam, which has the highest number of cases among the seven sisters – 8,227 total confirmed cases – has recorded 12 deaths till now. Apart from this, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Meghalaya have reported 1 death each, and there have been no deaths in Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram as on Tuesday.

Even though the states have less access to healthcare, causing a low level of recovery, the states must be lauded for keeping the death rate at a commendable low.

The cases have rapidly spiked across the country during the process of unlocking, blindsiding the states and their medical infrastructure. The health infrastructure disparity among the states is a major cause of worry, as while states like Assam are witnessing a 68.63% recovery rate, on the other hand, places like Arunachal Pradesh have a recovery rate of less than 33%. However, even in Kerala, which has a medically superior hand, the recovery rate is less than what it could have been, and this might be due to the sudden onslaught of cases.

It then becomes clear that the rise is due to people moving around more, possibly without taking proper precautions. It is important that people take the measures enlisted by the health authorities to keep themselves and their families safe and so that the burden on the health infrastructure is reduced. If these measures are not taken at a micro level, the consequences can be massive at a macro level.

NOTE: The data has been sourced from the World Health Organization (WHO), Government of India and the databases maintained by the respective state governments, till June 30, 2020.