5 lakh tested for 2nd day, positivity rate now 9%

NEW DELHI: India conducted more than 5,00,000 tests to detect Covid-19 on a single day for the second successive day on Monday, while the positivity rate dropped to 9% from around 13% during last week. The fatality rate due to the infection has also been declining progressively and is now at 2.25%, which is one of the lowest in the world, the health ministry said. It was 3.3% in mid-June.
According to Covid-19 data released by Johns Hopkins coronavirus resource centre, India is 15th among 20 most affected countries in case fatality ratios. Only Argentina, Russia, South Africa, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have better CFRs. The UK and Mexico with CFRs of 15.2% and 11.1% are the worst followed by Iran (5.4%), Egypt (5%) and Indonesia (4.8%).
In terms of deaths per 1,00,000 population, India (2.4) does better, at the 18th spot, with Bangladesh and Indonesia ahead of it. The UK (68.9), Peru (57.5), Chile (49), US (45.2) and Brazil (41.8) are worst off.
India’s daily death toll also dropped below 700 for the first time in a week.