Speed Post News Network
Patna : Coronavirus (COVID-19) death toll climbed to 480 in India at 8 am on April 18, 2020, with 28 new deaths being reported since April 17 evening. On the positive side, the number of patients cured/discharged has increased to 1,991 in the country including over 300 in Maharashtra. The number of Coronavirus active cases has reached 11,906 in India.
Before the lockdown, India’s doubling rate was about 3 days. For the past seven days, the doubling rate is 6.2 days. Nineteen States/UTs (Kerala, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Ladakh, Himachal, Chandigarh, Puducherry, Bihar, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, UP, Karnataka, J&K, Punjab, Assam, Tripura) are presently showing a higher doubling rate, which is better than the national average, which reflects that rate of increase of cases in these places has been reduced to some extent.
An average Growth Factor of 1.2 since April 1, 2020, as compared to 2.1 in the two weeks proceeding that (March 15 to 31st March 31, 2020) is observed, which is about a 40% decline (2.1-1.2)/2.1 in Growth Factor, according to a PIB release.
The Group of Ministers (GoM) was on April 17, 2020, informed that as of now the death rate is around 3% while recovery rate is around 12%, which is comparatively better than most of the countries and may be taken as a positive effect of the Lockdown in the country along with the cluster management and containment strategy.
GoM also reviewed the testing strategy and availability of testing kits across the country along with the strategy for hotspots and cluster management. GoM was informed that 170 districts are being put in Red Zone (Hotspots) with 123 districts with large outbreaks and 47 districts with clusters.
There are 207 non- hotspot districts with clusters and 353 districts which are placed in green zone as they are non-infected. If no case is reported in last 14 days then the red zone district will be placed under orange zone and further no case is reported in next 14 days then that district will come under Green zone.