The official said that India has now conducted the second-highest number of tests globally
Five states in the country - Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh - account for 62 per cent of active COVID-19 cases in the country and there has been a steady decline in cases week-on-week in these states in the last three weeks, Health Ministry said on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference here, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan also said that deaths per million due to COVID-19 in India is 49 which is much lower than the world average of 111.
"Deaths per million in our country due to COVID-19 is 49 per million. The world average is 111 per million. In some countries, it also ranges from 500-600 deaths per million," he said.
The Health Secretary noted that the per million cases in India at 2,792 is also lower than the world average of 3,359 per million.
"The per million cases in our country is very less as compared to other countries of the world. In India, the average is 2,792 per million. In Brazil, the number is 18,800 per million and in the US it is 18,900 per million. The world average is 3,359 per million," Mr Bhushan said.
The official said that India has now conducted the second-highest number of tests globally.
"Till now, we have conducted more than 4,50,00,000 COVID-19 tests. There is only one more country in the world which has conducted more tests than us. In the last 24 hours, more than 11 lakh tests were conducted which is a record," he said.
"The recovered patients in the country are more than 29 lakh. The single-day highest recovery was recorded yesterday and 68,584 patients recovered. The number of recovered cases is now 3.5 times more than active cases," he added.
The Health Secretary said Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra "have 62 per cent of the active cases".
"The active cases number 8,15,538. A total of 25 per cent of the active cases are in Maharashtra. In these five states, in the last three weeks there has been a 13.7 per cent weekly decrease in the number of active cases in Andhra Pradesh, 16.1 per cent decrease in Karnataka, 6.8 per cent decrease in Maharashtra and 23.9 per cent decrease in Tamil Nadu, 17.1 per cent decrease in Uttar Pradesh," he said.
Referring to case fatality, the Health Secretary pointed out that Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra account for 70 per cent of total COVID-19 deaths in the country.
"There has been a 4.5 per cent weekly decrease in case fatality in Andhra Pradesh, 11.5 per cent decrease in Maharashtra and 18.2 per cent decrease in Tamil Nadu. There is an increase in the case fatality trajectory in Karnataka and Delhi. Delhi has seen 50 per cent and Karnataka has seen 9.6 per cent increase in average daily case fatality," Mr Bhushan said.
He said people should continue to follow safety guidelines related to COVID-19.
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