Coronavirus: India Is Likely To Overtake China In COVID-19 Cases

NEW DELHI: In India, the COVID-19 tally crossed 80,000 mark with 3,996 new cases reported on Thursday, the second-highest spike in a day. Delhi is one of the worst-hit states with COVID-19 and it witnessed the highest single-day rise in the cases, with 472 fresh cases reported on Thursday and the total number of coronavirus positive cases in Delhi stands at 8,470. In Delhi there were only 3,500 coronavirus positive cases till April-end but the number increased with nearly 4,500 new cases being reported in the city in a time period of just 14 days.

Experts say that the number of COVID-19 cases may further increase after May 17. An official said that, "The numbers may increase more as people move about. Even the lockdown has not been very effective in curtailing the spread of the infection in congested areas. If you see the slums or redevelopment colonies, there are several people living in one room. They will step out in the summers. The chance of spread owing to the use of community toilets is very high as well.”

He further added that the health care workers and families of coronavirus patients who have visited the hospitals are testing positive. In Delhi, not less than 500 health care workers have tested positive for coronavirus. Nine deaths reported on Thursday and a total of 115 people have died due to coronavirus.

A senior official from Delhi government said, “The committee is working on clearing the backlog of cases within this week, after which there shouldn’t be an unusual spike in the number of deaths. The new SoP has certainly helped in speeding up the process.”

In Maharashtra, the number of cases are increasing with each passing day and it reported the highest spike in cases-1602. The total number of cases in Maharashtra is nearer to 26,000 mark. In Madhya Pradesh, 314 new cases have been reported whereas, in Rajasthan, 206 fresh cases recorded. Tamil Nadu and Gujarat reported 447 and 324 new cases respectively, on Thursday.

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in the country are 82,085 and 2,649 people have died due to coronavirus. The number of COVID-19 cases roughly doubled in the last eleven days. It is estimated that very soon, India will surpass China in COVID-19 cases. Globally, a total of 4,507,621 people have been infected by coronavirus whereas 302,310 people died.

Also Read: 9 Electrocuted After Tractor Rams Into Electric Pole In Andhra Pradesh