Top 5 states with high active Coronavirus caseload report high level of recoveries too: Health ministry

NEW DELHI: The top five states with a high number of active Covid-19 cases -- Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh -- are also the ones that are reporting a high level of recoveries, the health ministry said on Friday.

With a record 87,472 patients having recuperated or having been discharged from home or facility-supervised care and hospitals in a span of 24 hours, the total number of Covid-19 recoveries has surged to 41,12,551 in the country, taking the recovery rate to 78.86 per cent, while the case fatality rate has dropped to 1.63 per cent, it added.

The country has been consistently reporting a very high level of daily recoveries of more than 70,000 for the past 11 days, the ministry said.

"Recovered cases of coronavirus infection are 4.04 times the number of active cases as recoveries outnumber the latter by 30,94,797," it highlighted.

"The top five states with high active caseload of Covid-19 are also the ones which are presently reporting a high level of recoveries," the ministry said.

It said 59.8 per cent of the active cases are being reported from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. These states have also accounted for 59.3 per cent of the total recoveries and 90 per cent of the new recoveries are reported from 16 states and Union territories, the ministry said.

Maharashtra (19,522) has accounted for 22.31 per cent of the new recoveries, Andhra Pradesh 12.24 per cent, Karnataka 8.3 per cent, Tamil Nadu 6.31 per cent and Chhattisgarh (six per cent).

Together, these states account for 55.1 per cent of the new recoveries, the ministry said.

"The continuous streak of very high level of recoveries is a testimony of the effective clinical management and treatment protocols issued by the Union government, which have been updated from time to time with the emergence of new evidence," it said.

The ministry, in collaboration with the AIIMS, has been conducting the "National e-ICU on Covid-19 Management" exercise, which handholds ICU doctors of the states and Union territories through the centres of excellence.

Held twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays, these sessions have played a major role in the country's substantial Covid-19 recovery rate and declining case fertility rate, the ministry said.

So far, 19 such national e-ICUs have been held, covering 249 hospitals of 28 states and Union territories.

India has also allowed for a rational use of "investigational therapies" such as Remdesevir, convalescent plasma and Tocilizumab, and adopted measures such as proning, use of high-flow oxygen, non-invasive ventilation, use of steroids and anti-coagulants to aid the recovery of Covid patients.

Supervised home isolation and improved ambulance services for ferrying patients for a prompt and timely treatment have enabled a seamless and efficient patient management, the ministry said.

In order to support and assist the efforts of the states and Union territories, the Centre has deputed multi-specialist teams.

"Regular review has ensured adequate availability of medical oxygen in the health facilities. These have played a critical intervention role in India's high recoveries and maintained a low case fatality rate, which currently stands at 1.62 per cent," the ministry said.

India's Covid-19 caseload mounted to 52,14,677 with 96,424 people testing positive for the disease in a day, while the death toll climbed to 84,372 with the virus claiming 1,174 lives in a span of 24 hours, the data of the ministry updated at 8 am showed.