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Covid-19 update: Report says situation in India is ‘cautiously optimistic’
Covid-19 has so far afflicted nearly 500 people in the country with the highest number in Maharashtra, at 101, as of Tuesday
The situation in India in the aftermath of the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak is “cautiously optimistic” because the rise in the number of cases is well below the global benchmark, a data analyst at CPC Analytics, a data and policy analysis firm based in Pune and Berlin, has said.
“A 33 per cent increase in cases per day is the global benchmark. Cases have been doubling every 2.1 days internationally. Anything below that is a good sign,” said Sahil Deo, co-founder of CPC Analytics, in an interview.
“As long as the number of cases in India is below the global benchmark of 33 per cent increase in cases per day, it would be a good sign,” he said.
Covid-19 has so far afflicted nearly 500 people in the country with the highest number in Maharashtra, at 101, as of Tuesday.
Deo, along with his team of analysts, has been analysing the outbreak of Covid-19 in Pune, Mumbai and the various states across the country. The analysis is based on data released by the government twice a day and as reported by the media quoting government authorities.
“I am cautiously optimistic about the situation in India. The measures taken by the state and central governments are timely, given the uncertainty involved. The next 10 days are very critical,” he said.
Since its inception in 2014, CPC Analytics has been working in the field of global public health. It has worked with the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the role of banking in financing global health projects and perception of mental health in different European countries.
Deo said the next 10 days would be very critical for the country to see the extent of the Sars-Cov-2 viral infection leading to the coronavirus disease. “It is necessary to keep the panic alive, ensuring everyone follows physical distancing and other measures,” he said.
He said one reason why Kerala showed a high number of cases was because Kerala did more testing than other states. “The Japanese government did not test aggressively, unlike the South Korean government, as they felt that a gradual approach would be wiser.”
The Indian government seemed to be adopting a similar approach, allowing for social acceptance, testing and ramping up of infrastructure which was not a bad idea, he said.
“The government is releasing data twice a day and we are plotting it on a daily basis,” he said.
