Covid-19 case count falls below hundred, but deaths remain a concern

The district on Tuesday reported 86 new coronavirus infections, the first time it has dipped below hundred since March 17, when 97 cases were confirmed

The district on Tuesday reported 86 new coronavirus infections, the first time it has dipped below hundred since March 17, when 97 cases were confirmed. The test positivity rate, the proportion of positives out of the samples tested, has now dipped to 1.9%, according to the district health department data.

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However, fatalities continued to remain high in the district, with over 10 deaths being reported every day since May 1. The highest number of deaths in a single day was reported on May 6, when 15 people had died of Covid.

According to the health bulletin, the district on Tuesday confirmed eight Covid-19 deaths, taking the toll to 827. Among them, at least 558 had co-morbidities while 269 succumbed to Covid without having any previous illness.

The number of cases per day has been steadily declining since May 21, when the case count fell below 1,000 (about 623) in a day after almost two months.

The active case count reached 1,336, while the total tally of infected people is at 180,032.

Officials and experts attribute the lockdown and aggressive testing in large outbreak areas as key reasons for the constant decline in transmission of infection.

For the last one week, the positivity rate has been maintained at 2%, indicating that transmission has been under control in large outbreak areas, well below the 5% threshold set by the World Health Organisation, for the first time since May 23 (when it was nearly 3.5%). Before that, the positivity rate varied between 32% and 15%, with more than 4,000 new Covid-19 cases being reported every day.

According to the district health department data, nearly 42% of Gurugram’s Covid-19 deaths were recorded in May. Of the 827 Covid-19 fatalities since the start of the outbreak, 343 were recorded in May alone.

Health department officials attributed the high fatality rate to a large number of people contracting coronavirus from mid-April till mid-May.

Officials said that infected persons, in several instances, died due to complications arising from the virus after undergoing treatment for two to three weeks. Hence, they said that the fatality figures in May were higher as it also included those who contracted the virus in mid-April.

Between April 11 and May 16, when the cases were spiking, the district recorded 103,458 new Covid-19 cases, nearly 58% of the total Covid-19 cases recorded in the city since the start of the outbreak till June 1.

Virender Yadav, the chief medical officer (CMO), health department, said that a significant number of people had contracted the virus in late April and early May that resulted in high fatality numbers.

“Due to the city being under lockdown for the entirety of May as well as the intensive screening in large outbreak regions (LORs), and quarantining of suspected or confirmed Covid-19 cases, we were able to break the chain of transmission. The daily registering of cases has now reached two digits from the peak of 5,000 cases a day and the positivity rate has also come down below 2%. In June, the fatality numbers will see a major drop,” said Yadav.

Patients who need intensive care or need to be out on ventilator support has also declined to 176. Until May 24, about 1,758 people were admitted to various private hospitals, which reduced to 509 on May 25, as per the health bulletin. Since then, it has been on a steady decline, reaching 227 on May 31.

Yadav said, “Strict enforcement of norms on home isolated positive patients, effective contact tracing and increased testing will continue to control the transmission. Above all, people will have to follow appropriate Covid-19 behaviour by maintaining social distancing, wearing a face mask and avoiding unnecessary movement.”

Despite the drop in the numbers, Yadav said that the health department will continue to monitor the situation closely. “The process of unlocking has started. Malls have reopened and people have started venturing outdoors. We are monitoring Covid-19 behaviour closely and ensuring norms are followed. Otherwise, coronavirus cases can once again surge in June,” said Yadav.

In comparison to April, however, the city recorded marginally fewer cases in May.

In April, the district recorded 59,921 new Covid-19 cases, while 57,012 new cases were recorded in May. However, the recoveries in May were much higher than in April, as 91,837 people recovered from Covid-19 in May, compared to 25,059 in April.

“There is a considerable change in the Covid-19 situation at the start of May compared to its end. When the month started, Covid-19 was at its peak but now it is on the downward slope. We are hoping that the trend continues in June as well and all efforts would be spent in ensuring the virus remains at its minimal,” said Dr Yash Garg, deputy commissioner.

On May 1, the city had 36,693 active Covid-19 cases, while on May 31, it decreased to 1,529.