India’s Covid-19 cases per lakh population one of the lowest globally: Union health ministry

The Union health ministry cited the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) report from Sunday to make the point.

India has one of the lowest cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) per lakh population in the world and continues to widen the gap between recovered and active cases, the Union health ministry said on Monday.

A medical worker collects a sample from a man at a school turned into a centre to conduct tests for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), amidst its spread in New Delhi. (REUTERS)

The Union health ministry cited the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) report from Sunday to make the point.

“India’s cases per lakh population are 30.04 while the global average is more than its triple at 114.67,” the health ministry said in a release.

The US has 671.24 cases per lakh population while the metric for Germany, Spain and Brazil is 583.88, 526.22 and 489.42 respectively, it added.

“This low figure is thus a testimony to the graded, pre-emptive and pro-active approach the Government of India along with the States/UTs took for the prevention, containment and management of COVID-19,” the ministry said.

India’s infection tally climbed to 425,282 after 14,821 infections and 445 deaths, the highest so far, were reported in the last 24 hours, the health ministry data showed on Monday. The country’s death toll stands at 13,699.

There are 174,384 active Covid-19 cases and 237,195 people have been cured of the disease, according to the health ministry’s dashboard. During the last 24 hours, 9,440 Covid-19 patients have been cured, the health ministry said.

The country’s recovery rate, the ratio of the number of patients recovered to the number of patients infected, also went up a bit to 55.77% after Sunday’s 55.48%.