Only 0.45% of India’s Covid-19 patients on ventilator: Govt data

Also, 4.09% of the total cases are on oxygen support, and 2.73% are undergoing treatment in the intensive care units. This means around 6-7% of the total active Covid-19 cases are serious enough to be put on oxygen therapy

Published on: Nov 12, 2020, 09:12:29 IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Rhythma Kaul

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A majority of active coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the country are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, with only 0.45% of them currently on ventilator support, shows government data.

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan has called Covid-appropriate behaviour the most potent social vaccine. (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

Also, 4.09% of the total cases are on oxygen support, and 2.73% are undergoing treatment in the intensive care units. This means around 6-7% of the total active Covid-19 cases are serious enough to be put on oxygen therapy.

The Centre has been advising states to remain vigilant in the winter and the long festive season as they could threaten the gains made in the fight against the disease over the last 10 months.

Also Read: New sero survey shows 1 in 4 exposed to Covid-19 in Delhi

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan has called Covid-appropriate behaviour the most potent social vaccine. “…focus on higher testing especially in districts with higher positivity; mandatory testing of symptomatic negatives by rapid antigen test; focus on high-risk groups and vulnerable populations for severe acute respiratory infection, Influenza like illness surveillance which can give indication of infection; increase the contact tracing of close contacts of positive cases; proper follow up and monitoring of those under home isolation, especially the vulnerable groups.”

Vardhan, who has been reviewing Covid-19 situation in the country, has been emphasising upon the importance of widespread awareness campaigns so that people under home isolation could reach hospitals in time for effective clinical management. He has said that efforts should be made to reduce deaths in the first 24, 48 and 72 hours that were still high in many districts even as the case fatality rate (CFR), which is the proportion of deaths as compared to the number of people testing positive for the disease, in India currently is 1.48%.

India’s Covd-19 CFR is among the lowest in the world. The current global fatality rate is around 3%.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rhythma Kaul
Rhythma Kaul is the national health editor of the Hindustan Times. She has been reporting on public health, medicine, and medical research, with a particular focus on how government decisions and health system reforms shape people’s lives. Rhythma has over 25 years of journalistic experience. She joined Hindustan Times in 2008, and has since covered everything from pandemics and infectious diseases to cutting‑edge medical research and climate‑related health challenges. Her stories routinely track the work of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, department of pharmaceuticals, and key national health programmes, making complex medical science and policy accessible to a wide audience. One of her prominent news breaks has been the 2012 Baby Falak case: A two-year-old brutally battered baby girl was admitted to AIIMS-Delhi with severe head injuries, multiple fractures, human bite marks, and burns. The police investigation revealed this to be a case of multi-state human-trafficking racket. She was profiled by The Wall Street Journal for breaking this story. Rhythma holds a Master’s degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Prior to Hindustan Times, she worked with the India Today Group. Rhythma can be contacted at rhythma.kaul@hindustantimes.com. Her X handle is @RamblingBrook.Read More

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