Decoding Covid curve

The Covid-19 count is continuing to mount rapidly in India. More than 32,000 people have succumbed to the dreaded disease in the country even as the daily spurt in people infected with the coronavirus has touched a record 50,000, taking the total number to around 14 lakh. India’s figure of fresh infections has eclipsed that of Brazil, thereby putting it on the spot second only to the US. However, on the list of total infections — topped again by the US — India is placed a distant third, as Brazil has 10 lakh more people who have tested positive. But, with the gap between the two narrowing, at this rate, and given India’s vast size and population, it will not be surprising if their positions are swapped eventually.

Though these statistics are grim, cutting across the bleak curve is a potent bright side. Even as thousands of men, women and children are catching the contagion in India, the fear of the virus has considerably waned. This is largely attributed to the significant downward curve in the Covid fatality rate as also the high recoveries. Hope stems from the fact that hordes of patients are getting away with mild symptoms and even some octogenarians are defeating the insidious bug. At nearly 2.3 per cent, India’s death rate, which has witnessed a continuous fall, is much lower than the global average of 4 per cent. And, with an increasing number of patients recuperating every day, the recovery rate has climbed to over 63 per cent.

No doubt, these positives are a product of the cumulative efforts to preempt, cure and contain the spread of the disease. The test-track-treat strategy and precautionary measures such as social distancing have put the fight against the pandemic on the right track. A ramping up of these measures is necessary to prevent the health infrastructure from being overwhelmed by the rising caseload. Lockdowns that shattered lives and livelihoods should be resisted as these have proved to be futile in the combat. Nahan in HP remained sealed for three days from July 18, yet there was no let-up in Covid cases. Likewise, the three-day lockdown in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial hub will only cause impediments to business.