Covid-19 Factoid: India added last 1,000 to its death toll in just 7 days

Kerala might be witnessing a second wave of coronavirus spread, with the state adding 63 cases in a day - more than twice its previous single-day high of 28

Lockdown4.0, coronavirus testing, Covid-19 testing, medics — A medic conducts thermal screening of a passenger waiting to board a train to Delhi at Howrah station, during the ongoing Covid-19 nationwide lockdown, in Kolkata. Photo: PTI

3 min read Last Updated : May 26 2020 | 6:45 AM IST

The total tally of coronavirus infections currently stands at 5.5 million worldwide. The global death toll stands at 346,969, and a little over 2.3 million cases have now recovered.

In India, the toll has been consistently on the rise, with the count of confirmed cases close to breaching the 140,000-mark. There have been 4,021 fatalities so far, while 57,720 patients have recovered. The country added nearly 7,000 cases to its tally on May 24, in its highest single-day jump yet.

Here are a few statistics mapping the spread:

1. Death rate in Europe is higher than the global average

While the epicentre of the virus has shifted to South America when it comes to the number of people getting infected, the death rate continues to remain the highest in Europe. With an 8.9 per cent death rate, it is the only region with worse fatality than the world average of 6.3 per cent. Australia, or the Oceania region, has the lowest number of cases and a death rate of 1.4 per cent. In Asia, with over 900,000 cases, the death rate of 2.8 per cent is far below the world average.

2. India took just 7 days to add 1,000 to its death toll

India’s death toll has gone past the 4,000 mark. In a worrying trend, the time the country is taking to add every 1,000 deaths is diminishing. The last one has come in just seven days. The first 1,000 deaths had been recorded over 48 days. Maharashtra, which has the highest number of deaths at 1,635, is followed by Gujarat at 858.

3. Kerala witnessing a second wave of Covid-19 cases

Kerala might be witnessing a second wave of coronavirus spread, given its recent daily addition to total cases. By the end of April, its daily active cases had dropped to almost negligible. But the state saw a spike of 63 cases in a single day on May 24, more than twice its previous single-day high of 28 cases. Kerala now has 848 confirmed cases, 520 recoveries, and six deaths.