Second Covid-19 wave: India adding cases faster than most in top-five list

India’s tally of new cases is growing faster than most others in the top-five list of countries with the highest daily number of Covid-19 cases. Its seven-day rolling average number of daily cases has risen 39.6 per cent over the last week. This is a higher growth rate than France (5.3 per cent), USA (0.1 per cent) and Brazil (-16.1 per cent). The only country that saw a faster rise was Turkey (43 per cent). These countries form the top five in terms of daily cases (see chart 1).

The rise in India’s cases is driven by a surge in a few states. The top five account for 72.3 per cent of the cases. Maharashtra alone accounts for the largest chunk. The second wave in the state has far surpassed the previous wave’s peak in terms of daily additions (see chart 2).

India’s growth rate in terms of cases may also be because of its vaccination rate. Each of the other top five countries has vaccinated a higher proportion of its population than India. While in India around five per cent of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, the number stands at 7 to 32 per cent for the other countries.