Coronavirus growth rate declines 40% post lockdown, giving India hope

Country's average growth of between March 15 and 31 was 2 per cent. Post lockdown, in the last two weeks the growth rate has come down to 1.2 per cent.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India neared the 14,000-mark on Friday and the death toll from the infection rose to 452, even as the Union health ministry said there had been a 40 per cent decline in the growth rate of Covid-19 cases since the imposition of a nationwide lockdown last month.

The country reported as many as 1,455 more cases since Thursday evening — the highest single-day jump — taking the tally to 13,835.  Gujarat on Friday became the sixth state, after Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, to cross the 1,000-mark in Covid-19