Covid-19 Factoid: India major contributor to recent surge in cases globally

At present, Gujarat has the worst mortality rate at 6.2 per cent, more than twice the national average of 2.8

The global tally of coronavirus infections is currently about to reach the 6.5-million mark. There have so far been 378,120 deaths due to the virus worldwide, while a little more than 40 per cent of those infected have managed to recover. Over 500,000 cases have been added to the global count in the last five days alone. 

India's contribution to the recent surge has been significant. It now has the fourth-highest number of active cases in the world, at 97,581. However, a little less than half of all reported cases in the country have now been discharged, while 5,598 patients have succumbed to the infection. 

Here are some statistics on the pandemic:

#1. India is on an upward trajectory in Covid-19 confirmed cases

India now features alongside the US, Brazil, Russia and Peru on the unfortunate list of countries witnessing very high growth in cases. European countries such as Spain, Germany, France, and the UK, which had been the epicentre of the pandemic earlier, are now seeing a rapid plateauing in cases. In fact, Germany and Italy have less than 20 per cent of their total confirmed cases still active. 

#2 Chile crosses 100,000-case mark 

The South American country of Chile is the latest to achieve the grim milestone of crossing 100,000 coronavirus cases. In some consolation, though, it took much longer than other countries with 100,000 cases to reach that stage, taking 90 days. At just 42 days, Turkey had been the fastest. 

#3 Gujarat has the worst mortality rate among all India states

In India, Gujarat has the worst mortality rate at 6.2 per cent, more than twice the national average of 2.8. Besides, Gujarat is also one of the states with a very high number of confirmed cases. The national capital, with the second-highest number of cases in the country, has managed to stay below the national average mortality rate by a small margin.