Reaching a record-high increase in infections, these Indian states are at the frontlines of battling the deadly second wave

Battling a deadly second wave of coronavirus infections, India recorded the highest single-day rise in COVID-19 cases with 3,79,257 Indians testing positive on Thursday.

The current rate of infections is over 4 times the rate of infections during the first wave, when the highest single-day increase was recorded at 97,859 cases in September 2020.

Maharashtra, which recorded the highest number of cases in the first wave is also the most affected state in the second wave of infections. 66,159 new cases were reported on Thursday, bringing the tally of active cases to 6.75 lakh cases. The state also has the highest death rate in the country at 1.50%.

On 29 April, the Maharashtra government extended its lockdown until May 15.

Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Delhi have also recorded an unprecedented rise in infections, making them the most-affected states in the second wave of infections.

An analysis of the 7-day moving average of new daily infections shows that Uttar Pradesh records on average, close to 35,000 new infections per day.

Karnataka and Kerala follow with over 26,000 new infections per day, followed by Delhi with an average of over 24,000 infections per day.

Other states marking a steep increase in infections include West Bengal, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh with over 15,000 new cases a day.

With the central government deciding against a centralised nationwide lockdown, several of these states have enforced partial or full lockdown restrictions to control the spread of infections.

India’s death rate, as reported by the government as 1.1% is lower than the global average of 2%. However, testing remains abysmal with only 204,485 tests carried out for every million population.

With an outpouring of foreign aid and a greater push for vaccinations, it remains to see if India can effectively battle its Second COVID wave.

Author

Bhargavi Saikia

Bhargavi works as a Data Analyst at HealthLEADS, specialising in data cleaning, analysis and visualisation. With a keen eye for patterns and a penchant for clarity, Bhargavi brings data to life, bridging the gap between raw data and storytelling.
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