After a gap of nine days, the Union Health Ministry held its daily press briefing on COVID-19 on May 20, along with officials of the India Meteorological Department and the National Disaster Response Force, who were briefing on the progress of Cyclone Amphan.
On May 20, when India recorded a new daily high of cases, 5,614, and 140 deaths, Lav Agrawal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said India’s recovery rate — the number of confirmed patients who had been cured or discharged as a proportion of total cases — had climbed to 40%. On May 4, when Lockdown 3.0 commenced, India’s recovery rate was 26.59% and on April 15, when Lockdown 2.0 began, it was 11.42%.
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For a pandemic to be under control, those who recover every day must consistently be more than those freshly diagnosed daily.
However, India is among 11 countries that has over a 1,00,000 cases, but has fewer deaths — 3,316 — and only behind Russia’s 2,972. Only 2.94% of Indians confirmed positive are on oxygen support, 3% in Intensive Care Units and 0.45% on ventilator support, Mr. Agrawal said.
However, this assessment belies the high variability of case