The number of COVID-19 cases in India remained more or less similar to the previous week’s figures during the week ending Sunday even as cases in Kerala reached a 16-week high of more than 2 lakh.

The country registered the lowest weekly COVID-19 death toll in 23 weeks, since March 22-28. The week saw 2,533 deaths due to COVID. This is the first time since the week of March 29-April 4 that the numbers have fallen below 3,000.

However, the number of infections continued to be relatively high, largely driven by the surge in Kerala. India reported around 2,89,700 new cases in the week of August 30-September 5, which is a mere 0.7% lower than the previous week’s figure of 2,91,644.

The state of Kerala recorded 2,00,430 new infections of COVID-19 during the week, the highest in the state in 16 weeks since May 10-16. This accounted for 69% of the national tally. The last time a state had registered more than 2 lakh cases in a week was when Tamil Nadu reported 2.26 lakh cases 14 weeks ago during the week of May 24-30.

Kerala witnessed a 3.8% spike in weekly cases, as opposed to a 56% spike seen last week.

Fatalities due to COVID-19 in the country dropped by 26% during the week as the figures in Maharashtra and Odisha recorded a considerable decline.

On Sunday, India registered 219 deaths, the first time the daily death toll had come down to less than 300 since March 29. 

Source: ET Healthworld