India’s weekly COVID-19 cases dropped for the first time in the third wave as deaths continued to increase, with a growth of 41% compared to the previous week′s toll.

The country registered slightly more than 17.5 lakh new infections during the week from January 24-30, declining by 19% compared to the previous week. The figures indicate that the third wave of the pandemic may have peaked nationally, while some states may still register a rise in cases.

However, there was a decline of 10% in testing during the current week in comparison with the preceding week. Yet, the test positivity rate in the country dropped to 15.68% during the week, compared to 17.28% in the previous week.

The country logged over 3,770 new fatalities during the week, as opposed to 2,680 in the previous week… (ET Healthworld – TNN, January 31, 2022)