With 60,091 defeating Covid in 24 hrs, India's recoveries top 2 mn

With a record 60,091 people recuperating from coronavirus infection in a day, the total recoveries on Wednesday crossed 2 million pushing the recovery rate to 73.64 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate hit a new low of 1.91 per cent, the Union health ministry said.

The recoveries have surged to 20,37,870 in the country, while there are 6,76,514 active cases of COVID-19, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The record high recoveries have ensured that active cases of coronavirus infection, the "actual caseload" of the country, currently comprises less than 1/4th (only 24.45 per cent) of the total cases.

Higher number of recoveries and declining fatality has shown that India's graded strategy has worked. India has posted 13,61,356 more recoveries than the active cases, it said.

'With high number of COVID-19 patients recovering and being discharged from hospitals and home isolation, the recovery rate has scaled the peak of reaching 73.64 per cent. This has also led to the declining case fatality rate, which stands at a new low of 1.91 per cent today,' the ministry said.

From the beginning of January 2020, Government of India assiduously followed a graded, pre-emptive and proactive response and management strategy for COVID-19 in the country, it said.

'The focussed, collaborative and 'whole of government' approach has yielded success,' it underlined.

Building on the continuum of care approach, the policy of testing aggressively, tracking comprehensively and treating efficiently is led by the Centre and implemented in conjunction with the state and UT governments.

'Focussed attention on effective surveillance and house-to-house contact tracing has led to early detection and identification of COVID-19 cases. The mild and moderate cases are treated under supervised home isolation.

'As per the standardized clinical management protocol based on the holistic standard of care approach, the critical and severe patients are hospitalised and provided the best medical care,' the ministry said.

Government of India along with efforts of the state and UT governments has ramped up the hospital care infrastructure across the country to ensure that medical care for different categories of positive cases is provided through the Dedicated COVID Care Centre (DCCC), Dedicated COVID Health Centre (DCHC) and Dedicated COVID Hospital (DCH).

Their numbers has substantially increased too. As on date there are 1667 DCHs, 3455 DCHCs and 11,597 DCCCs.

Cumulatively they provide 15,45,206 isolation beds, 2,03,959 oxygen supported beds, and 53,040 ICU beds, the ministry said.

The seamless and point to-point medical management of COVID-19 patients has been made possible through effective ambulance services with zero tolerance on refusal of care and service, and measures such as use of non-invasive oxygen combined with use of investigational therapies.

AIIMS, New Delhi through its tele-consultation sessions has helped to build clinical capacities of doctors in the states and UTs. Through this unique initiative, specialist doctors from AIIMS, New Delhi provide expert guidance and knowledge support to doctors manning ICUs in state hospitals.

Integral to these efforts has been the remarkable contribution of ASHAs in states and UTs. Being part of the Active Case Search teams, they have strengthened the surveillance and contact tracing, and supervised patients in home isolation.

"They have played a key role in ensuring critical patients reach hospitals for timely treatment. They have also supported communities through awareness regarding measures for prevention and control of COVID-19, and helped the needy to access healthcare services," it said.

With 64,531 people testing positive in a day, India's COVID-19 tally increased to 27,67,273 on Wednesday, while the death toll climbed to 52,889 with 1,092 people succumbing to the disease in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.