On May 10, 2021, India showed early signs of recovery from the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. For the first time in two months, there were more recoveries compared to the new cases reported. As per the data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there were 3,29,491 new cases reported. On the other hand, 3,55,851 patients were reported recovered from the coronavirus infection.
The two-month summary of Covid-19 in India
On March 10, India was already falling in the strong grip of the second wave of the pandemic. There were over 22,000 cases reported in the country, with over 18,000 recoveries in a single day.
The number of new cases went out of control suddenly after April 4, when India reported over one lakh cases for the first time in the second wave. Within ten days, India touched two lakh cases per day on April 14, putting a stress on health infrastructure. Soon, India was facing a severe shortage of ICU beds, healthcare workers, medical oxygen and medicines.
In another ten days, by April 21, India started reporting over three lakh cases per day. However, things had started to get streamlined slowly in the backend. The supply of medical oxygen was ramped up. Life-saving drugs and machines were being manufactured and imported at war footing. Soon India roped in armed forces as well to control the disease.
On April 30, India reported over four lakh cases, and after a slight downfall in the new cases, the country kept reporting over four lakh cases for four days straight from May 4 to May 8. On May 9 and May 10, there were some signs of relief as cases were less than 4 lakh mark, and finally, on Sunday, India reported more recoveries than new cases in a single day.
Sunday numbers which come out on Monday usually show a decline because of possible lower testing, and hence, a seven-day average is a more proper reflection of the pandemic numbers. However, if these numbers are anything to go by, this appears like a silver lining in the dark clouds of the pandemic.
It is too soon to heave a sigh of relief, but if the trends continue over next few days, the worst would hopefully be behind us.
Current situation in most affected states
Maharashtra:
The state of Maharashtra has been on the top of the list for a very long time. Currently, the state has been showing a sharp decline in the number of new cases per day. On May 10, it was for the first time in 40 days that the state reported less than 40,000 cases in a single day. There were 37,236 new cases with 61,607 recoveries. 549 people died on May 10 due to complications associated with Covid-19.
Karnataka:
The second most affected state in terms of active cases, Karnataka has reported over 39,000 cases in a single day, making it the state with a maximum number of new cases on May 10. There were 32,188 recoveries on Sunday, and currently, there are 5,71,006 active cases. 596 people lost their lives on Sunday due to Covid.
Kerala:
Prematurely lauded for the Kerala model of Covid-19 management, the state of Kerala has been among the top affected states by the infection. The state reported 27,487 cases on Sunday with 31,209 recoveries. However, the death rate in the state is among the lowest, with only 65 deaths reported on Sunday.
Punjab:
Though Punjab is not among the top five states, the situation is going north at an alarming rate. The state reported 8,549 new cases making it one of the few states that reported more cases compared to one day earlier. There were 198 deaths in the state that has been attributed to mismanagement and self-medication in the rural regions. Farmer protests is also an important factor to consider when it comes to rising cases in the state.
UP:
The largest state in the country in terms of the population was on the verge of becoming the top contributors of new cases, but the administration under CM Yogi seems to have worked extensively in controlling the second wave in the state. On May 10, the state reported 21,277 new cases with 29,709 recoveries. There were 278 deaths reported due to Covid in the state on Sunday.
Many cities showed signs of touching peak on May 2
Last week on May 2, Prof Maninder Agrawal of IIT Kanpur shared data based on SUTRA. According to the model he has been working on, Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Lucknow (UP) were among the cities that had touched peak and showed signs of recovery. It is evident that the trend has been continuing for the last eight days as India is collectively showing signs of recovery. He also mentioned that Bengaluru (Karnataka) and Kolkata (West Bengal) were moving towards the peak, and now it is noticeable that these states are, in fact, reporting more cases compared to the previous day.
