For weeks, as coronavirus outbreaks took off in other parts of Asia, India remained relatively unchanged. It was not until March 13 that the country reported its first death, and even then, it had only registered 73 cases.
When the number of cases was still relatively low, the government took action. On March 11, India suspended all tourist visas, and on March 22, all international flights were grounded.
When India closed on March 25, the country had around 519 cases and 10 deaths.
But when it partially rose on May 30, India had more than 180,000 cases, and it increased.
Since the national blockade was lifted, some states have imposed restrictions on their own restrictions, or have even resumed the blockades. Despite this, in four months, the country went from just over 500 cases to more than one million.
Sanjay Rai, president of the Indian Public Health Association, says the blockade helped delay the outbreak, helping to buy time for authorities to make more personal protective equipment (PPE) equipment.
But those first steps did not allow India to avoid the outbreak entirely.
As the Indian outbreak took off, it did not spread evenly across the country.
About 56% of India’s coronavirus cases are concentrated in just three of the country’s 36 states or territories: Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu, which are home to some of the most populous cities in India. Maharashtra, where Mumbai is, has 28% of the country’s cases. But while those three states have 56% of the country’s cases, they only house 17% of the country’s population.
According to Rajesh Bhushan, an official with the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, more than 50% of all active cases in the country are located in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, where one of the largest cities in India is located.
Conversely, some parts of the country have barely reported the virus. The union territory of Lakshadweep, a tropical archipelago off the coast of Kerala, has not reported any cases. Five other states have had cases but no deaths from coronavirus.
As a medical expert in India, who declined to be identified because he does not have permission to speak to the press, said: “India is not a country. There are 30 countries, in terms of population.”
Despite India’s large number of cases, officials have noted that the country’s per capita death toll is still relatively low.
India has had around 19 deaths per million people, less than the US, where there are 416 deaths per million, or the United Kingdom, where there are 687 deaths per million.
China had around three deaths per million.
Experts have pointed to the relatively young population of India. Studies show that older people are more susceptible to death from coronavirus.
In India, almost 44% of the population is under 24 years old, while only 15% is over 55 years old. As Rajesh Bhushan, a health ministry official, noted earlier this month, that means about 75% of India’s population is considered low risk for dying of coronavirus. According to him, people over 60 represent 10% of the population of India, but 53% of deaths from coronavirus.
By contrast, the United Kingdom, which has one of the worst per capita death rates in the world, has a much larger population. There, 29% of the population is under 24 years old and 31% is over 55 years old.
About 93% of people in the UK who died of coronaviruses in March and April were 60 years or older.
Indian officials are interested in putting the country’s coronavirus cases into context.
India has the third largest outbreak in the world, but it also has the second largest population of any country.
So while India represents 17% of the world’s population, it only has 7% of the world’s coronavirus cases. By contrast, the United States has only 4% of the world’s population and 26% of the world’s coronavirus cases.
However, the bad news is that the Indian outbreak is not over.
According to the unidentified medical expert, India has not yet reached its peak.
“We are at the top but not at the top,” he said. “We certainly are not at the bottom of the curve.”
“Now, it depends heavily on the community. No agency can help much in the outbreak now.”
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