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Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – With a population of up to 1.3 billion people, India’s Covid-19 infection cases rank second in the world – more than 10.8 million cases. However, new cases and the death toll have dropped dramatically in recent weeks.
This week, daily transmission cases were recorded as the lowest in the last eight months. Meanwhile, the death toll fell below 100, the lowest since May.
AFP then saw how the South Asian giant was dealing with the pandemic, as quoted by CNBC Indonesia, on Sunday (7/2/2021).
Official Covid-19 data in India
India reported its first case of Covid-19 on January 30, 2020, and the first death from that case occurred in mid-May. The number of daily cases peaked at more than 97,000 in September, with an average of 1,000 cases per day for the month.
Then the death rate began to decline. As of Tuesday, only 94 people were declared dead out of a total of 8,635 new cases. India currently has the lowest fatality rate of the 20 countries hardest hit by the pandemic.
How many people are really infected?
Experts say that the infected Indian population may be significantly higher than the official published data. This statement is supported by various surveys conducted by the state.
A survey in the December to January period in urban and rural areas showed that around 21.5% or nearly 280 million people had Covid-19 antibodies.
Meanwhile, in New Delhi, one of the cities most affected by Covid-19, half of the 28,000 samples that have developed Covid-19 antibodies have been found.
How can a pandemic be managed?
Experts have warned that the Covid-19 virus will wreak havoc in a populated city in India. There are also concerns that health facilities and a lack of funds may not be able to withstand the virus attack.
The government is trying to stop the spread of the virus early by halting international flights and imposing a massive blockade in March. The use of masks is also mandatory for all citizens.
The restrictions were gradually relaxed in June as the government tried to boost the pandemic-hit economy. Indian society has become more relaxed, with hundreds of people gathering for a Hindu festival at Kumbh Mela last January.
In addition, tens of thousands of farmers have participated in mass protests in Delhi since November against the Farm Bill recently passed by the government.
Doctors from the states of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and the main cities of Delhi and Mumbai told AFP that they had seen a significant drop in cases in several hospitals.
In Delhi, for example, the government said that 90% of the special beds for Covid-19 patients were not used.
“Before, there was a huge waiting list. Now almost 40-50% of patients are here,” said Devan Juneva, a doctor whom AFP met at Max Smart Super Specialty Hospital in June.
“We are now slowly getting back to normal in terms of offering our services in the hospital, which until now, has been almost paralyzed by the pressure of the Covid-19 case,” said Sudhir Singh, a spokesman for King George Medical University.
