New Delhi (NVI): The nationwide lockdown has helped prevent up to 29 lakh coronavirus cases and 78,000 deaths in the country, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said at Lok Sabha today.
Speaking at the opening day of the Monsoon Session, Harsh Vardhan said, “The nationwide lockdown, a bold decision by the government, is testimony to the fact that India collectively stood up to manage COVID-19.”
“It has been estimated that this decision prevented 14-29 lakh cases and 37,000 to 78,000 deaths,” he added.
He also said that the four months of the lockdown were used to create additional health infrastructure, strengthen human resources, and produce critical elements like PPE, masks and ventilators in India, adding that the country is self-sufficient now in these things.
The health minister went on to say the India has one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the world.
“With our endeavour to manage COVID-19, India has been able to limit its cases and deaths per million to 3,328 cases per million and 55 deaths per million population respectively, which is one of the lowest in the world as compared to similarly affected countries,” he said.
The health minister also informed that the maximum cases and deaths have primarily been reported from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, Bihar, Telangana, Odisha, Assam, Kerala and Gujarat.
“All these states have reported more than one lakh cases,” he added.
Apart from this, Vardhan stated that 92 percent of coronavirus cases in India had reported mild symptoms. “About 5.8 per cent patients required oxygen therapy and 1.7 per cent needed intensive care,” he said.
The health minister’s comments came on a day when India’s coronavirus tally crossed 48 lakh after a daily rise of 92,071 cases and 1,136 deaths. The total case tally stands at 48,46,428 with 79,722 deaths in the country.
-RJV
