NEW DELHI. India’s confirmed COVID-19 cases have risen by 39 percent over the past two days, reaching 2,547, according to the latest data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). This marks a slower rate of increase compared to the previous 48 hours, when the reported case count had surged by 47 percent to 1,834.
However, the actual number of cases is likely higher than the official figures suggest. The Ministry updated its data only in the early evening and did not release any further updates during the night. Meanwhile, figures compiled from state government sources indicated that the total case count had climbed well beyond what the Union Health Ministry had officially reported.
Compared to last week, India’s trajectory of COVID-19 cases has steepened considerably. While India’s curve remains flatter than that of the United States — which is rapidly emerging as the new global epicentre of the pandemic — it is steeper than that of Asian counterparts such as Singapore and Japan.
Both Singapore and Japan had initially managed to flatten their curves through focused screening and targeted testing in the early stages of the outbreak. However, a second wave of infections now suggests that their efforts may not have been sufficient to contain the spread entirely.
