While initially the number of COVID-19 cases were increasing at a slower pace in India compared to many other countries, things have taken a turn for the worse since Friday. With 100 new cases on Saturday, India’s climb has become steeper. Despite this rapid climb, the growth in cases is still lower than many Western countries at this stage. However, India’s testing rate continues to be comparatively poor.
Rapid progress
As of March 21, 166 nations recorded at least one COVID-19 case. Of them, 46, including India, crossed the 300 mark.
How many countries have crossed 300 cases?
India coronavirus curve Chart 1
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Progression comparison
The table lists the % of countries which took more days or fewer days than India to cross a certain number of cases. For instance, 57% of countries took more days than India to jump from 200 to >300 cases, while only 4% took fewer days. The more days a country takes to reach a mark, the better.
How many countries crossed 300 cases faster than India?
India coronavirus curve Chart 2
Worrying rise
The graph depicts the no. of cases since the 100th case in each country. With 100 new cases on Saturday, India’s path (shown by the red line) is mimicking the exponential rise seen in the early days of some Western countries.
Where does India stand compared to other countries?
India coronavirus curve Chart 3
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Still behind testing
Countries like Taiwan (only 143 cases) and South Korea (which has contained the spread) have some of the highest testing rates. The graph shows the tests per million people as of Feb. 4 , Mar. 9 and the latest date in select nations. India’s testing rate as of March 21 was behind South Korea’s & Taiwan’s February 4 figure.
Where does India stand on testing rates?
The graph shows the tests per million people as of Feb. 4 (shown by blue circle) , Mar. 9 (shown by orange circle) and the latest date (shown by green circle) in select nations.
India coronavirus curve Chart 4
Sources: Johns Hopkins University, health ministries of countries
