For the first time since the number of COVID-19 cases began to rise in Tamil Nadu, the number of recovered cases in the State nudged ahead of the number of active cases on Friday.
A total of 114 persons who had recovered from COVID-19 were discharged on Friday, taking the total number of discharged patients to 866. Despite 72 new cases being reported, the number of active cases stood at 864 in the State.
Almost 50% of the total number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 (1,755*) have now been discharged in Tamil Nadu. According to the latest data published by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, among States with at least 50 cases, only Kerala and Haryana have reported more than 50% recovered cases. The total number of cases in these two States were, however, less than a third of the cases in Tamil Nadu. Across the country, only 21% of patients have been discharged after recovery so far.
The number of recovered cases began to grow in the State since April 14, when 23 persons were discharged in a day — the highest number until then. Of the 866 persons who have recovered, 808 were discharged in the last 11 days, with a daily average of 73.
Stopping growth
In a pandemic with a low mortality rate like COVID-19, the number of recovered cases must steadily exceed the number of active cases at some stage, provided the exponential growth of new cases is stopped.
(*This is inclusive of two patients who died in other States and one patient who tested negative after his death)
