Nearly 30% COVID-19 Patients Have Recovered, Says Govt As Cases Cross 56,000; Deaths Near 1,900

16,540 COVID-19 patients, about 29.36 per cent of total cases, have recovered so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.  Taking the recovery rate to nearly 30%, 1,273 coronavirus patients have recovered in the last 24 hours, health ministry said.

As many as 216 districts in the country have not reported any COVID-19 cases till now, 42 districts have not registered any infections in the last 28 days and 29 districts have not recorded any case in the last 21 days, the Union health ministry said.

The ministry asserted that if dos and don’ts are followed, the peak in number of COVID-19 cases can be avoided.

Addressing a press conference, joint secretary in the health ministry Lav Agarwal said a total of 3,390 COVID-19 cases and 103 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours till Friday 8 am, taking the total number of cases to 56,342 and death toll to 1,886, according to the ministry.

Giving a district-wise situation, Agarwal said there are 216 districts in which no COVID-19 case has been reported till date. Forty-two districts have had no fresh cases in the last 28 days, there are 29 districts with no fresh cases in the last 21 days, 36 districts with no fresh cases in the last 14 days and 46 districts with no fresh cases in the last seven days, he said.

Asked about AIIMS Delhi Director, Dr Randeep Guleria’s remarks citing data that the peak of the disease in India may be reached in June or July, Agarwal said, “If we follow dos and don'ts, we may not reach the peak in number of COVID-19 cases and our curve may remain flat.”

Agarwal also said that that the ICMR will conduct clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in 21 hospitals.

The hospitals where the trials will be conducted comprise five from Maharashtra, four from Gujarat, two each from Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, UP and one each from Karnataka, Chandigarh, Punjab, Telangana.

He said 3.2 per cent of total active COVID-19 cases are on oxygen support, 4.2 per cent in ICU and 1.1 per cent on ventilator:

During the briefing, Agarwal also said the railways has converted 5,231 coaches into COVID Care Centres which will be placed at 215 identified railway stations and will be used for treatment of very mild and mild COVID19 patients.

“As migrant workers return to their home states, it is essential that all guidelines and precautions regarding infection prevention and management are to be followed, we request workers to understand that this is for their own benefit, their people, village and city,” Agarwal said.

He was referring to the accident in Auranganbad in Maharashtra in which 16 migrant workers were crushed to death by a goods train when they were sleeping on the tracks. \

(With inputs from PTI)