Nearly 50% drop in Covid cases, deaths

The third week of the ongoing month (May 1521) saw 17,011 Covid cases, as against 33,962 cases logged between May 8-14

RANCHI: Jharkhand, for the first time after a hiatus of oneand-a-half months, felt some relief in the third week (May 15-21) of this month as weekly detection of Covid-19 cases and deaths registered a significant decline by around 50% in comparison to the previous week.

While 33,962 cases were reported in the second week of this month between May 8-14, the third week registered a decline by nearly 50% with the discovery of 17,011 cases. The number of deaths too declined by 47%, as 394 fatalities were reported in between May 15-21 in comparison to 751 during May 8-14.

Besides, the positivity rate (number of positive cases per 100 samples tested) also dropped to 4.70% in the third week against 8.51% in the second week. This indicates slowing down of the spread of the infection.

According to health experts, the growth of Covid-19 cases and number deaths will decline further, as the peak of the second wave has already passed in the state . “This is now the end of the second wave of the pandemic. The next month is going to be a low key affair. But, we should not be relaxed, as the next couple of months (June-July) will provide a cushion for robust preparation for the third wave, if it comes. Besides, it is high time to focus and escalate vaccination coverage,” said Dr Dewesh Kumar, assistant professor of department of preventive and social medicine, RIMS.

The state, which was hit hard by the second wave, was still discovering over 2,000 cases on a daily basis, much more that what it reported daily during the peak of the first wave between mid-August and mid-September last year.

The impact of the second wave was so intense that all Covid-19 parameters of the state faired poorer than the national average.

However, these parameters have now improved in last two weeks. According to the health department’s bulletin on May 21, the seven-day growth of the disease was 0.62% in the state against the national average of 0.76%. The seven-day disease’s doubling period in Jharkhand stood at 112.09 days against the national average of 91.28 and recovery rate was 91.05% against the national average of 87.20%.

However, the state’s mortality rate of 1.45% was still higher than the national average of 1.10%.

Jharkhand till May 21 reported a total of 327,035 cases, including 297,776 recoveries, 24,499 active cases and 4,760 deaths.