INDIA VS WORLD’S HOT SPOTS

As the number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the country surpasses 50,000, we take a look at where the country stands when its infection numbers are compared to other countries ravaged by the virus.

1 HOW ‘FLAT’ COVID CURVES ARE GLOBALLY

In order to keep comparisons between different countries uniform, we have taken Day 1 as the first day each nation reported over 100 cases. The chart shows that initially, China reported an extremely high rate of cases, at times even straying above the ‘doubles every day’ line. By Day 30, China managed to stem its exponential growth and flattened the curve completely, dropping below the ‘doubles every three days’ line. The US, meanwhile, was hovering between the ‘doubles every two days’ and ‘three days’ zone for the first 35 or so days. Other countries such as South Korea, which fared much worse than India till Day 15 or so, are examples of how after initial surges, the curve can be brought down with aggressive testing and strict contact tracing.

2 AT A CRUCIAL JUNCTURE

India is on its 54th day since it reported its 100th case and has so far fared better than many countries. While India’s curve is nowhere close to being as steep as that of the worst-hit countries in the West, it is so far going up steady and showing no signs of dropping below the ‘doubles every week’ line, which is alarming

3 FOR OTHER EPICENTRES, SOME RELIEF

For the countries that are hot spots of the global pandemic, the charts offer some relief. With the exception of the United States, the exponential rise in most countries appears to have ebbed. Italy and Spain have reported a significant drop in new cases, resulting in flattening of the cases curve.