ACTIVE COVID CASES BELOW 15K FOR FIRST TIME IN 23 MONTHS

For the first time in more than 23 months, the number of active cases of the coronavirus disease in India has dropped to under 15,000 – a remarkable statistic for a country with a population the size of India.

With 14,704 active infections across India as of Wednesday morning, according to the Union health ministry, India’s burden of those currently infected with Covid-19 is at the lowest since April 21, 2020 – a time when the first wave of the pandemic was just beginning in the country.

Active cases – those Covid-19 patients still carrying the virus, and thus under treatment at the time – is a crucial metric representing a region’s battle against the coronavirus disease because it directly reflects the pressure on the health care system at any given point of time. A look at how India’s prolonged fight to contain Covid-19 is reflected in this number.

The remarkable reduction in active cases in the country has been achieved on the heels of the contraction of India’s third wave of the outbreak, which was caused by the highly transmissible, but significantly less lethal Omicron variant of Sars-Cov-2.

As of Wednesday, there are 14,704 active Covid cases in India. The last time there were fewer active cases in the country was 707 days ago on April 21, 2020. But, at that time, the country’s first wave was only kicking off. This time, however, cases are declining. The volume of active cases during others waves also provides context to how much things have improved. At its worst, there were over 3.75 mn active cases in the country on May 9, 2021.