Covid-19 Factoid: Spike in critical cases globally, and 3 other data trends

From the US continuing its rapid increase in number of confirmed cases, to the UK's strikingly low recovery rates, and the spread by the virus by density in Indian states, here are the key data trends

Covid-19 is a rapidly unfolding tragedy that has spread to as many as 183 countries as on date. The global tally of confirmed cases has now crossed the 1.2-million mark, and nearly 67,000 people have lost their lives. In India, more than 3,500 people have tested positive for Covid-19 so far, and the death toll currently stands at 83.

The US remains the most affected country, with nearly 320,000 cases, more than double the number of cases in Spain and Italy, the next two most affected — with 130,000 and 128,000 cases, respectively.

Here are a few data trends that show the present magnitude of the pandemic:

1. The US continues its steep rise in number of Covid-19 cases

The US has been witnessing the sharpest growth in the number of infected cases, surpassing Italy and Spain’s growth rate by a huge margin. It took just 32 days for the US to grow from 100 cases to more than 300,000. By comparison, Spain’s tally crossed to 130,000 in 33 days. France, which has had a flatter growth curve so far, has also seen a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases lately.

2. Massive spike in number of critical Covid-19 cases

Among coronavirus-infected cases worldwide, the number of critical cases saw a seven-fold jump in the past fortnight. From 5,911 on March 15, the number of critical cases increased to 44,568 on April 4. In the US, over 8,200 Covid-19 patients are in a critical condition currently — the highest number among all countries. The US is followed by Spain and France, with around 6,800 critical cases each.

3. The UK has had the lowest recovery numbers so far

With around 48,000 Covid-19 positive cases, the UK has so far seen merely 135 people getting cured. Nearly 10 per cent of the cases have resulted in deaths, and 90 per cent are still active. The UK is followed by Turkey and the US, with 3.3 per cent and 4.8 per cent recovered cases, respectively. China has managed to reduce the total number of infected cases and has just 1.7 per cent of all its cases active now.

4. How dense is the Covid-19 crisis in Indian states?

While Maharashtra leads when it comes to the total number of infected cases, Ladakh, because of its sparse population, has the highest number of cases per million population. Ladakh has a population of only around 274,000, so its current tally of cases stands at 87.6 per million.

Interestingly, Delhi is not only second on the list, after Maharashtra, but it also stands second by density. Delhi’s 528 cases in a population of 16.8 million translates into 32 cases per million population.