COVID-19: Recoveries more than 3 times the active cases: case fatality rate drops to 1.85 pc

India's COVID-19 recoveries have crossed 23 lakh and are more than three times the number of active cases of the infection in the country, while the case fatality rate, maintaining a steady downward trajectory, has further dropped to 1.85 per cent, the Union health ministry said on Monday.

With 57,469 patients having recuperated in a day, total recoveries have surged to 23,38,035, pushing the recovery rate to 75.27 per cent as on date. They exceeded the active cases by 16,27,264.

This has been made possible because of effective implementation of the policy of testing aggressively, tracking comprehensively through surveillance and contact-tracing and treating efficiently, the ministry underlined.

Focus on standard of care protocol, including use of non-invasive oxygen, better skilled doctors in the ICUs and hospitals, and improved ambulance services have led to improved recovery rate among the severe and critical COVID patients.

"Those in home isolation, being medically supervised and monitored, are also recovering at a fast pace," the ministry said.

The record high recoveries have ensured that 7,10,771 active cases, which is the "actual caseload" currently, comprise only 22.88 per cent of the total cases.

"Effective clinical management of the patients in the ICUs has been instrumental in keeping the case fatality rate low and on a steady downward trajectory. It has further dipped to 1.85 per cent today," the ministry said.

A major role in India's substantial rate of recovery and a declining case fatality rate has been played by the ''National e-ICU on COVID-19 Management'' exercise being conducted by AIIMS, New Delhi, in active collaboration with the Ministry of Health, it mentioned.

The National e-ICU is held twice a week -- on Tuesdays and Fridays -- and covers ICU doctors of COVID hospitals in states, and answers their queries related to COVID-19 treatment. So far, 14 such National e-ICUs have been held, covering 117 hospitals from 22 states across the country, it added.

With a single-day spike of 61,408 infections, India's COVID-19 tally mounted to 31,06,348, while the death toll climbed to 57,542 with 836 fatalities being reported in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.