Nearly 38% of new cases that have come since the day India’s tally crossed a million Covid-19 infections have come from five states — Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar. These states together were responsible for less than 19% of cases before July 16 – the day India hit the million-mark.
Delhi, which was responsible for nearly 12% of the country’s first million cases, has reported less than 3% of the new cases in the second million. These statistics show how the spread of the Sars-CoV-2 has shifted geographies in the last three weeks, targeting the hinterland and the southern peninsula instead of just the ‘Big Three’ – Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.
THE FIRST MILLION
When India’s total caseload crossed the million-mark on July 16, around 56% of all cases could be traced to the ‘Big Three’. Maharashtra (284,281 cases) alone was responsible for 28.3% of all cases, followed by Tamil Nadu (156,369 infections) with 15.6% cases in the country and Delhi (118,645 cases) constituted 11.8% of the national tally.
THE SECOND MILLION
After July 16, a lot changed in the way the virus spread in the country. Among the worst-hit regions, Delhi had the best rate of case growth in the country. The share of the Capital’s cases dropped to 2.2% from 11.8%.
Maharashtra, however, continued to be worst-hit region, contributing nearly a fifth of the cases reported after July 16. Andhra Pradesh jumped from the eight spot to the second spot , responsible for nearly 16% of the cases. With 122,775 cases since July 16, Tamil Nadu dropped to the third highest contributor to the second million (12.1%).
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar, which accounted for less than 19% of the first million, reported nearly 42% of new cases since July 16.
