Coronavirus cases doubling rate in India improves to 10 days; total cases now 23,452

New Delhi: India's doubling rate of coronavirus cases has improved to 10 days, down from 7.5 days reported earlier this week, the centre said today, indicating the lockdown enforced since last month to check the spread of the virus is a success. Total 4,748 people have been cured of COVID-19, with a recovery rate of 20.57 per cent, it added.

"Our analysis shows the lockdown has been effective in slowing the doubling rate of COVID-19, and saved lives. The lockdown decision was timely as the around 23,000 cases in India today could have been 73,000," Dr VK Paul, Niti Aayog member, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

On Monday, the ministry had said the doubling rate had come down from 3.4 days before lockdown to 7.5 days.

The doubling rate of the cases is considered a marker of how fast the infection is spreading. On that basis, the government earlier said the three-week lockdown proved effective and extended it till May 3.

"...So far, 4,748 people have recovered including 419 people who recovered yesterday. This takes our recovery rate to 20.57 per cent," senior health ministry official Lav Agarwal said in his daily press briefing.

The officer said there have not been coronavirus cases in at least 80 districts for the last two weeks.

"Till date, there are 80 districts in the country that have reported no new cases in the last 14 days. The chain of transmission is being broken by the collective efforts of people and administration. We should see that the green zone districts maintain the status of no new cases and also, new districts get added into this category," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.

The government on Thursday said recovery rates had risen to 19.89 per cent. The rate, which is the number of people to have recovered as a percentage of the total number of cases, was 9.99 per cent last week.

India has reported 23,452 coronavirus cases in the country, including over 700 deaths.