NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday (August 25, 2020) said that the country’s COVID-19 mortality rate stands at 1.58% which is one of the lowest in the world. 


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Addressing a press briefing, Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Union Health Ministry, said, “The COVID-19 mortality rate in India stands at 1.58% which is one of the lowest in the world. In the last 24 hours, the number of active cases has reduced by 6,400.”


‘The recovery rate is now more than 75%,” Rajesh Bhushan said.


The Union Health Ministry official further stated that today, the recovered cases are 3.4 times more than the active cases in the country.


Active cases are only 22.2% of the total cases. The recovery rate is now more than 75%, Secretary, Rajesh Bhushan said.


Sharing more detail, Rajesh Bhushan said, “Out of the total COVID-19 active cases in India, only 2.7% patients are on oxygen support, 1.92% patients are in ICU and 0.29% patients are on ventilator support.”


Rajesh Bhushan also said that on the basis of 7-day rolling average, COVID-19 positivity rate was 11 per cent in first week of August, it has now come down to 8 % today.


COVID testing improved from 363 tests per million per day on August 1 to more than 600 tests per million per day at present, the Health Ministry official said.


To a question on Russian COVID-19 vaccine, he said as far as Sputnik-5 vaccine (COVID-19 vaccine developed in Russia) is concerned, India and Russia are in communication. Some initial information has been shared in this regard.


Speaking on his turn, Prof (Dr.) Balram Bhargava, DG, ICMR, said, “ICMR sero survey is publication in-progress. It should appear by this week in the Indian Journal of Medical Research. It has been peer reviewed.’’


The second national sero-survey should be completed in the first week September, he added.


Three COVID-19 vaccines are ahead in the race in India. Serum Institute's vaccine is in phase 2(B) & phase 3 trials and Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila's vaccines have completed phase 1 trial, the ICMR Director General said.


The ICMR D-G said that irresponsible, less cautious people who are not wearing masks, are driving the pandemic in India.


India's COVID-19 case tally crossed 31 lakh mark with 60,975 fresh cases and 848 deaths in the last 24 hours.


The COVID-19 case tally in the country has risen to 31,67,324 including 7,04,348 active cases, 24,04,585 cured/discharged/migrated & 58,390 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in its bulletin at 8 AM on Tuesday.


It may be recalled that on Monday, the country`s total coronavirus count reached 31,06,349 which includes 23,38,036 cured/discharged/migrated cases. The death toll due to COVI-19 stood at 57,542, it said.