Despite dip in India’s Covid cases, death clock continues to tick faster 

In the first 15 days of May, India reported 58,431 deaths at a CFR of 1.06 per cent. However, in the next 14 days (May 16-29), the country lost 55,688 citizens at a CFR of 1.73 per cent, health ministry data show.

If Covid-related data over the last few days are anything to go by, India has been improving on several counts. Daily new cases, test positivity ratio and spread of infection have declined. However, one parameter that continues to concern health authorities is the continued spike in fatality rates. Though case fatality rate (CFR) in India is considerably lower than in other countries ravaged by the deadly pandemic, this figure has seen a spike in the second half of May. CFR is the proportion of deaths among confirmed cases. In the first 15 days of May, India reported 58,431 deaths at a CFR of 1.06 per cent. However, in the next 14 days (May 16-29), the country lost 55,688 citizens at a CFR of 1.73 per cent, health ministry data show. This despite the fact that the second half of May witnessed a reduction of nearly 42 per cent new cases compared to the first 15 days.