True: Lockdown has postponed the mass occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic in India by three crucial months that have helped in saving thousands of lives.

By: Ranjini K
July 28 2020

Share Article:

A study said that in the absence of lockdown, there would have been 36-70 lakh more cases and the lockdown has saved between 1.2 to 2.1 lakh lives.In India, the lockdown was first imposed on March 25, 2020, and the second was extended till May 31, 2020. The lockdown has been India’s timely, graded, proactive and pre-emptive public health measure to fight the COVID-19 said Dr.V.K.Paul, Chairman Empowered Group I and the National Task Force on COVID-19. He added that the number of COVID-19 cases averted due to lockdown is in the range of 14-29 lakh, and the number of lives saved around 37,000-78,000 lives. After lockdown, the cases which were reported 22.6 percent on April 3, the rate of growth of cases declined to 5.5 percent on May 15, and the doubling time of cases was 3.4 days, which went up to 13.5 days. The mortality rate also fell after the implementation of lockdown, which showed a clear difference between pre-lockdown and post-lockdown situation. Dr. Paul further added that only five states had 80 percent of all active cases, only five cities showed 60 percent cases and the spread of COVID-19 infection has remained limited to certain areas, and that this is a great accomplishment. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.