India’s Case Fatality Rate (CFR) falls below 2.5% for the first time

New Delhi, 19 July 2020: The focused efforts of Centre and State/UT governments on efficient clinical management of hospitalized cases have ensured that India’s Case Fatality Rate has fallen below 2.5%. With effective Containment Strategy, aggressive testing and standardized clinical management protocols based on holistic Standard of Care approach, the Case Fatality Rate has significantly dipped. The Case Fatality Rate is progressively falling and currently, it is 2.49%. India has one of the lowest fatality rates in the world.

Under the guidance of the Centre, the State/UT governments have ramped up the testing and hospital infrastructure by combining public and private sector efforts. Many States have conducted the population surveys to map and identify the vulnerable population like the elderly, pregnant women and those with co-morbidities. This, with the help of technological solutions like Mobile Apps, has ensured keeping the high-risk population under continuous observation, thus aiding early identification, timely clinical treatment and reducing fatalities. At the ground level, frontline health workers like ASHAs and ANMs have done a commendable job of managing the migrant population and to enhance awareness at the community level. As a result, there are 29 States and UTs with CFR lower than the India average. 5 States and UTs have a CFR of Zero. 14 States and UTs have a CFR of less than 1%. This shows commendable work done by Public Health Apparatus of the country.