Goa becomes first state to have 1% of its population confirmed with Covid-19 | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Goa becomes first state to have 1% of its population confirmed with Covid-19

Hindustan Times, Panaji | ByGerard de Souza | Edited by Sparshita Saxena
Aug 27, 2020 05:15 PM IST

Goa registered most of its 15,027 Covid-19 cases across June, July and August.

Goa’s total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases crossed the 15,000-mark on Wednesday evening, making Goa the first state in India where 1 percent of the total population is confirmed to have contracted the dreaded infection.

Healthcare workers during Covid-19 screening and swab testing.(HT PHOTO)
Healthcare workers during Covid-19 screening and swab testing.(HT PHOTO)

Goa, which is the country’s smallest state by size - and fourth smallest by population behind Sikkim, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh - registered most of its 15,027 cases across June, July and August. The state was largely free from the virus in April and May.

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The Goa government has said that the high figures are due to the state’s high testing rate which stands at around 1.2 lakh tests per million. The state has conducted 1.86 lakh tests so far. Nearly 12 percent of the state’s population has already been tested for the infection.

Goa’s case fatality rate has risen from 0.6 percent a few weeks ago and currently stands at around 1.2 percent with 165 persons already having succumbed to death.

Also read: Call to protect Andaman tribes after 5 Great Andamanese turn Covid-19 positive

This comes as Goa’s director of health services Dr José de Sa was found positive for the infection and has been admitted in a private hospital in the state. Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat was quick to question if the director did not have faith in the facilities of his department.

“As Director Health Services himself gets admitted in private hospital after testing #CovidPositive, The preparedness of @GovtofGoa on handling & management of #CoronaPandemic & #PublicHealthCare stands completely exposed. Now, I can only pray to God for [the] well being of all,” Kamat said in a tweet.

On the brighter side, 11,511 patients have already recovered from the disease in the state while the number of active cases stands at 3,351. The patients recovery rate is at 76.6 percent.

Those who have contracted the disease in Goa include Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH as well as five MLAs of whom one has recovered.

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