Coronavirus Outbreak: 42% of COVID-19 Cases Belongs to 21-40 Yr Age Group, Says Health Ministry

The Union Ministry  of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday provided the age profile – for the first time – of the positive cases of the contagious coronavirus in the country. As many as 42 per cent of the cases – the majority – so far belong to age group of 21 to 40 years. Nine per cent of COVID-19 patients are below the age of 20 years, while 17 per cent of cases are of those who are above the age of 60 years. 17 per cent of the coronavirus infected people in the country are between 41 to 60 years of age.

Lav Aggrawal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry, while briefing the media confirmed that 601 COVID-19 cases have been reported since Friday – the highest single day spike in number of positive cases that the country has witnessed so far.

As on Saturday morning, the cumulative figure of cases in the country had reached 2,902. Of these, active cases of the virus has jumped to 2,650, while 183 have been cured/discharged. The death toll in the country stood at 68.

Aggrawal added that the condition of 58 coronavirus infected patients as of now, from Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, is critical.

Among the positive cases of infections, 1,023, or 30 per cent of total cases, are linked to the religious congregation organized by Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin’s Markaz at Delhi earlier last month, informed the Union Health Ministry. These cases are reported from as many as 17 states.

Official from Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed that nearly 22,000 Tablighi Jamaat members and their contacts quarantined so far.