Daily cases stable for two weeks

Six months after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus epidemic — and over 27 lakh cases and 52,000 deaths later — several indicators have begun to suggest that an improvement in the situation might just be round the corner in India. Consider: For the first time since May, the overall positivity rate in the country has begun to decline. Which means, for the same number of tests, fewer people are now being found infected with the virus. The positivity rate touched a high of 9 per cent on August 9, and has been declining steadily since. As of Tuesday (August 18), positivity had fallen to 8.72 per cent. Simultaneously — and not unrelatedly — there is a relative stagnation in the numbers of new positive cases being detected every day.