New Delhi, May 22: The government on Friday said that the decision of coronavirus lockdown in India was timely unlike several countries who took the decision late and had to bear losses. The government said as per a joint study by Ministry of Statistics and Indian Statistical Institute, it has been found that around 20 lakh COVID-19 cases and 54,000 deaths linked to the deadly  virus have been averted due to the nationwide shutdown. A tweet by PIB India stated that the number of coronavirus cases averted due to lockdown is in range of 14 - 29 lakh while the number of lives saved range between 37,000 - 78,000. Lockdown 4 Guidelines: What is Allowed and Not Allowed Till May 31? See Full List Issued by MHA.

The government said it is fully confident that lockdown, with full public cooperation, has reaped rich dividends. In a media address today, VK Paul, Chairman of Empowered Group 1 said the growth rate of COVID-19 cases has witnessed a steady fall from April 3, 2020 when lockdown was able to put a brake on the speed of growth. Paul said the number of cases today would have been much higher, had lockdown not been implemented in the country. India's COVID-19 Tally Rises to 1,18,447, Death Toll Mounts to 3,583.

Here's the tweet by PIB:

Here's What  VK Paul, Chairman of Empowered Group 1 Said:

Paul further added saying that like the number of cases witnessed a dip since lockdown, the rate coronavirus deaths too fell significantly.  He said this has marked a notable difference between pre-lockdown and post-lockdown situations. "Current active COVID19 cases (as of May 21) are concentrated in a few states and cities/districts; around 80% in 5 states, over 60% in 5 cities, over 90% in 10 states and over 70% in 10 cities", he said.

The official said that the manufacture of diagnostic kits has begun and India's indigenous capacity will be able to manufacture 5 Lakh kits daily in next 6-8 weeks. "ICMR prepared viral culture, at least 5 companies & 4-6 scientists are working at national laboratories to develop vaccine", he said. On Friday, the ICMR said that 27,55,714 tests for COVID-19 conducted in India so far, adding that over 1 lakh tests for COVID-19 done each day for last four days.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 22, 2020 05:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).