Tracking COVID-19 burden in India: A review using SMAART RAPID tracker.

Objective: India has seen a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases. Examine spatiotemporal variation of COVID-19 burden Tracker across Indian states and union territories using SMAART RAPID Tracker.

Method: We used SMAART RAPID Tracker to visually display COVID-19 spread in space and time across various states and UTs of India. Data gathered from publicly available government information sources. Data analysis on COVID-19 conducted from March 1 2020 to October 1 2020. Variables recorded include COVID-19 cases and fatality, 7-day average change, recovery rate, labs and tests. Spatial and temporal trends of COVID-19 spread across Indian states and UTs is presented.

Result: The total number of COVID-19 cases were 63, 12,584 and total fatality was 86,821 (October 1 2020). More than 85,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported. There were 1,867 total COVID-19 labs throughout India. More than half of them were Government labs. The total number of COVID-19 tests was 76,717,728 and total recovered COVID-19 cases was 5,273,201. Results show an overall decline in the 7-day average change of new COVID-19 cases and new COVID-19 fatality. States such as Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Puducherry, Goa, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh continue to have high COVID-19 infectivity rate.

Discussion: Findings highlight need for both national guidelines combined with state specific recommendations to help manage the spread of COVD-19.

Conclusion: The heterogeneity represented in India in terms of its geography and various population groups highlight the need of state specific approach to monitor and combat the ongoing pandemic. This would further facilitate the tailored approach for each state to mitigate and contain the spread of the disease.