The age-wise data of the first 2,000 Covid-19 cases accessed from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), and analysed by Businessline , reveal that 53 children under the age of 10 years had been infected at that stage, of which 10 were less than one year old while six were one year old.

Every three in four Covid-19 positive cases in India belong to the active working population of 21 to 60 years of age.

Of these, the maximum — about 42 per cent — are between 21 and 40 years of age, while 33 per cent are between 41 and 60, the data revealed. “Further, 9 per cent of the cases belong to the age group 0-20 years while 17 per cent belong to 60-plus,” said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry.

Of those in the 21-60 age group, 433 cases (22 per cent of the total) were 21-30 years of age, 422 cases (21 per cent) between 31 and 40, 367 cases (18 per cent) between 41 and 50, and 267 cases between 51 and 60 years (13 per cent).

Greater exposure

The primary reason for the virus hitting the ‘productive age group’ harder in India is that this section of the population travels abroad more frequently. Though they are screened at the airport, they may be carrying the virus and yet escape detection, as the symptoms manifest themselves mostly a week after infection.

“While elderly persons were being separately quarantined in government set-ups after international travel, because of the inability to quarantine every international passenger, younger persons were being advised home quarantine,” said Dammu Ravi, Additional Secretary, Minister of External Affairs.

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