Covid-19: Turn for the better but festival risk looms

India’s daily Covid case count dropped below 50,000 for the first time in nearly three months, falling sharply from a peak of nearly 100,000 infections a day a month back. An equally steep fall in daily deaths and a lower positivity at a high testing rate suggest the spread is slowing. There is, however, a risk of an equally abrupt reversal if people drop their guard amid a festive season rush. Divya Rajagopal reviews the numbers;