THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state in India that encountered novel coronavirus first has also notched up the best recovery rate in the country, recently released data showed.The records of Covid-19 patients who tested positive between March 9 and 20 show Kerala as having a high rate of recovery at 84 per cent. In all, the rate stands at 17 per cent so far when one takes into account all cases in the state till date, beginning with the first case — that of the Wuhan-based student — that was reported on January 30.In comparison, Maharashtra has a recovery rate of 5.5 per cent, while the rate for Delhi is 4.04 per cent.According to a ToI report, healthcare experts have cited Kerala's early identification system and its specialised Covid-care wards as the main reasons behind the state's good recovery rate. As of today, the number of confirmed cases in the state stands at 314; as many as 55 of them have recovered while two have died.Along with Kerala, Maharashtra has also seen a decent rate of recovery, but it lags significantly behind Kerala in one parameter. Kerala has managed to avert spikes in number of cases since the first spurt in March, but Maharashtra has not been able to do so, numbers collated by ToI show.The same numbers also show that Kerala's rate of discharge too is higher than all major states. So is its rate of sample collection, where it lags only behind Rajasthan.Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja has been praised for the way in which she has been leading the state’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The state's earlier encounters with viruses like Nipah and Ebola also seem to have prepared the state to deal with such episodes in a better way, some experts say.