Mumbai reports over 600 Covid cases after over 80 days
Mumbai reported above 600 Covid-19 cases (624 infections) on Wednesday over 80 days after 619 infections were reported on July 14
The city reported above 600 Covid-19 cases (624 infections) on Wednesday over 80 days after 619 infections were reported on July 14. This comes a day after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) maintained that any spike due to festivals and starting of seasonal migration cannot be completely ruled out.
On Wednesday, the city reported 624 cases and seven deaths, taking the case tally to 746,703 and toll to 16,136. The city’s recovery rate is 96% with 722,636 recoveries. The fatality rate is 2.16% and there are 5,451 active cases. The city reported a 1.50% positivity rate on Wednesday, up from the trend of 0.90% to 1.40% since the past two weeks now.
On Monday, reportedly, the BMC’s counsel Anil Sakhare informed the high court that the work is on (of vaccination) very smoothly. Now, there is no shortage of vaccines too. Mumbai is safe. We do not see a third wave (of the Covid-19) coming. However, the BMC has said any spike further cannot be ruled out.
Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner of the BMC, on Tuesday had told HT, “”The situation right now in the city is very comfortable and it is maybe safe considering we are able to handle the caseload very well and there is adequate health infrastructure to handle cases. However, we cannot completely rule out any further spike. There are festivals upcoming, including Navratri, Dussehra and Diwali where there will be gatherings.”
Kakani added, “We cannot make any claim that a third wave will not come. In Ahmednagar district, several villages are facing a spike and we cannot claim anything on the above lines. We have to remain cautious and continue following Covid-19 appropriate behaviour, and get vaccinated, considering it is definitely helping control the spread.”
On the other hand, experts had indicated that there can be a spike due to almost complete unlocking, but there will not be any third wave, but a steady spike in the number of cases.
Further, when it comes to Maharashtra, the trend indicates a decline in the second wave of Covid-19, Maharashtra’s weekly positivity rate has declined to 2.07% from last week’s 2.11%. In addition, there is no district which has a positivity rate of more than 5%, indicating that Covid-19 is under control.
The positivity rate is a crucial metric that shows how widespread the virus is in the community and also provides an idea of the ability of the region to contain the virus.
It is the proportion of the total tests that turn positive in that region. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that this should remain below 5% for an outbreak to be considered under control.
Maharashtra currently has 11 districts, which have positivity rates above the state average of 2.07%. These include Sindhudurg (4.71%), Pune (3.59%), Nashik (3.29%), Ahmednagar (3.03%), Satara (2.94%), Palghar (2.81%), Ratnagiri (2.69%), Osmanabad (2.64%), Sangli (2.30 %) and Thane (2.11%).
Similarly, 11 districts have Covid-19 growth rate higher than the state average of 0.044 %. These include Ahmednagar (0.152%) Palghar (0.112%), Raigad (0.106%), Sindhudurg (0.105%), Mumbai (0.078%), Ratnagiri (0.075%), Satara (0.075%), Sangli (0.082%), , Osmanabad (0.078%), Solapur (0.116%) and Pune (0.066%).
Dr Rahul Pandit, a member of the state task force and director, critical care, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, said the cases are declining. “Although the number of cases is going down, the process is taking time. Currently, we need to keep close watch and be proactive by taking timely action whenever we witness a surge,” said Dr Pandit.
The state cabinet expressed apprehensions on the growing cases in districts like Ahmednagar and Pune. It said that local administration should be instructed to take steps to reduce the numbers.
Dr Ameet Mandot, director, Gut Clinic, credits the vaccination process and various proactive steps taken responsible for the decline of cases. “Vaccination has played a major role in blunting the effects of the virus and also reducing the death rates,” said Dr Mandot. “However, we should not let our guard down on Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.
Maharashtra on Wednesday recorded 2,876 Covid-19 new cases and 90 deaths. The total number of Covid-19 patients right from the outbreak last year has now reached 6,567,791. There were 150,584 tests done on Wednesday, while the number of recoveries clocked 2763.
The total active patients in Maharashtra currently stands at 33,181, while the total deaths right from the Covid-19 outbreak has now reached 139,362. There are currently 33,181 active patients across the state of which Pune tops with 8,929 patients followed by Mumbai and Ahmednagar with 5,451 and 4,186 active patients respectively. The death toll has now reached 139,362 with Pune leading with 19,495 deaths, followed by Mumbai with 16,136 and Thane with 11,382.