Mumbai’s case positivity exceeds 1%, first time since February

The city’s daily test positivity rate (TPR) crossed 1% on Wednesday, first time in more than two months, with 98 fresh Covid-19 cases taking the total tally to 10,58,060.

Of the 9,514 tests conducted in the past 24 hours, the TPR stands at 1.03%. After the third wave receded, the positivity rate had gone below 1% on February 12, following which there was a downward trend in the city.

Medical experts attributed the rise in positivity rate to the relaxations of the Covid-19 curbs.

“There is a minor spike in the daily cases and this is happening due to community transmission which is the result of people not following Covid appropriate behaviour in the city,” Dr Shashank Joshi, member of the state Covid-19 task force, said.

Dr Joshi also said the present upturn in cases was likely caused by the Omicron variant.

“Now that curbs have been lifted, people have started to think that Covid-19 is not there anymore, which is not the case. The virus is still there and we have to learn to live with it by taking all necessary precautions. We will have to continue wearing masks and avoid crowded and poorly ventilated places as much as we can,” he said.

Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner and in-charge of public health in the city, said, “The rise in cases was anticipatory as we have relaxed all the restrictions. However, there is nothing to worry, as the rate of hospitalisation is below 1% and there was no fresh hospital admission on Wednesday. The mortality rate is also very low. Still, we urge people to follow Covid appropriate behaviour.”

Almost all the adult citizens in Mumbai were fully vaccinated, he said and appealed to people to take the booster dose immediately for double protection.

Meanwhile, health minister Rajesh Tope said the situation in the state was under control and there was no reason to worry.

Stating that he took a detailed review of the pandemic situation on Tuesday, he said, “Maharashtra has seen 45,000 to 60,000 cases daily. So, there is nothing to fear; the situation is under control. We have completely lifted all the curbs. Mask is not mandatory now. However, senior citizens or people with comorbidities should wear masks in public places.”

According to the presentation given to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on the Covid-19 situation, Mumbai, Thane and Raigad have seen an increase in cases between two weeks - April 6-12 and April 13-19. Mumbai, as per the data, reported a surge of 26.21% as the weekly cases went up from 309 between April 6 and 12 to 390 in the April 13-19 period. Thane district recorded a spike of 41.3% in the same period as the cases rose from 46 to 65, while it was a jump of 15.38% in Raigad district. The rest of the state saw an increase of 24.54% in cases in the same period.

Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 162 fresh cases and zero deaths.

The minister said the health department and the state Covid-19 task force were monitoring the marginal rise in cases in Europe, China, and parts of the country. “We are in touch with the Centre and the Indian Council of Medical Research. If such a situation arises in Maharashtra, we will take the required steps,” Tope said.

On Wednesday, Mumbai saw a 15.29% jump in daily cases compared to Tuesday when it reported 85 infections. Also, 96 of the 98 fresh infections recorded on Wednesday were asymptomatic.

The city accounts for 60% (415 cases) of the state’s active count (690 cases). While the rate of hospitalisation in the city is 0.04%, the recovery rate is 98% with 73 patients being discharged in the past 24 hours.

As per the data, 14 districts, as of April 19, did not have active cases. The data also showed the weekly positivity rate in seven districts - Sindhudurg (2.04%), Beed (1.53%), Gondia (1.14%), Akola (0.99%), Pune (0.98%), Parbhani (0.88%), and Mumbai (0.67%) - was higher than the state’s weekly average of 0.45%.

Tope said the vaccination drive in the state was progressing well. “We are pushing for more citizens in the 12-15 age category to get vaccinated. It is really important to create antibodies. People can get their antibody tests done, and if antibodies have reduced, they can take a booster shot at a private hospital for ₹200- ₹250,” he added.