After curbing spread of Covid-19 virus, Maharashtra’s Malegaon sees spike in cases again

Mumbai: After controlling the spread of Covid-19 in June, the textile town of Malegaon in north Maharashtra’s Nashik district has reported a spike in new cases over the past two weeks. While some have suggested this indicates a “second wave”, experts and the local administration say the increased cases are due to the infection spreading beyond the areas of Malegaon that were initially afflicted by Covid-19.

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Malegaon reported five cases and one death on April 10, and the local administration responded quickly. On June 10, the tally of Covid-19 cases in Malegaon was 861 and the death toll was 65. By the end of the month, on June 30, the tally had risen to 1,087 and fatalities were at 81. With 226 cases and 16 deaths in 21 days, and the number of daily new cases down to single-digit numbers, the ‘Malegaon model’ received applause from many quarters.

However, in the past two weeks, there has been a rise in the number of reported cases. As of August 16, Malegaon had 623 new cases, with 35-40 new cases being recorded daily. Nitin Kapadnis, deputy commissioner of Malegaon municipal corporation, confirmed this, saying, “Cases have risen over the last few days and it will take at least four weeks to control, like we did in June.” The positivity rate in Malegaon is more than 30%, compared to the state’s rate, which hovers between 18-20%.

Dr Avinash Bhondve, president of the Maharashtra chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), said Malegaon may be experiencing a “second wave”. “It is largely as per the global trend witnessed in countries like New Zealand, Spain and because of complacency. Not only Malegaon, the second wave may be witnessed in Mumbai if due precautions are not taken,” he said.

Dr Amol Annadate, who has worked in Malegaon, said that after the initial success, many locals have ignored distancing norms and personal hygiene requirements, like regular hand-washing, leading to the spike in cases. “The textile town has trade exchanges with Mumbai and other cities and it leads to the rapid movement of people. This too is a major reason for the resurgence,” he added.

Dr Abul Irfan Ansari, former principal of Unani Medical College in Malegaon, said the numbers may reflect the infection spreading to the outskirts of Malegaon. “It is true that the people here do not follow the norms and a large chunk even does not admit that any such virus exists. But the areas where we witnessed the outbreak three months ago have developed antibodies and are unlikely to be infected again,” he said.

Kapadnis also refuted the notion of Malegaon facing a second wave of infection. “This time the surge is from the western part, where density is relatively low and now has slums. We would not call it the second wave as it has not relapsed in the eastern parts where it had spread rapidly in May. We have ramped up our infrastructure and are testing about 260 contacts a day. ”