E-Paper
Covid-19 outbreak: Mumbai stable, other districts in Maharashtra cause for concern
On July 4, Maharashtra had recorded 2 lakh cases of Covid-19. Within 14 days, the state has added another 1 lakh cases, taking its tally to 3,00,937 cases on Saturday.
On July 4, Maharashtra had recorded 2 lakh cases of Covid-19. Within 14 days, the state has added another 1 lakh cases, taking its tally to 3,00,937 cases on Saturday. Although Mumbai crossed 1 lakh cases on Saturday, the pandemic curve has plateaued in the city, which has contributed only 19% of the cases in the most recent surge. However, districts such as Thane, Raigad, Pune and Nanded are now major contributors to the spread of Covid-19 in the state.
“Till May, Mumbai constituted almost 60% of the total cases recorded in Maharashtra. But gradually, the city started reporting constant numbers of daily cases below 1,500, which helped flatten the pandemic curve in Mumbai. The city was the epicentre, but now the wave has spread to other districts,” said Anup Kumar Yadav, commissioner (family welfare) and director, National Health Mission, Maharashtra.
Mumbai now accounts for 33.8% of Maharashtra’s Covid-19 cases and the remaining 66.2% cases have been reported from elsewhere in the state. After Mumbai, Thane has recorded the maximum cases of Covid-19, with its tally rising from 45,833 cases on July 4 to 71,345 on July 14. As per data from the state government, 92,525 new Covid-19 cases have been recorded between July 4 and 17 in Maharashtra.
An analysis of all 36 districts in Maharashtra shows Covid-19 cases in Raigad have increased from 5,585 to 10,548 in the last 13 days – an 88.8% rise and the highest in the state. This is followed by Nanded, which recorded an 87% surge with its caseload increasing from 388 to 726 in the same period. Cases in Pune have increased from 26,956 on July 4 to 49,037 on July 17, marking an 81.9% rise.
“The pandemic curve may have plateaued in Mumbai, but it is at its peak in other districts. Our main priority is to get more oxygen-supported and intensive care unit (ICU) beds. Also, despite the rise in number of cases, we have been able to keep a check on the mortality rate,” said state health minister Rajesh Tope.
Experts have identified several reasons for this gradual increase in the number of cases. First, in mid-May, migrant workers from Mumbai, Pune and neighbouring states returned to their home regions, often without properly-conducted tests. District health officers have complained that many ignored quarantine rules and thus spread the infection. “The returning workers don’t trust us and often try to run away from quarantine centres. If we keep them in home quarantine, they don’t follow social distancing,” said Dr AR Gita, district health officer, Aurangabad.
Another reason is that after the lockdown was relaxed from June 3, the infection spread from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to other regions through people travelling to and from Mumbai. “MMR has a large population, so it was expected that cases would increase with lockdown relaxation,” said Tope.
Health officials also pointed to increased testing as a reason for more recorded cases of Covid-19. Dr Sanjay Mukerjee, secretary of the medical education and drugs department said the state at present has 124 testing laboratories with a daily testing capacity of 40,000 samples. “On July 16, we did over 36,500 tests in a day. We have tested more than 15 lakh people, which is a 40% rise over the last three weeks. With increased testing, the number of patients diagnosed with Covid-19 will rise naturally,” said Mukerjee.
