Deaths from Mumbai, MMR dip in 3 months

Maharashtra on Tuesday recorded lower daily positivity rate for the third consecutive day, as it saw 40,956 fresh Covid-19 cases

Maharashtra on Tuesday recorded lower daily positivity rate for the third consecutive day, as it saw 40,956 fresh Covid-19 cases. The state tested 217,664 samples in the past 24 hours with a positivity rate of 18.82%. On Monday, the state had a positivity rate of 19.36%, while on Sunday it was 19.56%. However, the state saw a jump in deaths from Monday, as it reported 793 deaths, taking the toll to 77,191. The active caseload in the state declined to 558,996 on Tuesday.

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Since mid-February, the state has seen nearly 25,000 fatalities with rural and semi-urban areas showing a higher death count compared to the urban areas of Mumbai, Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and Pune district. In the past three months, the share of fatalities from Mumbai, MMR and Pune district has reduced from 51.94% to 43.91%, indicating that deaths are from rural and semi-urban centres in the state spread across 31 districts. Between February 11 and May 11, the state recorded 24,983 fatalities.

Till February 11, Mumbai, MMR (which includes Thane district, Navi Mumbai and urban as well as rural areas of Palghar and Raigad districts) and Pune district had 24,707 of the 51,415 deaths. On May 10, of the total deaths, 42,844 came from the 31 districts, while 33,554 were from Mumbai, the MMR and Pune district.

Of the 31 districts, 13 districts have reported over 100% increase in deaths between February 11 and May 11. Nandurbar district recorded the highest increase with 222.54% jump in deaths, from 213 to 687. Nanded, Amravati, Washim, Yavatmal, Gadchiroli, Parbhani and Sindhudurg districts recorded between 179% and 145% jump in deaths in the three-month period. Hingoli, Gondia, Wardha, Chandrapur, Beed, Jalna, Ahmednagar and Latur districts recorded a jump in deaths between 127% and 103.19% during the same period.

Health experts and state officials attribute the rise in deaths in the rural and semi-urban areas to higher viral activity in these areas in the second wave and poor health infrastructure that was strained after the sheer caseload.

“Compared to the previous wave, the rural and semi-urban areas saw more viral activity. Local body election in January, weddings, public gathering and increased movement of people led to more cases. The public health facilities do not have quality infrastructure. There aren’t enough private hospitals in rural areas, tier-two cities have them, but they are not as good as Mumbai or Pune,” a health department official, who did not wish to be named, said.

Dr Subhash Salunkhe, former director-general of health services (Maharashtra) and advisor to the state on Covid-19, said there are multiple factors leading to higher deaths in rural and semi-urban areas, including poor health infrastructure, mutating virus and inadequate quantity of drug and oxygen. “The sheer number of cases that are recorded in the second wave has put pressure on health infrastructure in many districts. One nurse is minding 30 patients, including critical ones, on one night shift. How can one manage? There was a shortage of drugs, oxygen, etc too. Besides, earlier, patients used to be fine within seven days. Now, they become critical after eight to nine days in some cases, leading to deaths,” he said. Dr Salunkhe added that the case fatality rate (CFR) and overall death rate in these districts have not increased.