E-Paper
Covid cases across Maharashtra rise 17.7%
Dr Pradeep Awate, state surveillance officer, said that the rise in cases are at the moment limited to Thane, Raigad and Mumbai
As per the state health department, between October 2 and October 8, at least 2,426 new cases were reportedas against 2,960 cases from October 9 to October 16. However, this rise is noticed only in Thane, Raigad and Mumbai.
On Tuesday, the state reported 358 cases and two deaths. The case fatality rate in Maharashtra is 1.82%. Pune reported 23 new cases.
Dr Pradeep Awate, state surveillance officer, said that the rise in cases are at the moment limited to Thane, Raigad and Mumbai.
“However, some experts are predicting a rise in the coming winter season, especially in festive environments. In Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), the proportion of BA.2.75 decreased to 76% from 95%. The state has reported XBB which is a new variant. This variant has growth advantage over BA.2.75 and has immune evasive properties. Apart from this, the state has reported BA.2.3.20 and BQ.1 variants for the first time in India,” said Dr Awate.
He added that high-risk patients should follow precautions.
“On this background, we need to observe the following precautions, especially for high-risk patients. Don’t ignore flu-like symptoms. Seek medical advice at the earliest. Observe Covid appropriate behaviour in public places. Vaccination as per Government of India guidelines. People with comorbidities need to take extra precautions while visiting public places. Persons suffering from influenza-like illness should avoid public contact as much as possible,” said Dr Awate.
