Maha witnesses downward curve; records 10,989 fresh Covid cases
Six districts — Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Pune — contribute over 50% of state’s daily cases. Experts and health department officials said the viral activity works in a differential manner and the areas showing higher number of cases will eventually come down
Maharashtra on Wednesday added 10,989 Covid-19 cases, taking the tally to 5,863,880. The state added 661 deaths, including 400 after reconciling of records, pushing the toll to 101,833. Mumbai continued to record less than 1,000 cases for the ninth consecutive day with 785 new cases and 27 fatalities.
Even as Maharashtra is witnessing a downward curve for the past few weeks, districts in Konkan and western Maharashtra still report a chunk of daily cases. Six districts — Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Pune — contribute over 50% of state’s daily cases. Experts and health department officials said the viral activity works in a differential manner and the high numbers in certain areas will eventually come down.
Also Read | Setbacks for SII leave world short of Covid-19 shots
According to the data, rural and urban areas from the six districts contributed over 50% of the state’s total cases. Since June 6, these six districts added 23,138 cases, which was 51.81% of the state’s total cases during this period. On Wednesday, Ratnagiri (536), Sindhudurg (540), Pune (1,368), Satara (845), Kolhapur (1,467) and Sangli (984) districts added 5,740 of the 10,989 new cases, which is 52.23%.
Dr Subhash Salunkhe, former director-general of health services (Maharashtra) and advisor to the state government on Covid-19, said the pandemic does not behave in the same manner across geography.
“Maharashtra is as big as any European country. Western Maharashtra, particularly Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, and Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg in the Konkan region, are not showing a distinct decline that we are seeing in other parts of the state. Such things occur wherever there is a delay in introduction of virus. When Mumbai and Pune were on the peak, these districts were at a better stage, comparatively. Also, the urban areas are recovering faster than the rural areas as the infection gets introduced a bit later, therefore, more cases are seen from rural areas,” he said.