66% Covid-19 patients show no symptoms: State

Maharashtra has seen recovery of 13% of its patients who tested positive for Covid-19 and they were discharged from hospitals, as of Sunday morning, according to

Maharashtra has seen recovery of 13% of its patients who tested positive for Covid-19 and they were discharged from hospitals, as of Sunday morning, according to an analysis by the Maharashtra medical education and drugs department. According to the report, Maharashtra has a mortality rate of 4%, while 3% of its Covid-19 positive patients are in critical condition as of Sunday.

HT Image

Of the patients found positive for the virus, 66% are asymptomatic, showing no symptoms that have been associated with the disease so far. Only 14% of patients have shown symptoms of Covid-19, such as coughing, breathlessness, and fever.

A senior doctor associated with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), said, “Many Covid-19 positive patients will be able to comfortably do mild forms of exercise if they are asked to. This is because their immunity can stave off the infection, even though they are carrying the virus.” A senior official said, “The large number of asymptomatic patients is slightly heartening for us, but it is too early to confirm.”

Secretary medical education and drugs department, Dr Sanjay Mukherjee said, “Internationally, about 50% of Covid-19 positive persons do not show any symptoms; 20% require hospital care; 5% need intensive care; and 1% need ventilators. We are in the same league statistically.”

Municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi said despite the rise in numbers, the early lockdown has helped curb the spread of the coronavirus. “You will see that though Mumbai and Maharashtra have the highest Covid-19 cases, due to early lockdown and the largest number of tests done so far [more than 3,000 in Mumbai], we have been able to locate and isolate positive patients early.”