Coronavirus cases rising, but recovery rate surges to 16% in Mumbai and Maharashtra

Despite the drastic surge in the total number of coronavirus cases in the city and the state in the past 15 days, the number of patients who have recovered has more

Despite the drastic surge in the total number of coronavirus cases in the city and the state in the past 15 days, the number of patients who have recovered has more than doubled from 205 on April 16 to 1,180 on April 30, data by the state health department has revealed. In the state, 1,773 patients have been cured until April 30, as compared to the 300 patients who had recovered until April 16. The recovery rate in the state and Mumbai stands at 16% on April 30, a surge from 9% recorded on April 16.

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HT asked Dr Pradeep Awate, Maharashtra’s disease surveillance officer, if the surge in the number of recoveries is owing to any change in discharge policy of patients which is leading to the surge in recoveries.

He said, “There is no change in our discharge policy. We are discharging patients only after 14 days of admission, provided their two consecutive tests come negative. Also, with the total number of cases increasing, the recovery rate is also bound to go up.”

However, two corporations – Solapur and Panvel – which have recorded 92 and 47 cases respectively – has not recorded even a single case of recovery.

According to the health department, the surge in the number of recoveries in Mumbai began from April 22, when the city had 483 cured, even as the total number of cases was 3,683. On April 26, Mumbai recorded 728 recoveries for 5,407 until then. The number of cured patients surged to 885 on April 28 when the city had 6,169 cases.

On April 29, the recovery count crossed the 1,000-mark after 1,024 patients had been recovered, even as the cases stood at 6,644.

According to the state health department data, the recovery rate is highest in cities such as Mumbai and Pune, which also have the highest number of cases in the state. Of the total 1,773 patients who have recovered in Maharashtra, 1,395 are from Mumbai and Pune alone. However, in terms of recovery rate, smaller cities have been performing better than Mumbai and Pune.

Thane for instance has recorded 28 recoveries (58%) until April 30 of the total 48 positive cases reported in the city. Likewise, Pimpri-Chinchwad has recorded around 50% recovery rate, with 34 of 72 patients recovering.

Meanwhile, Nagpur has a recovery rate of 29 % with 39 patients of 133 patients having been cured. At Raigad district, of the 24 cases, 14 patients have recovered, while the Mira -Bhayandar district, which has seen 126 cases, recorded a recovery rate of 25%. Neighbouring Vasai-Virar district has witnessed a recovery rate of around 20%, with 26 of 128 patients having been cured.