Maha goes past grim 10,000 mark for Covid-19 infections

Maharashtra on Thursday passed the bleak 10,000 figure for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, 53 days since the first case on March 9, even as officials said

Maharashtra on Thursday passed the bleak 10,000 figure for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, 53 days since the first case on March 9, even as officials said the situation is under control. With 583 new infections, India’s worst-hit state’s tally rose to 10,498, while the toll stood at 459 with 27 more deaths. The state took 30 days to report its first 1,000 cases, which means the next 9,000 cases took only 23 days.

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On Thursday, 417 cases and 20 deaths were reported from Mumbai. The financial capital, with 7,061 cases, accounts for 67.2% of the state’s total. It also accounts for 63.18% of the state’s fatalities, with 290 deaths. A total of 1, 773 patients have recovered across the state so far, including 180 patients on Thursday.

On an average, the state reported over 500 new cases daily since April 19. In the past twelve days (since April 19), the state has recorded 6,855 new cases. On Thursday, the state also completed 38 days of lockdown, imposed from the midnight of March 23, a day before the nationwide lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Officials claimed the situation is still under control as most of the new cases are from traced contacts. “Although a dip in new cases is yet to start, we can say that the situation is under control as we are aggressively doing contact tracing and most of the new cases are those who have been traced, following detection of cases,” said Dr Tatyarao Lahane, director, Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER).

So far, the health department has conducted 1,45,798 tests at various public and private facilities across Maharashtra.

Of them, 1,34,244 people tested negative.

“We will have to wait for another incubation cycle of 14 days, which is ending on May 3, before arriving at any conclusion,” added Dr Lahane.

The two 14-day cycles of the incubation period of infection was completed on April 20. It had begun from March 22, when international traffic was stopped.

The state health minister, Rajesh Tope, said that the state is prepared for any situation. “We have set up 1,677 Covid-19 dedicated hospitals, where 1,76,357 isolated beds and 7,248 ICU beds are available. These hospitals are divided into three categories, between asymptomatic, mild and serious cases. We also have around 3,000 ventilators, around 80,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and 2.82 lakh N95 masks,” he said.

The state currently has 733 active containment zones. Around 10,092 survey teams, comprising doctors and assisting staff, have screened more than 42.11 lakh people. It has also kept 10,695 suspected patients at government quarantine facilities, while 1,68,266 are home quarantined, stated health officials.

Of the 27 deaths reported on Thursday, 20 are from Mumbai, three in Pune, two in Thane and one each in Raigad and Nagpur. Of the day’s deaths, 22 patients had comorbidities, said health officials.

The mortality rate of the state has come down to 4.36% (432 deaths till Wednesday), from 7.41% (148 cases) on April 13. However, it continued to be higher than the national mortality rate of 3.25% till Sunday, revealed the data of the state medical education department.

Following complaints of hospitals denying admission to patients or delaying treatment, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday ordered that no hospital can turn away any patient without examination and required intervention under any circumstances. All private and government hospitals in the state have also been directed to check any patient who is entering hospital premises and after scanning may be shifted or admitted, depending on the patient’s medical condition.

As per the guidelines issued by the Centre, the state government has also ordered shifting of all asymptomatic patients without comorbid conditions to Covid Care Centres, whereas private hospitals can send such patients for home quarantine, but after proper counselling, stated the order issued by chief secretary Ajoy Mehta on Thursday.

The order will come into force from May 2.

The hospitals have been warned of action in case directives are not followed scrupulously.

The state government has also allowed migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons stranded at different places in Maharashtra to move out of the state. The state government has also allowed intra-state movement of such stranded persons, but with certain conditions. An order to this effect was issued by chief secretary Ajoy Mehta on Thursday.

The state government has further declared that all undergraduate and post-graduate theory and practical examinations conducted by Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS), Nashik for summer (2020) has been postponed till further notice, owing to the unprecedented situation caused by the Covid-19 outbreak. The decision was taken following recommendations made by a committee formed to suggest the options. State medical education minister Amit Deshmukh made the announcement on Thursday.