Maha reports highest one-day spike with 1,008 Covid cases

In a first, Maharashtra recorded more than 1,000 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in a day with 1,008 new infections on Friday, taking the number of patients

In a first, Maharashtra recorded more than 1,000 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in a day with 1,008 new infections on Friday, taking the number of patients in India’s most ravaged state to 11,506, even as the government announced relaxing lockdown restrictions in some districts.

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The country’s worst-hit city, Mumbai, too, recorded its highest single-day jump of cases with 751 new infections, increasing the tally to 7,812. However, of the 751 patients, 399 are those who tested positive in private labs across the city between April 25 and April 28.

Maharashtra also recorded 26 deaths, taking the toll up to 485. On Friday, Mumbai recorded five deaths, taking its toll to 295, while ten were reported in Pune, three in Jalgaon and one each in Pune rural, Sindhudurg, Bhiwandi, Thane, Nanded, Aurangbad and Parbhani. One death of an Uttar Pradesh resident was recorded in Mumbai. Of the deaths, 14 of them were above 60, while 11 were between 40 and 59 years of age. Fifteen of the patients had high risk comorbidities, the health department said.

In 24 hours, the state carried out 7,327 coronavirus tests, 13.75% of which turned positive. The state has conducted 1,53,125 tests so far.

On Friday, which was Maharashtra Day, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, in his address through Facebook Live, said the lockdown in the state would be lifted gradually after May 3, when the second phase of the national lockdown ends. However, restrictions will not be lifted in Mumbai and its surrounding areas, along with Pune and its surrounding areas, as they fall under the red zone.

Comparing the red zone areas to an active volcano, Thackeray said that lifting restrictions is “not in our interest”.

“The red zone is like an active volcano, orange zone is like a dormant volcano, and the green zone is where the volcano will not erupt. Naturally, Mumbai, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune, Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR), Nagpur and Aurangabad fall in the red zone as cases are increasing daily. Here, to start something is not in our interest. In orange zones, there are a few active cases in some areas; we are looking at lifting restrictions, leaving aside areas where there are more cases. In the green zone, we have already started lifting restrictions gradually.” He outlined that lifting of restrictions will be done “cautiously”.

“Some restrictions will be eased after May 3, based on the zones. But, there must be no haste, while doing so. I know everyone has pending works to attend to. At the same time, we must take cautious steps to ensure the infections do not flare up again and the present gains are not lost, while normalcy is being restored. Normal life has to be restored carefully,” Thackeray said.

Maharashtra has six districts in the green zone. Gadchiroli and Wardha have no Covid-19 patients, while Gondia has not reported any new case in the past 35 days. Osmanabad has three cases, while Sindhudurg and Washim have two cases each.

Sixteen districts (Raigad, Ahmednagar, Amravati, Buldhana, Nandurbar, Kolhapur, Hingoli, Ratnagiri, Jalna, Nanded, Chandrapur, Sangli, Latur, Parbhani, Bhandara and Beed) have less number of cases in their rural parts — in single digits. Some of them have not recorded any new patients in the past 14 days. The state government may continue with the lockdown restrictions only in the urban areas. According to state officials, some of the districts (like Chandrapur) from the list can be shifted to the green district list. “The state governments have been given powers to do so by the Centre,” the officer said.

The Centre has put 14 Maharashtra districts in the red zone. The state government wants the lockdown to be strictly implemented in some of these districts, including Mumbai, Mumbai suburbs, Pune, Thane, Palghar, Nashik, Nagpur, Solapur, Aurangabad until May 17. However, in the remaining districts — Yavatmal, Satara, Dhule, Akola and Jalgaon — the restrictions can be partially relaxed, according to government officials.

Of the 1,53,125 tests across 45 laboratories in the state, 14,0587 of them were negative. 1,63,026 people are currently under home quarantine, while 11,677 are under institutional quarantine. A total of 10,849 teams of health workers have screened 45.34 lakh people for suspected infections after having come in contact with positive patients. A total of 1,879 patients have fully recovered from various hospitals in the past six weeks.

“We can tighten the restrictions imposed by the Centre, but cannot relax them. Our notification, however, can exclude rural areas as has been allowed in the Central notification,” the official said.

Health minister Rajesh Tope said that the state government will issue its notification before May 3 on the lines of an extended lockdown and the relaxations in green and orange zones. “There will be no restrictions for the activities within districts in green-tag districts, while in orange districts, too, large-scale relaxation can be given, barring hotspots. We are also thinking about relaxations to some extent in big cities like Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur, barring containment zones. A detailed notification will soon be issued,” he said.

State transport minister Anil Parab said, “The railways ministry has informed us about the arrangement of special trains for migrant workers stuck in the state. We have started registering the workers who want to go back to their respective states. Each of the trains will have a capacity for 1,000 passengers, who will be allowed only after medical certifications. The migrants will be allowed to board trains only after getting no-objection certificates from receiving states.”

Those who want to travel within the state will have to form groups of 25 passengers. “The groups will be allowed to travel after they comply with formalities and furnish health certificates. However, the people from MMR, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nagpur will not be allowed to travel under these relaxed norms,” he said.

Meanwhile, the state government revised its notification issued on Thursday for migrants, pilgrims, students and other people who are stuck and want to travel intra-state and inter-state. The powers to approve the travel plan have now been given to the police commissioners in cities and collectors in rural areas. It has been clarified that strict restrictions for moving out of the red-zone districts will remain intact.

Tope said that the state’s recovery rate has improved to 20% (from 14.91% on Tuesday), while mortality rate has dropped to 3.5% from (7.41% on April 12). “Our doubling rate is better than that of national rate and the state has the distinction of highest tests (over 1.50 lakh) through 45 labs, including 20 private labs. We are also started use of portable pulse oxymeters for speedy diagnostics and for better recovery rate. We are focusing on senior citizens and people with comorbidities, so that they are quarantined institutionally if the need be,” he said.

While talking about the bed facilities in Mumbai, the minister said that an additional facility of 2,000 beds at Worli, Powai and Goregaon has been created and if the need arises, the schools and colleges too can be utilised for the same. Tope also announced to extend the government mediclaim scheme –Mahatma Phule Janarogya Yojana — to all the citizens in the state for free treatment at Covid and non-Covid hospitals. “Maharashtra is the only state to extend free health services to all its citizens. We have also taken cognisance of the complaints of overcharging and profiteering by some private hospitals in Mumbai and Pune. The private hospitals will not be able to charge more than the rates ascertained by the General Insurance Public Sector Association, irrespective of the class of services given to the patients. In rest of the state, the rate card finalised under a third-party agreement will have to be followed,” he said.

CM Thackeray added that the lockdown had helped arrest the spread of the coronavirus. He said that the “speed-breakers” has helped contain the spread, which would have been exponential had the lockdown not been imposed. “Many feel cases have increased despite the lockdown. I would call the lockdown a speed-breaker. The Singapore PM termed it a circuit-breaker, which breaks the transmission chain. The lockdown helped to break this transmission chain or else the virus would have multiplied much faster than what we can imagine. Still, the numbers are rising because of the contacts of patients who were infected initially,” he said.

He said that 75% to 80% of the Covid-19 cases in the state do not show any symptoms or show mild symptoms of the disease.

Outlining the work done by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Thackeray said that in the past few days, the civic body has screened two lakh people in the slums for low oxygen levels and other diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. Such people are vulnerable to the coronavirus.

“In Mumbai, 272 people have been found with low oxygen levels and other ailments. BMC is not only providing oxygen, but doctors are treating their other ailments,” he said.

Thackeray said that besides ramping up the capacity of beds in the state, doctors and nursing staff have been inducted. He said he has received responses from 10,000 people, including from doctors, nurses, etc, to volunteer in the fight against coronavirus. “I am very proud to note that after my appeal to ‘COVID Yoddhas,’ thousands came forward. Over 20,000 expressed their desire, around 10,000 said they were actually ready to work and some are being trained. It is not as if we are only increasing the number of beds sans any doctors. Doctors and nursing staff are also being trained,” he said.

The Central and Western Railway will operate outstation trains for movement of migrant workers only on the demand of the state government. The Maharashtra government had requested the railways to operate trains for migrant workers, from Nashik to Lucknow and Nashik to Bhopal.

According to railway officials, the state government has to get permission from other state governments in order to facilitate movement of workers. The Maharashtra government reportedly did not get permission for the operation of a train towards Lucknow. The railways will operate a train from Nashik to Bhopal. The railway ministry on Friday evening further extended cancellation of all passenger trains, including local trains, till May 17