Maharashtra sees 3,717 Covid-19 cases, 70 deaths; tally 1,880,416, toll 48,209

On Sunday, 3,083 patients in the state were discharged, taking the number of recoveries to 1,757,005, at a rate of 93.44%.

Maharashtra on Sunday reported fewer than 5,000 Covid-19 infections for a ninth straight day, taking the count to 1,880,416. The state clocked 3,717 new cases, while also reporting 70 Covid-19 deaths, taking the toll to 48,209, at a case fatality rate (CFR) of 2.56%.

Satish Bate/HT Photo

There are presently 74,104 active cases in the state. On Sunday, 3,083 patients in the state were discharged, taking the number of recoveries to 1,757,005, at a rate of 93.44%.

Of the 70 deaths, 48 were in the past 48 hours and 18 were in the past week. The remaining were from before last week.

Despite a lower CFR in comparison to March and April, Maharashtra ranks 2nd in the country, behind only Punjab, which has a CFR of 3.17%, according to the Medical Education and Drugs Department’s daily report. Although other key parameters, including positivity, doubling and growth rate are under control, the fatality rate has been hovering around 2.6% for the past few months.

Dr Shashank Joshi, a member of the state’s Covid-19 task force, said, “The death rate from the beginning was very high. The current death rate is significantly lower, in terms of sheer numbers, but the old baggage is still there, which is why we are seeing a high CFR. What is hurting our death numbers are the numbers that occurred in March, April and May, pushing our overall CFR higher.”

Dr Joshi said one of the main factors is also insufficient testing in the state despite a high testing capacity.

“There are many places in Maharashtra that are not testing at full capacity. Moreover, the stigma around Covid-19 is still there, so symptomatic patients are not testing on time. When you test late, you get medical attention late, and the chances of death in comorbid patients increase significantly,” Dr Joshi said.

So far, Maharashtra has conducted 11,702,457 tests, of which 64,121 were conducted on Sunday. The positivity rate in the state is 16.07%.

Cities in Maharashtra like Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur, among many other smaller cities and towns, have a higher prevalence of comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, according to Dr Joshi, along with a high population density, high chances at mobility and migration, which impact covid case numbers.

Mumbai on Sunday reported 606 new Covid-19 cases and 12 deaths, taking the count to 290,636 and toll to 10,977, with a CFR of 3.77%.

Dr Pradeep Awate, state surveillance officer, said, “If we see, the weekly CFR in the state is 1.77% for the past few weeks. This is a good sign. The cumulative CFR is 2.5% due to the load of earlier deaths. Mortality is more in urban Maharashtra, such as Mumbai, Pune and Thane, that are taking up to 60% of the load. Moreover, the dynamics of population density also factor into the equation. Once infection rate increases due to high population density, high-risk groups are at a higher chance of contributing to mortality.”

However, authorities said the overall picture in Maharashtra is positive. Awate said, “We were expecting an increase in cases post Diwali, but that has not happened, and that is a good sign. Our positivity rate has reduced too.” Regarding not testing to full capacity, Awate said, “Number of tests is an indirect reflection of positivity rate. Contacts of patients are tested, so when cases per day decrease, tests decrease too.”