State’s virus tally reaches 203; 2 more die; CM warns of further rise

Maharashtra’s coronavirus count on Sunday went up by 17 cases to 203, even as chief minister Uddhav Thackeray warned of a further rise in numbers next month. Two

Maharashtra’s coronavirus count on Sunday went up by 17 cases to 203, even as chief minister Uddhav Thackeray warned of a further rise in numbers next month. Two more people died of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) — one each in Mumbai and Buldhana — taking the state’s toll to eight.

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Of the 17 cases, six are in Mumbai, three each in Pune, Nagpur and Ahmednagar, and one each in Sangli and Ahmednagar. As of Sunday, 35 patients have been discharged from hospitals across the state.

Thackeray, in his address to the people of Maharashtra, said there could be a rise in pneumonia cases and that private hospitals need to be more careful. The state is also likely to shift the APMC market in Vashi to a much larger space in Kharghar, so as to maintain distance between people. Thackeray also warned that strict action will be taken if people do not stop crowding markets as he reminded that the coming days could see Covid-19 cases multiplying. “The state government is expecting a spike in cases in the second and third week of April, and is thus taking all precautions. What we are trying to do is minimise the rise. It has been observed in other countries that after 30-35 days from the first case, the number of cases rise suddenly,” said a senior official.

The first cases of the infection (Sars-CoV-2) in the state were detected on March 9. The state is trying to keep many hospitals, isolation wards and quarantine wards in the city and state ready to deal with any situation.

Among the 17 new cases on Sunday, a seven-month-old baby tested positive to become the youngest Covid-19 patient in Maharashtra.

“It is an emergency-like situation. The number of cases has started rising and it will rise even further. However, we want this rise to be restricted… This is the phase when multiplication of cases will start…If we stop its spread now, it can be contained and we will win this war. It’s time everyone shoulders responsibilities,” the chief minister said.

Doctor and hospitals will have to more careful now as there could be a rise in pneumonia patients, he said in his address to the state through Facebook, adding, “If anyone is found suffering from fever, cough and cold, get an X-ray and a haemogram test conducted and if found with any symptoms, refer to government facilities immediately.”

Public health minister Rajesh Tope said China and other countries experienced a very big spike in the number of cases there after a certain period. “We have started taking measures much in advance so that we don’t have to face any such situation here,” Tope said.

The state government has already asked all private hospitals to provide maximum beds with isolation wards and ventilators. The government hospitals have been directed to ready maximum beds to deal with any exigency. It has also alerted the Army for making makeshift hospitals, in case the spike is big.

Thackeray also said people need to take more care of those in the high-risk group — pregnant women, babies, senior citizens who are suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure etc. “It has been observed that the severity of the epidemic in this group of people is more than others. We have to take care of them at this point of time,” he said.

To reduce crowding and consequently the risk of community transmission, the state government is also planning to temporarily shift the Navi Mumbai’s, Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) market to Kharghar. “The state has a plot of over 500 acres in Kharghar, where the market can function with proper social distancing. We are planning to shift the market in the coming days,” said another senior official, requesting anonymity.

At APMC, the wholesale market is spread around 170 acres.

As hundreds of migrant workers are trying to return to their homes by violating lockdown restrictions, Thackeray asked them to stay where they are and not to rush back home as the state government is making arrangements for their food and stay. The state government has empowered all district collectors to make the expenditure for providing them basic and medical needs from the emergency response fund of the state.

As the 21-day lockdown has affected poor and migrant labourers, the chief minister slashed the prices of the subsidised meal thali under the Shiv Bhojan scheme by half. The meal will now cost ₹5 for the next three months, instead of ₹10. Food, civil supplies and consumer protection minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Sunday said that the timings of the centres that serve the thalis have been extended. He also declared to provide 1 lakh plates under the scheme after April 1 so that those in need will be able to get its benefit.

The state government has started 262 relief camps across the state so far, where 70,399 migrant labours and homeless have been provided food and shelter.

It has decided to waive off toll of all vehicles supplying essential commodities at toll nakas managed by the state public works department from midnight till further notice. The state has also made arrangements to provide online passes to such vehicles so that they don’t have to face any difficulty.

According to Bhujbal, the reduced price of the meal will be applicable till June. It will be available from 11am to 3pm, against the earlier time slot from 12pm to 2pm. “As many as 1 lakh meals would be distributed under the Shiv Bhojan scheme at the taluka level every day during this period. Moreover, the number of thalis allotted to each district has been increased fivefold,” Bhujbal said.

A senior official from the food and civil supplies department said that the state government has increased the daily meals from 25,000 to 1 lakh and has also opened new centres. Till Sunday, the maximum plates have been increased to 72,000. “We are adding more centres daily. In a day or two, we will reach 1 lakh thalis,” the official said.

Bhujbal said that the state government would bear the additional burden on the subsidised thali. “The government will give ₹45 per thali for urban areas and ₹30 for rural areas. The state government has made provision of ₹160 crore for the purpose. Orders have been issued to district collectors and food grain supply controllers to start new Shiv Bhojan centres at the taluka-level in their districts by April 1,” the minister said.

Of the two people who died of Covid-19 on Sunday, one is the 40-year-old wife of a taxi driver, a Kandivli resident. She had been suffering from chest pain for the past three-four days. When she was brought to KEM hospital, she had severe respiratory distress with breathlessness, according to health officers from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Her husband said they hadn’t travelled anywhere, domestic or international, in the past 14 days. She was admitted to the ICU on Saturday morning, in the presence of other critically ill patients. Her condition deteriorated soon and she succumbed on Saturday night. As she had breathing problems, doctors sent her swab sample for test. But before they could get the report, they sent her body to the morgue without wrapping it in infection-proof cover, as per the guidelines of the Union Health Ministry. The doctors realized the woman was suffering from Covid-19 only after getting her swab test report, which came in too late. Five of them have now been asked to get home quarantined, until their samples come negative of the virus.

In Buldhana, a 45-year-old man, who was undergoing treatment at government-run general hospital there, passed away on Saturday. His sample tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, making him the eighth person to die of the virus in the state. According to reports, the victim had gone to Akola last week to meet his relatives who returned from Saudi Arabia after their Hajj pilgrimage.

The victim, who is a chronic diabetic patient, had been suffering from cold, body aches, pain and fever for the past few days. The patient’s condition worsened owing to high blood-sugar levels and comorbidities of hypertension, before he succumbed to the infection. He initially was admitted to a private hospital and later at the government general hospital where he died on Saturday evening.

An Air India ground staff has been admitted to a government hospital in Jogeshwari after she tested positive for Sars-Cov-2. The employee, working for Air India Air Transport Services Ltd. (AIATSL), had operated the last flight that landed at Mumbai airport before domestic operations were shut. Sources said the employee complained of breathing issues and fever, after which she was admitted to hospital. While AIATSL’s head did not respond to HT’s calls till the time of going to press, a source from the airline said the employee is doing better. “She will be kept in isolation for 14 days,” said the source .

(with inputs from Rupsa Chakraborty, Pradip Maitra and Neha Tripathi)