E-Paper
Experts say second Covid-19 wave not severe in city as Pune records only slight rise in cases
There were speculations of witnessing a second wave post the festive season due to the lifting of the lockdown restrictions and social interactions.
In a glimmer of hope, the second wave of Covid-19 infection has not been as severe as the first onsalught in the city, as per experts. Pune has reported only a slight rise in the number of fresh Covid-19 positive cases over the past few weeks as compared to the previous month. It has been 21 days since the country celebrated Diwali (November 14) which is also the incubation period for the Sars-Cov-2 virus which causes the Covid-19 infection. There were speculations of witnessing a second wave post the festive season due to the lifting of the lockdown restrictions and social interactions. Prior to Diwali (November 14), the district reported 400-500 Covid-19 cases on a daily basis. This has currently has gone up to 900 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours.
Although the civic administration had prepared for the worst case scenario, the city has reported only a slight rise in the number of daily cases and with a stable recovery rate, the number of active cases have also not gone up. As per the state health department, as of November 13, the recovery rate of the district had been 93.3% while as of December 4, the recovery rate has reduced to about 92.4 per cent. On November 13, there were 15,904 active cases in the district while as of December 4, there are 19,553 active cases in the district.
Dr Subhash Salunkhe, who chairs Maharashtra Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control Technical Committee, said, “It is a good thing that the city has not reported a spike in Covid-19 cases as witnessed in Delhi. It must be because of the discipline that the people observed, but it is a positive thing and we need to maintain this plateau for the next 15 days. If we are able to do that, then, we would be in a much better position to combat the pandemic. Currently, wearing a mask is the only preventive measure.”
Dr Rajesh Karyakarte, head of department of microbiology at BJ Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital, said, “It is the nature of the virus that only the less aggressive strain or the mutation of the virus passes on from one host to another as the virus does not want to kill the host, but to stay as long as possible in it. This is the reason why we are not reporting many deaths as we did in the months of July and August.”
Glimmer of hope
Pune district is reporting only a slight rise in the number of cases post the festive season.
Recovery rate: As per the state health department, as of 13 November, the recovery rate of the district was 93.3%. As of December 4, the recovery rate went down slightly to about 92.4%.
Active cases: On November 13, there were 15,904 active cases in the district while as of December 4, there are 19,553 active cases in the district.
Avg daily cases: Prior to Diwali, the district reported about 400-500 cases on a daily basis which has currently gone up to 900 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours.
