COVID-19 in Mumbai: Cases may peak by January 15, says Maha task force member

COVID-19 cases in Mumbai are likely to peak around January 15, Maharashtra COVID task force member Shashank Joshi was quoted saying by CNBC TV 18.

Joshi said that the third wave has begun and the rate of infection is doubling every day. He further said that home isolation is key and asymptomatic omicron cases can recover at home, and that they don't need to occupy hospital beds.

“So most of our hospital beds, more than 90 percent are vacant, oxygen beds are very less, ventilators are almost non-existent. The only challenge is if this number continues to explore, and exponentially grow at the rate at which it is growing and if we are not able to contain it, we will have a serious problem on our hands,” he said.

Mumbai witnessed a marginal rise in the daily covid-19 cases on Monday, with 8,082 new cases and two covid fatalities being reported in the last 24 hours, increasing the total count to 8,07,602, with 16,379 deaths till now. However, of the new cases recorded on Monday, only 574 were hospitalised, taking the total number being hospitalised to 3,735 so far.

Meanwhile, the recovery, weekly growth and doubling rate of covid-19 in the city has dropped tremendously to 93 per cent. 0.50 per cent and 138 days respectively.

Maharashtra reported 12,160 fresh coronavirus cases on Monday, 283 more than the previous day, and 11 new deaths, while the active tally crossed the 50,000-mark, the state health department said.

With these additions, the state's COVID-19 tally rose to 67,12,028, while the death toll increased to 1,41,553, it said.

The state recorded 68 fresh cases of the new coronavirus variant Omicron in the last 24 hours, taking the tally of such infections to 578, the department said.

According to a health department report, of the 68 Omicron cases, 40 were from Mumbai, 14 from Pune city, four from Nagpur, three each from Pune rural and Panvel city, one each from Kolhapur, Navi Mumbai, Raigad and Satara.

On Sunday, the state had recorded 11,877 COVID-19 cases and nine deaths.

Eleven fresh COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state, whose fatality rate stood at 2.1 per cent, the department said in a bulletin.

(With agency inputs)

Published on: Tuesday, January 04, 2022, 11:32 AM IST