Mumbai: City's COVID-19 tally rises by 8,082; expert says 'third wave has started'

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 also recorded more than 12,000 covid cases in the last 24 hours, with 12,160 new infections and 11 covid-19 deaths being reported on Monday, pushing it’s tally to 67,12,028, with 1,41,553 fatalities so far.

Moreover, 68 patients with Omicron infection have been reported in the state, of which 40 are Mumbai, followed by 14 in Pune Municipal Corporation, four in Nagpur, three each in Pune Rural and Panvel Municipal Corporation and one each in Kolhapur, Navi Mumbai, Raigad and Satara. However till date, a total of 578 patients infected with Omicron variant have been reported in the state, of which 259 cases have been discharged following a negative RT PCR test.

Dr Shashank Joshi, Endocrinologist Specialist at Lilavati Hospital and member of Maharashtra covid-19 task-force said, the third wave has started and the rate of infection is doubling every day which suggests that this is omicron, and it is continuing the same global trend of recording mild case.

“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.