Covid-19 Cases Rise Again In Maharashtra After 3 Years; Pune Sees Spike, Experts Say No New Wave

Pune: Covid-19 cases have started rising again in Maharashtra after remaining largely under control for nearly three years, with Pune recording a steady increase in infections over the last 10 days. However, health officials have said there is no sign of a new Covid wave, as most patients are showing only mild symptoms.

According to the Maharashtra health department, the state has reported 48 Covid-19 cases in 2026 so far, with no deaths. Three cases were recorded in January, one in February, 11 in June and 21 in July to date.

According to Punekar News, officials said many of the recent cases were detected incidentally. Several patients tested positive while undergoing investigations for other illnesses or during routine pre-surgery check-ups, rather than through Covid-specific screening.

Doctors said Covid-19 is now behaving like seasonal influenza, with occasional infections expected as immunity reduces over time and new variants emerge. They said such periodic increases every year or two are normal and should not be seen as the beginning of a major outbreak.

Experts added that the current situation is very different from previous Covid waves. They said hospitals are conducting more respiratory virus tests during the viral infection season, leading to the detection of more Covid-19 cases.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Andhra Pradesh has reported 12 Covid-19 cases between June 26 and July 16, along with four deaths. State Health Secretary M.T. Krishnababu Veerapandian said all four deceased patients had serious underlying health conditions and had also tested positive for Covid-19.

The first Covid-19 case of the year in Andhra Pradesh was detected in Kadapa on June 26. Between July 1 and July 16, 11 more infections were reported, including eight in Kadapa, two in Guntur and one each in Visakhapatnam and Kakinada. Samples from five patients have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for further analysis.