A day after the state and the city reported the highest number of cases in a single day, there was a slight drop in the number of new cases on Monday. There were 47,288 new infections and 155 deaths reported in Maharashtra in the last 24 hours, pushing the overall tally to 30,57,885, with 56,033 deaths till now.
“Of the 155 deaths reported today (Monday), 90 occurred in the last 48 hours, while 39 were reported in the last week. The remaining 26 deaths are from the period before last week. Of these 26 deaths, 12 occurred in Jalna, four in Nashik, two each in Nanded, Thane, Akola and one each in Hingoli, Jalgaon, Solapur and Nagpur,” said a senior health official.
In Mumbai, there were 9,857 new infections, including 21 deaths in the last 24 hours, increasing the overall count to 4,62,302 cases and the total death toll to 11,797, so far. Health experts have attributed this drop in numbers to reduced testing across Maharashtra.
In the city, of the 36,878 tests conducted, 9,857 people tested positive, causing the daily positivity rate to jump to 26 per cent, from 21 per cent, in the last 24 hours. The overall positivity rate till now, is however, 10.73 per cent till now. The doubling rate has dropped to 40 days, while the weekly growth rate has increased to 1.70 per cent.
Dr Tatyarao Lahane, Director, Medical Education and Research, blamed the new variant of Covid-19 for the rise in the number of cases. The number of cases were likely to increase until mid-May, after which the numbers would start dropping, he said. “The new variant is highly infectious and is spreading faster, as compared to the old one. The state was ramping up tests to contain this virus. We want to isolate patients and treat them to contain this virus,” he said.
Dr Rahul Pandit, a member of the state-appointed taskforce for the clinical management of critical patients, said, Covid cases would continue to rise in the coming days. Cases were expected to plateau this month, after which they would start coming down gradually, he said. “The daily cases have shot up as the state has increased daily testing in big numbers and also improved tracking contacts of Covid patients. The state will have to continue increasing testing figures until the positivity rate comes down to 5 per cent or below, to control the situation,” he said.
