A day after reporting COVID-19 deaths in a single digit, Mumbai reported 13 fatalities on Wednesday, increasing the total death toll to 11,107. Meanwhile, the city witnessed a slight rise in daily cases. 714 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, pushing its tally to 2,92,722 till now.
The state also reported 3,537 new cases and 70 fatalities on Wednesday, pushing the respective tallies to 19,28,603 and 49,463 so far. Moreover, 4,913 patients have recovered and were discharged in the last 24 hours, increasing the count to 18,24,934.
However, the state authorities and health experts believe that the new variant, that has led to a surge in infections in some countries, would also increase the number of cases in the state, which has been reporting less than 5,000 cases for more than 20 days now.
Dr Subhash Salunkhe, chairman of the communicable diseases prevention control and technical committee of the state, said that there is no reason to panic. Though the strain has been discovered now, it might have been circulating earlier too. “We have to be cautious and thoroughly prepared. However, the situation in Maharashtra is very stable now. The mutant virus does transmit faster,” Dr Salunkhe said.
Dr Sanjay Pattiwar, public health consultant said that while the state might not see a surge in cases, it is still better prepared today to handle any eventuality. “While we don’t expect a surge in cases, people need to be very cautious. Even those who were infected by the virus should not let their guards down, as they can be re-infected.”
He further said, “New Year celebrations could be a cause of concern. It is good that the state has restricted movement.”
