Mumbai: City sees 1,350 new COVID-19 cases; weekly growth rate drops to 0.23%

There was a slight rise in the daily COVID-19 cases reported in Maharashtra on Wednesday. 34,031 new cases and 594 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, pushing the respective tallies to 54,67,537 and 84,371. Meanwhile, the recovery rate has touched 91%. 51,467 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and 49,78,937 have been discharged since the pandemic started.

Mumbai reported 1,350 new cases and 57 deaths in the last 24 hours. The total count now stands at 6,92,239 with 14,409 fatalities. Meanwhile, the doubling rate has increased to 269 days and the weekly growth rate has dropped to 0.23%. Experts and state Health Department officials said that the decline is a positive sign for Maharashtra. However, it will take three weeks more for some ‘normalcy’ to return.

Dr Subhash Salunkhe, former director general of health services and advisor to the state on COVID-19, said that, while the state’s positivity rate is reducing, some districts still have a high positivity rate. “Some districts, like Mumbai, Thane and Pune, are showing a sharp decline in positivity rate. However, there are many districts that are not showing a downward trend yet,” he said.

According to state Health Department officials, districts such as Satara, Sangli, Sindhudurg, Buldhana, Kolhapur, Beed and Ahmednagar still show viral activity. “These districts are recording higher cases and have a high positivity rate. It will take two-three weeks to regain normalcy. The viral activity will go on for that period, so we cannot let our guard down,” said a senior health official.