After four months, Mumbai reported the highest number of single-day Covid cases on Tuesday - at 1,242. However, for the second consecutive day, there were zero Covid deaths reported in the city. The city’s total case count now stands at 10,71,776 cases, including 19,569 deaths so far. The previous single-day high for daily cases was 1,182, reported on February 3.
Maharashtra also recorded its highest single-day tally of cases in the last 24 hours, with 1,881 new cases being reported on Tuesday, the highest since February 19, when 1,635 cases were recorded in a single-day, pushing its tally to 78,96,114, with 1,47,866 fatalities till now.
Maharashtra surveillance officer Dr Pradeep Awate said, it was being observed that in Mumbai, a higher number of cases were being reported from the upper classes, bringing in the foreign travel factor. “Since Mumbai is also the country’s economic capital, there is more mobility of population there and naturally, a rise in the Covid count. However, even though hospitalisation numbers are increasing, it is a good sign that patients are recovering in two to three days,” he said.
Health officials have attributed the current surge to increased Covid testing in the last 24 hours, up from 15,000 to 35,000 in Maharashtra and from 6,875 to 17,175 in Mumbai. There is a marked steady rise in hospitalisation in Mumbai. On Tuesday, 74 patients were admitted to various Covid hospitals, taking the count of hospitalised patients to 254.
Dr Awate further informed that currently, there was no new variant or strain pushing the surge in cases; however, Omicron and its sublineages continue to be present in the state. “We have been monitoring cases closely and until there is a new variant, it would be too early to say we are seeing the fourth wave. Currently, Omicron is dominant across the state and there will be a rise in cases but within weeks, it is expected to come down,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the latest whole genome sequencing report from BJ Medical College, Pune, a 31-year-old woman from Pune was found positive for the BA.5 variant. The woman was asymptomatic and recovered in home isolation. However, there is no data available on the proportion of new cases due to BA.4 and BA.5.
The BMC has directed all the ward war rooms to be on alert and closely monitor cases in each ward and report if there is any trend being observed. “All the ward war rooms have a separate team handling the pandemic, which includes doctors, nurses and others. Their duty is to monitor cases in their respective wards and act accordingly. Moreover, they also have to report if there are cluster cases in their wards,” said a civic official.
According to an infectious diseases expert, “There is no need for panic as cases are increasing due to the surge in Covid testing. Most cases are mild. We need to wait, watch and follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour such as masking, hand hygiene and social distancing.”
Maharashtra on Tuesday recorded 1,881 new coronavirus cases, a sizable increase compared to 1,036 infections reported a day before, the state health department said.
Mumbai alone reported 1,242 new cases, up from 676 on Monday.
One case of B.A.5 variant was also detected during the day, the official release said.
The state, however, did not record any pandemic-related death.
On February 19, Maharashtra had recorded 1,635 new cases. The numbers had declined afterwards.
"According to the latest report of whole genomic sequencing from B J Medical College, Pune, a 31-year-old woman from Pune was found positive for B.A.5 variant. The woman was asymptomatic and recovered in home isolation," the release said
