The COVID-19 recovery rate of Maharashtra has now touched 92 per cent. 10,769 patients have recovered and were discharged across the state on Tuesday, taking its tally to 15,88,091 so far. Meanwhile, for the second consecutive day, the state recorded more than 3,000 cases. 3,791 fresh infections and 110 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, pegging the count at 17,26,926 and 45,435 fatalities, respectively. “Due to the reconciliation process of death cases, 64 of the total deaths were added to the state’s cumulative death tally today,” said an official.
Mumbai witnessed a drop in its daily infections on Tuesday. 535 new cases and 19 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours; their respective tallies touching 2,65,677 and 10,481 so far. Meanwhile, the doubling rate of the cases is now 233 days and the weekly growth rate is 0.30 per cent.
The infection rate in the state has seen a decline over the past few weeks. In the first eight days of November, the positivity rate in the state consistently remained under 10 per cent. So far, the state’s positivity rate for November has averaged at 8.35 per cent. This means that, for every 100 samples tested, eight were found to be positive. The ratio was around 15 per cent in October and 24 per cent in September. In November, the state had, on an average, tested 59,141 samples, of which 4,889 were found to be positive, according to the state Health Department data.
Health Department officials said that they have directed the district administration to increase surveillance. Officials said that the ratio of tracing immediate contacts of positive patients is not as per expectations. “People will have to maintain COVID-19-appropriate behaviour while moving out. The department has asked for stricter surveillance and tracing and tracking. There is a sense of fatigue among healthcare workers involved in the COVID-19 fight. We have to trace 15 people at least to find one positive case,” said an official from the Health Department.
Public health expert Dr Sanjay Pattiwar echoed that tracing and surveillance will remain crucial to keep the potential second wave of COVID-19 at bay. “People are roaming around as if the pandemic has ebbed, but the threat still exists. If there is fatigue among healthcare workers, then there should be a reserve force like in armies. The state should rope in teaching staff and clerks for surveillance, which is non-technical. Besides this, the state must also ramp up testing,” Pattiwar said.
