Maharashtra: Covid-19 cases dipped after Diwali
A surge in cases after Diwali was feared as people gathered for festivities and also travelled in large numbers. In addition, reopening of theatres, auditoriums, schools in October too resulted in more people stepping out of their homes
Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra have dipped in the two-week-long incubation period after Diwali despite the crowding during the festival triggering fears among medical experts of an impending surge. The number of new cases fell to 833 on November 20 from the 892 cases registered on November 7.
Maharashtra on Sunday recorded 845 new Covid-19 cases and 17 deaths, while Mumbai saw 212 new cases and three deaths. 93,193 Covid tests were conducted on Sunday, registering a positivity rate of 0.90 %. The state’s Covid tally has now reached 6,629,875, while the death toll stands at 140,739.
There are currently 9,799 active cases in the state, of which, Mumbai with 2,758 cases has the highest share, followed by Pune’s 2,150 and Thane’s 1,211 cases.
A surge in cases after Diwali was feared as people gathered for festivities and also travelled in large numbers. In addition, reopening of theatres, auditoriums, schools in October too resulted in more people stepping out of their homes. Similarly, traffic in local trains increased with fully vaccinated residents getting clear to travel in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) on single-return tickets.
The state surveillance officer Dr Pradeep Awate said, “We have observed that we are two and a half months behind the west in terms of Covid-19 pandemic. We have been able to keep the virus under control and the decline shows that we have now almost reached the endemic stage.”
“We saw the Delta variant playing havoc during the second wave [of infections] but it is currently in a declining stage. We are relieved that the genetic make-up of the virus is not changing,” he added.
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Dr Wiqar Shaikh, professor of medicine, Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Hospital said the situation is almost similar to that witnessed last year. “We saw a similar decline last year too. However, what we are witnessing this time is the thick tail of the second wave, which has now pushed the third wave to the next year. The cases are declining as more people are now vaccinated and a natural herd immunity is getting developed among the people,” he added.
Infectious disease expert Dr Om Srivastava, who is also a member of the Covid task force, while acknowledging that new cases have reduced cautioned against complacency. “We are now seeing many foreign tourists coming to India, which may lead to an increase in cases. We need to strictly follow some basic rules like wearing masks as well as get ourselves vaccinated,” he said.