Mumbai News

Covid’s decline in Mumbai not drastic, it has thick tail: Doctor – Times of India

MUMBAI: The Covid-19 statistical graph in Maharashtra dipped further, with less than 3,000 cases registered on Saturday. Only 536 patients tested positive in the state’s capital, Mumbai, once the worst hotspot in the country. With 2,854 new Covid-19 cases, the state’s tally has climbed to 19.1 lakh, including 2.9 lakh in Mumbai.

The mortality too continued to drop, with state authorities announcing 60 deaths – including 12 from Mumbai — in the 24-hour period ending on Saturday. The state toll stands at 49,189, including 11,068 from Mumbai.
The decline, despite opening up of most sectors in the city, said state government’s task force member Dr Shashank Joshi, hints at the possibility of herd immunity. “The deaths and cases are down, beds are available in most hospitals. There are clearly signs of herd immunity in parts of the state, especially Mumbai. In fact, Mumbai could be the first place in the world to have herd immunity,” said Dr Joshi.
However, a senior doctor from a public hospital said there is still a cause for concern. “In most international cities, the decline from the highest to double or single digits took two months. But in Mumbai, the decline hasn’t been drastic, with cases averaging between 500 and 800 for almost two months,” he said. The ‘tail’ of the Covid curve is still thick and not tapering quick enough, he added.
Dr Joshi added that on the flipside for Mumbai, Covid-19 vaccine trials were stuck in the city. “There aren’t enough volunteers for ongoing trials, and there is a huge burden of post-Covid effect on Mumbai’s patients,” he said. Patients who had mild diabetes and/or hypertension before Covid now have worsened disease patterns and need higher medication.
Meanwhile, according to the state records, the number of recoveries are reducing to below 1,600. On Saturday, 1,526 patients recovered, including 480 from Mumbai.
While public health minister Rajesh Tope said the patient recovery rate in the state has reached 94.3%, the rate in Mumbai is still 93%.
State home minister Anil Deshmukh applauded police personnel in Chimur in Chandrapur district for organising a blood donation camp considering the blood shortage amid the Covid pandemic and appealed to people to donate blood through such initiatives and save lives.
The Kalyan-Dombivli belt on Saturday reported 100 new patients and one death, taking the total tally there to 57,066, with 1,096 deaths.
In Thane city, 95 cases and two deaths were reported on Saturday. The tally of cases there is 54,878, and the toll is 1,241. In Navi Mumbai, 70 fresh cases and two deaths were reported on Saturday, taking the tally there to 50,677, with 1,044 deaths. PCMC areas reported 35 fresh cases.
(Inputs by Pradeep Gupta, Shrutika Sukhi, Vijay Singh and B B Nayak)

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/covids-decline-in-mumbai-not-drastic-it-has-thick-tail-doctor/articleshow/79973027.cms