Second Covid-19 wave: 13.05% of Maharashtra’s cases from Mumbai – Hindustan Times

During the second wave of Covid-19, in April 2021, Mumbai has contributed to 13.05% of Maharashtra’s total Covid-19 cases, and 10.1% to Maharashtra’s total deaths, showing a decrease from figures reported in October last year, when cases in the city also peaked. In October 2020, Mumbai contributed to 17.76% of Maharashtra’s cases and 18% of deaths.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, Maharashtra has experienced two waves, one until October last year, and the second since March his year, according to experts. Mumbai’s cases during these two waves peaked on October 7 at 2,484 cases, and on April 4 at 11,206. While the number of daily cases in Mumbai during the second wave was much higher than the first wave, its share in Maharashtra’s overall cases has declined.

In October 2020, Maharashtra reported a total of 293,960 Covid-19 cases and 7,249 deaths, whereas Mumbai reported 52,229 Covid-19 cases, and 1,271 deaths. In April this year, Maharashtra reported a total of 1,789,492 Covid-19 cases and 14,182 deaths, whereas Mumbai reported 233,698 cases and 1,435 deaths.

Experts have attributed this to other cities and rural parts of Maharashtra catching up in terms of Covid cases and deaths, migration. Dr Rahul Pandit, who is a member of the Maharashtra government’s Covid-19 taskforce said, “This is a relative thing. Now rural Maharashtra and other cities are also reporting a higher number of Covid-19 cases.”

In May 2020, Mumbai contributed to 57% of Maharashtra’s cases and to 54% of its deaths. Dr Pandit said, “Now cases are not concentrated to Mumbai alone. Our share in deaths has decreased because of better infrastructure, and policies and protocols Mumbai put in place to reduce mortality. We are effectively utilising our resources such as general practitioners, small nursing homes and clinics as well.”

In June last year, the BMC devised it’s Mission Save Lives – a nine-point strategy to reduce Covid-19 fatality. Effectively, Mumbai’s overall case fatality rate dropped from as high as 6% in the first half of 2020, to 3.5% in the second half, to under 2% now. Mumbai’s CFR for the month of October alone was 2.6%, which has dropped to 0.6% in the month of April 2021, even as cases have increased.

However, experts point that even though this second wave has recorded fewer deaths due to Covid-19, it is more intense in terms of post-recovery complications. Dr Harish Chafle, senior consultant of pulmonology and critical care at Global Hospital in Parel, said, “Independently, Mumbai has recorded higher cases in this wave as compared to the last wave, as the new variants of Covid-19 are more infectious. But in the first wave, patients did not need as many days of ICU care as now. Now patients are recovering more slowly. Moreover, within 21-30 days, patients are developing fibrosis due to Covid-19, which has serious effects on mortality in the long run, post recovery.”

On Thursday, Mumbai reported 3,028 covid-19 cases and 69 deaths, taking the tally to 668,085 and toll to 13,580. However, deaths per day in Mumbai were in single digits in the first week of March.

On Wednesday, Mumbai conducted 30,942 tests, with a daily positivity rate of 9.7%, down from 18%-20% recorded last month.