MUMBAI: While the fear of the highly transmissible Omicron variant triggering another Covid wave looms large, the state recorded its lowest monthly tally in 19 months.
Only 26,491 cases were detected in Maharashtra in November as opposed to 2.5 times this monthly tally detected on some single day in April at the peak of the second wave.
Cases dropped by 55% from October (58,750) to November. Exactly a year back, when the first wave had declined, the state had recorded 1.39 lakh cases in November 2020. A similar pattern was apparent in Mumbai: 6,827 cases were detected in November as against 12,842 in October.
“We can now clearly say that the first and second waves are over. The thinning of the ‘thick tail’ in Maharashtra and Mumbai is complete, and we are staring at endemicity or Covid-secure place provided there is no disruption caused by a new variant or people's lax behaviour or both,'' said Dr Shashank Joshi, who is a member of the state government's task force on Covid-19.
Even mortality has been 30% low in November as compared to October (1129). The state recorded 781 deaths, including 89 in Mumbai, in November. “The vaccination drive has clearly shown an impact on morbidity and mortality trends in the city,” said additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani. On the last day of the month, the state registered 678 cases — a rise from 536 cases on Monday — and 35 deaths. The total tally in the state is now 66.35 lakh, which is higher than caseload in many countries (except eight).
In Mumbai, 180 cases were registered as against 110 on Monday. Only two deaths were registered on Monday, taking the overall toll to 16,336 in the city. The total caseload in Mumbai is 7.6 lakh so far.
