MUMBAI: The speedy rise in Covid-19 incidence in the state and the city continued on Sunday as 1,494 and 961 new cases were found, respectively.
The state registered a 10% jump in cases over the past 24 hours while Mumbai’s cases rose by 8% compared to Saturday. At 11%, the city’s daily positivity rate hit double digits after almost three months on Sunday, suggesting a clear rise i n viral activity and inadequate testing for the novel coronavirus.
Sunday’s tally for Maharashtra is the highest single day jump in 106 days. The last time the state had more than 1,494 cases was on February 19 (1,635 cases). Even for Mumbai, 961 cases were a fourmonth high. The city had seen this many new cases in a single day on February 2 (1,121). BMC said 95% of cases were asymptomatic; 44 people got hospitalised on Sunday, the second day of recording more than 40 admissions.
The count of in-patients at Andheri’s Seven Hills Hospital, which is the primary centre for admitting Covid patients in the city, is nearing 100. Dean Dr Balkrishna Adsul said they are seeing almost 20 admissions in a day and nearly a dozen discharges. Symptoms are usually fever, cold and bodyache. “However, most patients are opting for a test and hospitalisation when their symptoms don’t subside with regular cold medication,” he said, adding that at least 30-40% of admissions are among people younger than 40 years.
But severity is certainly less. The hospital had 13 patients in ICU, but mostly senior citizens and referrals fro m other hospitals. “Deaths recently are among patients who have been hospitalised for weeks and with comorbidities,” he said. The hospital has not tackled cases where patients died immediately or within a day or two of hospitalisation as was seen during the first and second waves. On Sunday, the state reported a single death. The victim was a senior citizen from Mumbai who had comorbidities.
