PUNE: The active case tally in the state's records continues to mark Pune as the district with the highest active Covid patient-load in Maharashtra.
The state health department has estimated that there are 10,875 active cases in the region. But, the number of patients currently undergoing treatment across homes and hospitals in Pune is 6,764.
The addition of 4,111 patients to the active caseload then are due to Covid infections among those who don't live here but had visited Pune for short work-related trips. They were diagnosed with Covid infection during the short stay. However, the floating population has added to the active caseload in the state's records.
Additional district health officer Abhay Tidke said, “We have 6,764 active Covid patients in Pune district __ 3,074 in hospital isolation and 3,690 in home isolation. They have yet to recover from Covid-19 and are undergoing treatment either in home isolation or in hospitals. The state has pegged this number at 10,875. Detection of outstation citizens in Pune has inflated the active case count.”
A large influx of citizens have come from outside the district after gradual opening up of businesses. Although Pune district officials do not consider these patients in their active caseload as they are not Pune residents, the government continues to hold them in Pune's active case count as they have tested positive at hospitals/labs in the region.
Tidke said, “These are the people who had come to Pune on a short visit either from districts in Maharashtra or other states, but developed symptoms and tested positive for Covid in Pune and are either undergoing care at hospitals or with the confines of the temporary accommodation they were or are staying in.”
District officials do not count these patients in Pune's active case tally. “We keep a tab of their health but do not count them in our active case tally. State officials have to consider them in Pune's tally until their names are diverted to the Covid case count of the districts they belong to,” Tidke said.
