Mumbai had reason to cheer on Tuesday as the daily test positivity rate stood at 1.7%, the lowest in the second Covid-19 wave, as 568 cases were detected in 24 hours. The state daily positivity rate was 3.9% on Tuesday, with 8,470 new cases and 188 deaths, an uptick from Monday.
Since March 2020, the city has recorded 7.2 lakh cases and 15,315 deaths, the Times of India reported. While the daily caseload in cities such as Pune and Delhi has dropped drastically, Mumbai’s recovery rate is lower than the national figure. However, on a positive note, the all-India daily positivity rate is at 2.56%, while the corresponding figure has been under 3% for two weeks in Mumbai now.
Until a month ago, the number of critical patients was over 2,500 which has now come down to 894. There has also been a decline in the demand for hospital beds, with the occupancy at 53 per cent.
Meanwhile, the Delta Plus variant continues to keep the authorities on their toes in Maharashtra, with authorities saying some of the 21 cases of the variant found so far were detected as early as April but their genome sequencing results arrived only last week.
Some of the infected include a man in his late 70s, a milk dealer’s wife, two jewellers who travelled to Surat, an electrician who attended a big wedding and a teacher in his mid-50s, TOI reported.
The first two Delta Plus cases were detected in Mumbai in the first half of April, indicating that the variant has been in the metropolis since long. A majority of those affected by this variant were not vaccinated, a probe has revealed.
Delta-plus cases were found in six districts of Maharashtra, with the most in Ratnagiri and Jalgaon. All seven Jalgaon patients hail from a single village, Vichkheda, with a population of 1,200. The district is currently reporting 40-50 cases daily. Jalgaon was the first district to register a surge in cases during the second wave this year.
State surveillance officer Dr Pradeep Awate said they are gathering information about these cases, including the symptoms, severity of disease and vaccination status. There will also be surveillance of influenza-like illnesses in the vicinity.
Delta-plus (AY.1) has mutated from the highly infectious Delta (B.1.617.2), that was first detected in India, and is believed to have driven the second wave.
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