Maharashtra recorded 711 new Covid cases today, a jump of nearly 186 per cent in a day. Four people have died (Satara-2, Pune-1, Ratnagiri – 1) of the contagious infection in the last 24 hours. A total of 248 cases were logged yesterday.
The state has seen 11 deaths in the last seven days. The case fatality rate in the state is currently 1.82 per cent. There are 3,792 active cases in the state – a 62 per cent rise in a week.
Amid a surge in cases, Maharashtra Health Minister Tanaji Sawant, earlier in the day, informed that the state would be conducting a mock drill next week (April 13 and 14th) to assess Covid preparedness. “As suggested by the central government, we are going to hold a mock drill for our Covid preparedness in the state on 13-14th April,” he said.
However, the health minister asked people not to panic but remain vigilant and take precautions. “The Covid numbers are increasing but it’s not affecting much as it’s a mild variant. No need to panic but everyone should take precautions while going to crowded places,” Mr Sawant said.
Six districts of Maharashtra – Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg, Pune and Satara – have higher numbers of positive patients. Numbers are rising in the areas where population density is a bit higher. Districts like Pune, Raigad, and Thane are seeing a rise in daily positive patient numbers due to high population density.
The minister also asserted that no patient is on a ventilator or oxygen support in Maharashtra. “I have talked to all the Covid hospitals and can update you that no patient is on ventilator or oxygen support in Maharashtra. It’s very satisfactory that patients are recovering only in 48-72 hours. So nothing to worry much about because Prevalent XBB.1.16 is not as lethal as Delta variant was in the second wave of Covid”, he said.
The Health Ministry has also issued revised guidelines for COVID-19 in the wake of the surge of cases in the past week across the country.
“Antibiotics should not be used unless there is clinical suspicion of bacterial infection. The possibility of coinfection of COVID-19 with other endemic infections must be considered. Systemic corticosteroids are not indicated in mild disease,” the revised guidelines said.
“Seek immediate medical attention if difficulty breathing, high-grade fever/ severe cough, particularly if lasting for more than 5 days. A low threshold is to be kept for those with any of the high-risk features,” guidelines discussed and prepared in January said.
India reported 3,038 new coronavirus cases today, while the active cases increased to 21,179, according to the Health Ministry data.
