The 3rd wave is here, say officials as cases double in Maha, Mum in 48 hrs

The 3rd wave is here, say officials as cases double in Maha, Mum in 48 hrs

Malathy Iyer & Bhavika Jain TNN

Mumbai:

01.01.2022

Daily Covid-19 cases have doubled within 48 hours in both Maharashtra and Mumbai. The state reported 8,067 fresh cases on Friday as against 3,900 on Wednesday, and Mumbai saw 5,428 cases as compared to Wednesday’s 2,445.

State health officials have declared that the third wave — most likely to be dubbed the Omicron-Covid wave — has already begun in Maharashtra. “The state is at the doorstep of a possible lockdown. It is only a matter of time before strict restrictions will be brought back,” said relief and rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar.

With the rapid near-doubling of cases, the state public health department has estimated that active cases in Maharashtra will rise to 2 lakh by the third week of January. As of Friday, there are 24,509 active cases in Maharashtra. Active cases in the state increased three-fold between December 21 (7,093) and December 31 (24,509). In Mumbai, too, 2,061 active cases ballooned to 16,441 in the 10-day period.

In a letter to the state public health team, additional state chief secretary (health) Pradeep Vyas on Friday said, “Covid-19 cases, including the Omicron variant, are increasing and the third Covid wave has already started in the state. ” All districts have been asked to start prepara- tions to manage the patient load of the third wave.

“The number of Covid infections in the third wave is going to be huge,” said Dr Vyas. “Even if 1% case fatality is presumed, we can still land up with 80,000 deaths if there are 80 lakh Covid cases. ”

He warned people against getting “lulled by narrative” that the third Covid-Omicron wave is mild, and not fatal. “It is equally fa- tal for those who are not vaccinated and have comorbidities. So please improve vaccination coverage and save lives,” Vyas added

The daily positivity rate in the state and Mumbai continued to see a rise. With 1. 2 lakh tests conducted in the state in 24 hours, the positivity rate rose to 6. 5% on Friday. Mumbai’s positivity rate soared to double digits — 11. 4%.

With the cases galloping since the last 10 days, the city’s total December tally has surged over three times, while the state has reported an over 50% surge. In December, Mumbai reported 21,581 cases as against 6,827 cases in November, while the state added 43,759 cases this month as against 26,491cases in November. However, the only positive so far is that Covid-related fatalities in Maharashtra and Mumbai have witnessed a decline. On Friday, the state reported eight deaths, including one in the city. Mumbai added 48 deaths this month as against 89 deaths in November.

Workers prepare a new Covid centre in Mumbai on Friday