Maharashtra: 8 districts report Covid positivity rate higher than state average
The weekly Covid positivity rate of Maharashtra is 2.28%, though eight districts have a higher positivity rate. Positivity rate is the percentage of positive cases against tests conducted.
Maharashtra has witnessed a drop in daily Covid-19 case load, test positivity and growth rates in the past few days. However, eight districts have reported positivity rate higher than the state average. As per data, none of the districts have a test positivity rate over 5% mark, which has happened after a long time.
The state on Wednesday recorded 3,608 new Covid cases and 48 deaths, taking tally to 6,531,237 and toll to 138,664. Mumbai reported 486 new cases and four deaths, pushing tally to 739,361 and toll to 16,063. The day also saw 168,317 tests while the number of recoveries clocked 4,285.
The weekly positivity rate of Maharashtra is 2.28%, though eight districts have a higher positivity rate. Positivity rate is the percentage of positive cases against tests conducted. The districts with high positivity rates are Ahmednagar (4.78%), Pune (4.62%), Sangli (3.97%), Sindhudurg (3.46%), Osmanabad (3.40%), Nashik (2.94%), Palghar (2.56%) and Satara (2.37%),
According to Dr Rahul Pandit, a member of the state Covid task force and director of critical care, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, said the situation was under control. “We are in a much better situation compared to previous weeks. We have stepped up surveillance in areas where cases are high and are concentrating on bringing the numbers down,” said Dr Pandit.
Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has directed district administrations to ramp up vaccination. “The state has a stock of around 3.6 million doses available for inoculation. The districts with the poor rate of vaccination should ramp it up. Vaccines tend to blunt the severity of Covid-19 and death rate among fully vaccinated people is less. Though Covid cases have dropped in the state, authorities should not lower their guard,” he said.
Meanwhile, 10 districts in the state have weekly Covid-19 growth rate higher than the state average of 0.052%. These include Ahmednagar (0.202%) Solapur (0.116%), Satara (0.094%), Sangli (0.082%), Ratnagiri (0.080%), Osmanabad (0.078%), Raigad (0.073%), Pune (0.066%), Mumbai (0.060%) and Sindhudurg (0.058%).
Weekly data of the state government has revealed that 10 districts have reported 73.3% of the total active cases in the state. These include Pune, Thane, Ahmednagar, Mumbai and Satara.
Dr Ishwar Gilada, secretary-general of Organised Medicine Academic Guild, said both authorities and citizens are responsible for this impasse. “Districts like Ahmednagar, Pune and Sangli have been witnessing surge from the very beginning and the authorities are unable to rein in the virus. Citizens, too, flout Covid-19 norms,” said Dr Gilada.
The total number of active patients in Maharashtra currently stands at 39,984, of which Pune tops with 11,344 patients followed by Thane with 5,507 active patients and Ahmednagar with 5,100.