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After 32 days of closure, the number of positive coronavirus cases in Maharashtra reached 6,817 cases on Friday with 394 new cases. 5,279 of these cases are found only in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), which saw all the relaxations that went into effect on April 21 and were removed in one day.
Friday’s increase was less compared to Thursday’s 778 cases, the highest in one day since March 9, when the state’s first 19 Covid cases were recorded.
In Mumbai, the case count increased to 4,447 as 242 new cases were registered in one day.
Monday was also the 21st consecutive day that the number of new cases in the state was three digits. This is the reason why most cases, 6519, are recorded only in the month of April.
It took Maharashtra 30 days to cross 1000 cases on April 7, but it crossed the 2000 mark in six days on April 13. The increase from 2,000 to 4,000 cases was also completed in six days on April 19. Adding the next 2,000 cases, counting beyond 6,000, only took four days.
However, the numbers are high, senior officials said the state has not yet reached the stage of community transmission, as there is no exponential growth in Covid 19 cases.
“The two 14-day infection cycles were completed on April 20. It started on March 22 when international traffic stopped. We will have to wait another seven days to assess the upward trend. If the increase continues and if new cases increase by more than 50% (over the previous day) on a daily basis, it can be called exponential growth and only then can we say that the stage of community transmission has arrived, “said Dr. TP Lahane , director, Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER).
He clarified that exponential growth is also of two types: one has an increase of 50% in daily cases and the other duplicates cases, which means an increase of 100% in one day.
“If exponential growth begins, the state government will also have to extend the shutdown period for another three weeks until May 24 to break the incubation cycle,” said Dr. Lahane.
The death toll also crossed the 300 mark in the state with 18 new deaths recorded. Of these, 11 were in Mumbai, five in Pune and two in Malegaon in Nashik. The total number of victims in Mumbai increased to 178.
Of the 18 deaths, 12 patients had comorbid conditions, health officials said.
The state’s death rate has dropped significantly to 4.40% (283 cases as of Thursday) from 7.41% (148 cases) since last Monday (April 13). However, it remains higher than the national average of 3.11% through Thursday, according to data from the state department of medical education.
As cases increase, the epidemic is also spreading to more areas of the state. Nanded reported his first case on April 22. With this, only three districts – Wardha, Bhandara, Gadchiroli – are left without a single Covid 19 case as of now.
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The state health department has conducted 1,02,189 tests at various public and private facilities to date, 94,485 of which have tested negative. The state currently has 512 active containment zones. Around 7,702 survey teams comprising doctors and aid personnel have examined more than 28.88 lakh to detect the virus. About 957 patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovery.
It has also kept 8,814 suspected patients in government quarantine facilities, while 1,19,161 are in home quarantine, state health officials say.
The Maharashtra government is also set to begin clinical trials of plasma therapy in the coming days after finally receiving the go-ahead from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR). Initially, it will start at Sassoon Hospital in Pune as permits are still awaited for three other hospitals in Mumbai, Nagpur and Solapur. The state also obtained permission to conduct group tests for Covid 19 that allows five samples to be used in a single test. So far, only one sample is being tested at a time.
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Once clinical trials are successful, the state can begin plasma therapy as a treatment for Covid 19 patients.
“We have received permission from the Center to conduct clinical trials of plasma therapy in the state. Once approved by the state ethics committee, it will begin in the next 3-4 days at Sassoon Hospital, Pune. It will also start at JJ Hospital in Mumbai, Indira Gandhi Medical College in Nagpur and Solapur Medical College in Solapur once the permits are in force, ”said Dr. Tatyarao Lahane, director, Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER ).
Plasma therapy uses antibodies from the plasma of a patient recovered from Covid-19 to treat those affected. The concept behind the therapy is that the plasma of a recovered patient contains antibodies with the ability to fight the coronavirus.
State health department officials said that with the new form of testing, the state’s capacity would increase 10-fold. Group testing could help groups or critical areas faster, authorities added.
The test method involves pooling multiple swab samples and testing them in a single real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. If a lot is positive, then all those whose samples were part of that lot would have to be tested separately. Conversely, if a batch is negative, all samples are negative.
Tope said the state also suggested the use of a portable pulse oximeter and a chest X-ray test to help diagnose patients with coronavirus and subsequently lower the death rate. A statement from the state health department said it was suggested that PPE kits should be disinfected and reused; This suggestion was appreciated at the meeting of the union health minister and the health ministers of all states. The minister also said that the Center is positive about allowing new testing facilities at six medical colleges in Maharashtra.
So far, the state government has also advised more than 47,000 migrant workers who want to return to their native villages. This is being done with the help of psychiatrists and health personnel, the health minister said. More than 6 lakh migrant workers are housed in more than 944 shelter houses prepared by the state government.
