September surge: Active cases top 40,000 in Pune region

PUNE: On the first Monday of September, Pune became the first district in the country to cross the two lakh-infected mark.
A week later, Pune Metropolitan Region, which has among the highest concentration of urban and semi-urban spaces in the district, registered its single highest 24-hour tally with 4,935 new patients. As on Thursday, it had 40,152 active patients.

Now, the good news. Nearly 80% of the two lakh patients have been discharged.
Seven months into the outbreak in Pune, since the first case on March 9, many have wondered if more could have been done to control the spread and limit the deaths—4,800—in a city that has some of the best scientific institutions in the country.
The first serological survey in the city, results for which were announced in August, had found that 51% of the population across five high-incidence zones had already had the infection —indicating a strong, early wave. Prevalence was high at 62.2% among those with access only to common toilets. It was relatively lower at 45.3% among those with own toilets at home.
“Our findings indicate that there has been an extensive spread of Covid-19 in these parts,” said a researcher with the survey team.
The administration has not been able to get ahead of the virus. Contact tracing, described as the backbone of any disease surveillance programme, remains abysmally low in Pune. The administration has been tracking just 10 contacts per confirmed case—the lowest in the state. Indian Council of Medical Research mandates at least 20.