The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) second round of survey covered 5,384 people in three wards – Matunga (F North), Dahisar (R North) and Chembur (M West). (Express Photo: Amit Chakravarty)
Mumbai serological survey findings
Mumbai detected 2,440 new cases of Covid-19 and 42 deaths, taking the city's tally to 2,10,060, including 9,014 deaths. A second serological survey in Mumbai has revealed that 45 per cent of the slum population surveyed, and 18 per cent in non-slum pockets, was exposed to the disease. The survey was conducted in mid-August. Similar to the first sero-survey, more women were found exposed to and with antibodies against the novel coronavirus than men.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 tally in Pune district of Maharashtra reached 2,89,248 on Friday with the addition of 2,571 new cases, a health department official said. The fatality count went up to 6,687 as 89 patients succumbed to the infection. An analysis of 3,345 deaths due to the coronavirus in Pune till September 29 has found that a majority had co-morbid conditions. At least 99 were brought dead and 2,206 persons, nearly 60 per cent, were above the age of 60.
A second serological survey in Mumbai has revealed that 45 per cent of the slum population surveyed, and 18 per cent in non-slum pockets, was exposed to the disease. The survey was conducted in mid-August. Similar to the first sero-survey, more women were found exposed to and with antibodies against the novel coronavirus than men.
The latest findings are starkly different from the first survey in July, when 57 per cent people in slums and 16 per cent in non-slums were found exposed.
Maharashtra Unlock 5.0: Govt positive on reopening cinema halls
The Maharashtra government is positive about reopening cinema halls and theatres but its priority is to ensure safety of citizens amid the COVID-19 pandemic, state Cultural Affairs Minister Amit Deshmukh said on Thursday. During a meeting with representatives of the Theatre Owners Association, Deshmukh said he would discuss the matter with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat. Cinema halls and theaters have been shut since last six months in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Dussehra, Diwali, Christmas are the time when people make a beeline for theatres and cinema halls. This is a good time to restart them. The government is thinking how to reopen them as people's health and safety is paramount," he said. Deshmukh said at present, phase 5 of the unlock process is underway wherein hotels, restaurants, bars have been allowed to open in the state, but cinema halls and theatres will remain closed.
Mumbai BMC orders 72,000 Remdisevir injections
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Wednesday that it has ordered 72,000 vials of the Remdisevir injection for the treatment of critical COVID-19 patients. It has received the first batch of 10,000 vials which were distributed to various hospitals and jumbo (large-scale) COVID-19 treatment facilities in the city, the BMC said in a release. The highest 1,700 vials were handed over to the Director of Medical Education and major hospitals, 1,200 vials to Seven Hills Hospital and800 vials each to KEM, Sion and Nair hospitals in the city, it said in a release.
A health worker takes a swab sample for Covid-19 testing in Mumbai on September 29, 2020. (Express Photo: Amit Chakravarty)
The COVID-19 tally in Nashik district of Maharashtra reached 79,280 on Saturday with a single-day addition of 866 fresh cases, district officials said. With 17 more fatalities, the total toll in the district went up to 1,427, they said. (PTI)
The video of a coronavirus- infected woman gasping for breath and then dying at a facility in Chandrapur in Maharashtra on Saturday went viral on social media, prompting the district administration to call for a report on the incident while some protesters flayed the administration for lack of health infrastructure in the district. (PTI)
There is growing hope that a vaccine against coronavirus may be given the green light by health regulators by the end of this year to be rolled out for a vaccination programme in six months' time or even less, according to a UK media report.
The vaccine candidate under trial by University of Oxford scientists in collaboration with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is the furthest in the process of trials and, according to a report in 'The Times', it could be given the required clearances by Christmas in December.
The newspaper quoted UK government sources involved in the making and distribution of vaccines as saying that a full vaccine roll-out programme for adults could take six months or less after approval. (PTI)
Maharashtra government has issued Covid safety guidelines for restaurants which are set to reopen from October 5
At least 190 personnel of the Maharashtra police tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, raising the count of infections in the force to 23,879, an official said Saturday. Apart from this, the death of two police personnel has taken the toll in the department to 250, which includes 25 officers, the official told PTI.
India continues to occupy the top global position with the maximum number of COVID-19 recoveries and accounts for 21 per cent of the recovered cases worldwide, while its share in the total cases stands at 18.6 per cent, the Union health ministry said on Saturday. India has also maintained its global position with one of the lowest COVID-19 case fatality rates (CFR) when compared to several other countries.
"The deaths per million population in India is one of the lowest in the world. While the global average is 130 deaths per million population, India is reporting 73 deaths per million population," the ministry said.
Life came crashing down for 51- year-old Biju Pushkaran, the head clown of India's famous Rambo Circus, along with its over 100 artistes when the coronavirus-induced lockdown was imposed in March this year, forcing the circus to fold its tent. But after six months of despondency, smile returned on the faces of these artistes as the circus went online and presented a virtual show for the first time on September 25.
The crew members say that they felt hopeless and dejected during the lockdown, but this virtual way of presenting the show through pre-recorded videos has given a new lease of life to the circus. The artistes, especially the clowns, say that although they are happy to be back in the game, they are missing the fun of the live shows like getting hugs from children and selfies with them.
Overwhelmed by the response to this special fundraising show 'Life Is A Circus', organised in association with LaQshya Live Experiences and Production Crew Entertainment, the circus is now planning to hold more such shows in the near future. "After the lockdown was imposed, we thought it was a temporary phase, but as the severity of the pandemic increased so as the lockdowns, our artistes stranded at Airoli in Navi Mumbai, started feeling the pinch in terms of food and income," said Pushkaran. (PTI)
The daily detection of new coronavirus positive cases dropped below 80,000 on Friday, only the fourth time this has happened in the last one month. But on earlier occasions this drop had come on a Monday, and was attributable to the low test numbers on a Sunday. Friday’s count of about 79,000 new cases is thus the lowest since September 1 that is not a direct result of reduced testing the previous day.
One of the reasons for India’s relative low coronavirus numbers in the last few days has been the decline in Maharashtra. There has been a significant reduction in the number of cases being reported by Maharashtra compared to two weeks ago when it had been reporting over 22,000 cases daily. It has come down to a level of 15,000 to 18,000, and that is getting reflected in the daily national count as well. Importantly, it has kept India’s number well under the peak of about 98,000 cases that was achieved in the second week of September.
India’s coronavirus-related deaths crossed the 1 lakh mark on Friday, three days after the global toll touched 1 million. This means India now accounts for nearly 10 per cent of the world’s Covid-19 deaths. Only the United States and Brazil have had more deaths. More than 2.12 lakh people have died in the US, and about 1.45 lakh in Brazil.
Maharashtra accounts for more than a third of India’s deaths, having recorded almost 38,000 fatalities so far. It also has a very high CFR of 2.67 per cent. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have recorded more than 9,000 deaths each – but their CFRs are in line with the national average, around 1.5 per cent. Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh have had more than 5,000 deaths each. Read the report here
The count of COVID-19 cases in Nashik district of Maharashtra crossed the 78,000-mark and reached 78,414 on Friday with the single-day addition of 1,430 patients, the health officials said. The virus claimed 19 more lives, which took the death toll in the district to 1,410, they said. So far, 68,045 patients have been discharged following their recovery, of which 853 recovered on Friday alone, they said.
The COVID-19 tally in Pune district of Maharashtra reached 2,89,248 on Friday with the addition of 2,571 new cases, a health department official said. The fatality count in the western Maharashtra district went up to 6,687 as 89 patients succumbed to the infection, he said. A total of 1,209 patients got discharge from hospitals following their recovery, the official said.
Maharashtra on Friday recorded 15,591 new coronavirus cases, which took the total case count in the state to 14,16,513, the health department said. With 424 COVID-19 patients succumbing, the death toll due to the pandemic reached 37,480. On the other hand, 13,294 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the total of recoveries to 11,17,720. There are 2,60,876 active cases in the state, while 69,60,203 people have been tested so far. The recovery rate in the state is 78.91 per cent, while the fatality rate is 2.65 per cent.
The Maharashtra government has allowed Mumbai's 5,000-odd dabbawalas to travel in local trains. However, returning from the longest break in the city’s 130-year-old history of tiffin delivery services will not be easy. The delivery men are grappling with reduced demand, limited access to customers and rusted bicycles. Read Srinath Rao's report
Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Devendra Fadnavis questioned the state government’s failure to increase coronavirus tests, due to which there was a rise in Covid-19 cases in September. In a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Fadnavis said there was an urgent need to focus on increasing the number of tests in the state to bring the situation under control and get the wheels of the economy moving. Read more here
From calling in architects to create a new layout for their premise, trimming menus, to making constant calls to hiring agencies and existing staffers to return from villages, restaurants, cafes and bars are gearing up for reopening on October 5. The standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the government has asked restaurants to ensure there is no overcrowding, customers pre-book their tables and a separate waiting area. Bar counters and tables have to be disinfected regularly, and raw food like salad and cold items have to be avoided.
Apart from dearth of staffers, for a space-starved city like Mumbai, restaurants face the difficulty of churning out profit while ensuring physical distancing amid fewer tables. Read Tabassum Barnagarwala's report
An analysis of 3,345 deaths due to the coronavirus in Pune till September 29 has found that a majority had co-morbid conditions. At least 99 were brought dead and 2,206 persons, nearly 60 per cent, were above the age of 60. Ramchandra Hankare, outgoing chief medical officer of PMC, told The Indian Express that the latest analysis shows that at least 394 had hypertension and 316 had diabetes. Read Anuradha Mascarenhas' report
Good morning and welcome to our live blog on the Covid-19 situation in Maharashtra. The state added 16,476 cases of the novel coronavirus to its tally on Thursday, taking the overall count to over 14 lakh. The toll rose to 37,056 after the state reported 394 additional deaths.