Senior citizens wait outside a vaccination center at Late Shivshankar Pote Hospital in Padmavati on Thursday. (Express Photo: Pavan Khengre) With focus on ramping up the Covid-19 vaccination to inoculate maximum eligible citizens, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is likely to once again face the daunting challenge of containing the ongoing surge of the viral infection with 904 new patients being identified on Thursday as the daily positivity continues to be over 10 per cent from last few weeks.
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar is going to take a review of the Covid-19 situation on Friday and is likely to direct the administration on taking steps to check the ongoing surge.
As per the PMC report released on Thursday night, 904 of the 7,585 suspects tested positive for the Covid-19 as the daily positivity rate increased to 11.92 per cent. The city registered seven patients succumbing to the viral infection, taking the total so far to 4,876.
There has been a steady increase in active cases in the city to 5,886 from 1,383 a month ago. It is further registering an increase in critical patients and those in need of oxygen. The overall infected count till now has been 2,05,553 while those cured are 1,94,791.
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The PMC, to restart restrictions, decided to close the physical teaching in schools, colleges and private coaching classes till March 14 after permitting them for a few days when the spread was under control.
It further scaled up the testing to identify maximum infected citizens and also resumed the strategy of declaring micro-containment zones by empowering the ward offices to take the call based on the number of infected patients in a building, society or locality. Accordingly, there are 42 micro-containment zones across the city. The PMC is receiving complaints of violation of rules of home quarantine by patients and citizens in micro-containment zones.
The PMC plans to put stickers on the entrance door of houses having a minimum of five infected patients and put a stamp of home quarantine on the wrist of infected persons so that it is easily identified if someone is moving in public places.
The civic administration was able to scale up the vaccination in the city for the third phase which included vaccinating senior citizens and those with comorbidity above 45 years of age. It has roped in 22 private hospitals in addition to 40 government hospitals as centers for vaccination. Centers in three civic hospitals having walk-in registration are operational in two shifts from 8 am to 10 pm on weekdays.