Maharashtra Covid cases down 2/3rds from 11.4L in May to 3L in June

MUMBAI: While 11.4 lakh people across Maharashtra were down with Covid-19 in May, the cases have dropped by two-thirds to 3 lakh in June (so far).
The second wave of Covid-19 is clearly ebbing from its peak in April, when 17.9 lakh cases and 14,164 deaths were recorded in Maharashtra. There are fears that in pockets of Kolhapur and Sangli or even in the Andheri-Borivli stretch of Mumbai, a “rebound” or small blips could be underway.
While there is no doubt that the second wave has been bigger and worse than the first one last year, there is a question mark over the daily death burden. Maharashtra has been carrying out a death data reconciliation exercise since May 17. Of the 52,760 deaths added in May (26,531) and June (26,229) so far, 25,266 were classified as “old deaths” with no information on the day/date these deaths occurred. And, as per the daily death calculations, 7,170 deaths occurred in June and 20,324 in May.
In Mumbai, the second wave had a curve similar to the state. While April was the peak for cases -- 2.3 lakh -- May was the peak for deaths at 1,723. In June, the cases as well as deaths were about a third of the May counts at 20,550 and 588 respectively.
Despite this massive drop from April to June, experts say the main cause for worry is the “thick tail” of the decline in both Mumbai and Maharashtra. While cases in other states and cities have dropped to a fraction of their peaks in the second wave, both Mumbai and Maharashtra continue to record high daily incidences as compared to, say, Delhi or Karnataka.
On Tuesday, for instance, Maharashtra recorded 8,085 cases and 231 deaths, while Mumbai registered 556 cases and 12 deaths. The fatalities in the state crossed the 200 mark after a gap of 9 days. The state’s total caseload has touched 60.5 lakh and the city’s is 7.2 lakh. Total fatalities rose to 1,21,804 in the state and 15,426 in the city.
Dr Shashank Joshi, a member of the state government’s task force on Covid-19, said people have to remember that the second wave isn’t over yet. “We still detect thousands of cases every day. Yes, the second wave is on a decline, but we have to guard against a rebound or a reverse bump, as is happening in some districts such as Kolhapur,” he said. He said such blips are responsible for the “thick tail” in Maharashtra’s Covid graph. “Even in Mumbai, suburbs of concern have developed, especially in the Andheri-Borivli belt where there is poor adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour,” he added.
Health minister Rajesh Tope said though cases were on the decline, it should not discourage people from getting vaccinated. “Vaccination should be done on priority. There are so far only 21 Delta-plus cases reported in the state, so it is not a cause of immediate worry,” Tope said. He said if the state can vaccinate 70% of its targeted population, the severity of the third wave can be reduced.