Finally, some relief for Delhi, Mumbai as Covid cases come down

NEW DELHI: Mumbai and Delhi, the two cities that were among the worst affected by the second wave of Covid-19, are finally heaving a sigh of relief. At least for now.
Mumbai on Monday (July 5, 2021)reported 489 Covid-19 cases, the lowest single-day addition to the tally since February 16 this year. Delhi on the other hand recorded 54 fresh Covid-19 cases on the same day, the lowest since April 15 last year.
Amid fears of a third wave of the pandemic, these numbers inspire hope for the two cities that have suffered a lot. Both the cities witnessed an unprecedented crisis when the second wave peaked around April.
What makes these numbers all the more assuring is the fact that the reduction in the cases is despite the increased testing being conducted by the authorities.
Here's a look at the active cases versus the testing done in Delhi and Mumbai:


This possibly points to the reduced spread of the virus, at least for now.
According to doctors, some of the factors that have possibly contributed to this decrease of numbers in the national capital are- increased awareness on vaccination as a result of which lot of people are coming forward to take the jab and the long lockdown that was enforced by the Delhi government.
Then there is also the fact that a large number of people in the national capital have already been affected by the virus. A sero-survey conducted between January 11 and 21 this year had revealed that over 56 per cent of Delhi's population was exposed to the infection.
Mumbai's thick tail versus Delhi's sharp curves
At the peak of the second wave, Delhi saw a spike that was brutal and unprecedented. The horror scenes of people struggling for hospital beds, oxygen, life-saving medicines shocked the country like never before.
Fortunately though, the numbers in the national capital came down almost as fast as they went up.

Mumbai on the other hand registered an average of cases that was fairly higher and sustained over a long period of time as compared to Delhi.
This meant that the peak in Mumbai was not as sharp as Delhi, but the number of cases stayed relatively high for a longer period, both before the peak and after it.

The reasons for the “thick tail” in Mumbai could be a mix of more testing, better reporting and population density. Citing the reasons, BMC additional commissioner Suresh Kakani had earlier said, “It could be due to our huge population density or the floating population.”
Statistics released by the Western Railway show that 28 lakh people returned to Maharashtra, including 7.8 lakh people to Mumbai, in the May-June period.
While Delhi has unlocked to a great extent, Mumbai is still opening up with caution. The fear of Delta plus variant has forced the Maharashtra government to go slow with the process of unlock. The fear of a third wave is still looming over the country.