Nearly 50% drop in number of critical patients in Maharashtra

PUNE: With a consistent drop in fresh Covid infections, the number critical patients in the state has reduced by nearly half, from 5,048 last month to 2783 till November 8, as per public health department data.
There were just 1,132 Covid patients in intensive care units across Maharashtra, the data further showed.
Nineteen districts in Maharashtra are reporting fewer than 50 active cases, with nine districts reporting a single-digit caseload, the health department data till November 15 showed.
Covid task force members said that the state appears to be slowly moving towards an endemic stage, though they satded it was too early to say for sure.
“Critical patients, meaning those in need of oxygen support, are reducing significantly. The number has dropped even in terms of daily critical patients being reported at hospitals. Though the percentage of critical patients among total active patients is the same, the absolute numbers of severe infections have fallen considerably, and Covid-19 vaccination seems to have played a major role in this reduction,” a state public health department official said.
The official added, “The main purpose of the vaccination is not a reduction in reinfection, but a reduction in severe Covid cases/critical admissions and therefore, mortalities — a trend seen post-vaccination.”
Intensivist Dr Rahul Pandit, a member of the state Covid task force told TOI, “We are slowly and surely moving towards endemicity, though it is too early to say we are there. Maharashtra must wait for another two weeks for the Diwali-effect on Covid cases to become apparent. If there is no significant surge in cases by the month-end and, depending on how fast we can vaccinate the rest of the population, the state could quickly move towards achieving Covid endemicity. But all this will depend on the emergence of a new variant”
Pandit said another seven to 14 days will have to elapse for any festival-related surge in Covid cases to show. “Reduction in Covid mortalities and single-digit active cases in several districts is, however, indicative of the pandemic being under control with low test positivity rates in various districts. Some districts have had active cases in single digits for weeks now, which is significant,” Pandit said.
Around mid-September, at least 14 districts in Maharashtra had an active Covid caseload of below 50, while seven of these had active cases in single digits.
Dr Jitendra Oswal, deputy medical director at Bharati Hospital, said, “The number of Covid patients being admitted at the hospital is six currently. The single digit Covid admission trend has persisted for four weeks now. There have hardly been any Covid mortalities at our hospital in the last two months, a trend indicative from zero Covid deaths in Pune city for some days recently.”