Shocking Update: Maharashtra alone now Overtakes China

Maharashtra, a state that accounts for almost one third of the total coronavirus cases in the country has left China behind by reporting a higher number of cases.

China has around 83,036 coronavirus cases in the country

Maharashtra alone has reported 85,975 cases till Sunday.

The state reported almost 3000 cases in a day, and 91 deaths due to coronavirus on Sunday 7th of June. Mumbai alone accounts for over 48000 cases.

State Surveillance Officer Dr. Pradeep Awate in a statement said, “Of the deaths reported on Sunday, 31 had occurred in the last couple of days while the remaining took place between April 13 and June 4. 73.6% of the deaths reported had high-risk co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma and heart disease”. He also mentioned that the recovery rate increased to 45.27%, and the number of containment zones in the state is 3,654.

Despite the surge in the cases, Maharashtra is working on easing the lockdown and providing relaxation as the economy has taken a huge dip due to the shutting down of offices and other workplaces. From 8th June offices can function with 10% strength. There are concerns of course that opening up will lead to a surge in cases resulting in complete collapse of the already stretched healthcare system.

Flattening of Curve by Mid-June?

The government has set up a task force for the clinical management of critical patients. The task force consists of 11 doctors, and their Head, Dr Sanjay Oak believes that the state can flatten the curve by mid-June. Analyzing data from Wuhan, they believe that after the 72nd day of the lockdown, they can expect the curve to flatten. He also believes that people may develop herd immunity. Dr. Oak also said that,

“There will be a rise in cases over the next ten days in Mumbai owing to the fresh relaxations and resumption of activities, but there is no need to worry as our health infrastructure is ready to deal with the situation.”.

The number of coronavirus cases in the country has reached an all-time high with almost 11k cases being reported every day. India is overtaking other countries in the list of the coronavirus worst affected countries world-wide. In a matter of a few weeks, India has left behind China and Italy behind by reporting around 11k cases per day. On Sunday it overtook Spain to become the 5th most coronavirus affected country in the world.

These numbers are not seeming to go down soon, as with the easing of the lockdown, increased movement is contributing to the spread of the virus at an even faster pace. It is yet to be seen as to what happens in the country with the easing of the lockdown. A surge is expected due to the increased movement in the country. We still have not arrived at our peak yet. It will take time for the curve to flatten but proper preventive measures and social distancing can help from further spreading of the coronavirus.