Pune: Active COVID-19 Caseload is currently below 50 in at least 14 districts Maharashtra And in seven of them in the single digits, data from the Department of Public Health showed that the second wave of the pandemic is approaching its end.
State Disease Surveillance Officer Dr Pradeep Awate told TOI that districts like Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Dhule, Nanded, Wardha, Yavatmal, Buldhana and Bhandara had active cases in single to double digits.
“The active cases in these districts have started to decline significantly as Maharashtra nears the end of the second wave. As the incidence of COVID-19 and daily tests have come down in these districts, so have the active cases. Active cases are currently below 100 in many districts of Maharashtra, while maximum active cases are concentrated in only eight or nine districts,” he said.
Awate said this was a sign of the second wave waning, something that was also visible from the positivity rate in Maharashtra.
Active cases in 14 districts are less than 50, signs of end of second wave
Awate said testing has decreased in some of these districts because the number of tests conducted was directly proportional to the number of new cases and their contacts traced. He said that the decrease in active cases in these districts is by no means a result of less investigation. “That’s because the second wave is losing steam in these areas,” he said.
“For example, if there are 10 new cases in an area, all the contacts of these cases are traced and tested covid. When new cases come down, naturally their contacts also drop, leading to a drop in daily tests. Therefore, testing automatically drops by 10-20% when new positive cases are low. Besides, there has been a significant decline in the cases of influenza-like diseases or severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) in these districts,” he said.
“As per WHO, with the positivity rate consistently below 5%, the outbreak can be considered under control. The weekly positivity rate of the state has been 2.5%-2.6% in the last three to four weeks. Thus, the second wave may be nearing its end in Maharashtra,” he said.
Dr Shashank Joshi, member of the state’s Covid-19 task force, told TOI, “The state is now coming to a phase when many districts can be formed. covid-free, which is a good sign. But they cannot satisfy and ensure complete vaccination of about 80% of the population.
State Disease Surveillance Officer Dr Pradeep Awate told TOI that districts like Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Dhule, Nanded, Wardha, Yavatmal, Buldhana and Bhandara had active cases in single to double digits.
“The active cases in these districts have started to decline significantly as Maharashtra nears the end of the second wave. As the incidence of COVID-19 and daily tests have come down in these districts, so have the active cases. Active cases are currently below 100 in many districts of Maharashtra, while maximum active cases are concentrated in only eight or nine districts,” he said.
Awate said this was a sign of the second wave waning, something that was also visible from the positivity rate in Maharashtra.
Active cases in 14 districts are less than 50, signs of end of second wave
Awate said testing has decreased in some of these districts because the number of tests conducted was directly proportional to the number of new cases and their contacts traced. He said that the decrease in active cases in these districts is by no means a result of less investigation. “That’s because the second wave is losing steam in these areas,” he said.
“For example, if there are 10 new cases in an area, all the contacts of these cases are traced and tested covid. When new cases come down, naturally their contacts also drop, leading to a drop in daily tests. Therefore, testing automatically drops by 10-20% when new positive cases are low. Besides, there has been a significant decline in the cases of influenza-like diseases or severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) in these districts,” he said.
“As per WHO, with the positivity rate consistently below 5%, the outbreak can be considered under control. The weekly positivity rate of the state has been 2.5%-2.6% in the last three to four weeks. Thus, the second wave may be nearing its end in Maharashtra,” he said.
Dr Shashank Joshi, member of the state’s Covid-19 task force, told TOI, “The state is now coming to a phase when many districts can be formed. covid-free, which is a good sign. But they cannot satisfy and ensure complete vaccination of about 80% of the population.
.