Should we be worried about rising Covid-19 cases in Mumbai?
07 June, 2022
As Maharashtra crossed 1,000 cases of the Covid-19 infection, state health authorities have urged citizens to get themselves tested if they have symptoms like fever and upper respiratory distress. Infectious diseases experts have, however, said there was no reason to panic but we need to remain alert.
“While Covid tests in some cases are turning out to be negative, we are not ruling out the possibility of a rise in cases. Mumbai already has reported Covid infections and the spiral usually picks up in Pune after a fortnight. We are monitoring the cases but are set to see a rise by mid-June,” Dr Amit Dravid, infectious diseases consultant with Pune’s Noble hospital, said.
“It would be prudent to be cautious about rising infections, especially with Mumbai contributing more than 50 per cent of the numbers. At present, we are collecting data of those who are positive and understanding their history of vaccination and infection. However, discussions with clinicians show that the symptoms are mild and ICU admissions are not many. But we cannot take things lightly, especially as India is known to have a higher incidence in high risk areas like Mumbai, Pune and other districts. Also, we are fast approaching the monsoon with its share of vector-borne and other diseases. Here what is critical is not the positivity rate of Covid infections but also the bed occupancy and the age group that is coming in for treatment,” Dr Subhash Salunkhe, advisor to the Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope, told The Indian Express.
While strongly appealing to citizens to wear masks and avoid congregations with a potential for virus transmission, Dr Salunkhe advised senior citizens to get their booster doses and refrain from visiting crowded places.
The symptoms at present include sore throat, blocked nose, myalgia, fever, body ache, Dr Dravid said, adding there was no need for panic as symptomatic treatment in home quarantine would help in recovery. The symptoms do not include breathlessness, Dr Dravid said.
Maharashtra has seen a 52 per cent hike in 24 hours and of the 1,081 infections reported, more than 700 were from Mumbai alone. As per health department data from Pune district authorities, 83 new infections were reported on Wednesday.
Dr Pradeep Vyas, Additional Chief Secretary (Health), said that the infection spike was due to increased mobility and laxity in Covid-appropriate behaviour. “There is more intermingling as normal economic activity has resumed and masks have been dropped. People who get cough and fever-like symptoms are taking it lightly and not getting tested,” he said, adding that precautionary doses need to be taken. Efforts are being made to improve vaccination coverage in the 12-18 age group.
State surveillance officer, Dr Pradeep Awate, told The Indian Express that the virus was in all likelihood reaching the endemicity stage. “Apart from factors like mobility of population and large gatherings, seasonal patterns, waxing and waning of immunity due to natural infection or vaccination and emergence of new sub-variants have contributed to the rise in infections,” he said. However, the good news is that there are very few hospitalisations.
The state has eight laboratories in key places like Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur where samples collected randomly from districts are taken up for genome sequencing. This is an important area that the state government is actively working upon to identify new variants or sub-variants, Dr Awate said. While clinical studies are showing a mild disease pattern, he hinted that this trend of rising infections is likely to continue for a month or two before settling down. “There is a need to watch out for the vulnerable groups, especially those with co-morbid conditions,” he said.
With an uptick in cases of upper respiratory tract infections, Dr Dravid said, “It is possible that because the virus is mutating, it has got fitter and has a larger potential to escape immunity. The drop in antibodies, not supported by booster vaccination, could also be one of the factors why there is a spike in cases.”
Source: indianexpress.com