Covid-19 cases declining in Maharashtra, death toll remains a concern

Though in Mumbai, covid-19 cases and deaths are declining, the case fatality rate (CFR) is on the rise as it is not declining as fast as the infections. CFR of 2.41% was recorded in the state between June 1 and 11. However, the cases reported during the same period recorded a decline of 76%. Between the period of May and June, the cases were declined by 75%, but the deaths reduced by 63%.

 

As per the officials, big cities like Pune, Mumbai, and Nagpur were on the rise in the previous months, but now the death toll is stable in these cities. However now, the smaller districts remain the major contributor of covid-19 deaths in Maharashtra. A senior official said, “Higher deaths are now recorded in Satara, Kolhapur, and Ratnagiri than in Mumbai. Cases in these districts started rising very late, so the death rate is yet to be stabilized. Officials are expecting a fall in the death toll in the coming two weeks as the critical cases are declining rapidly.

 

In June, the CFR was recorded the highest, implying that the state is still not out of danger. National health commissioner, N Ramaswami said that the state’s cumulative death rate is not impacted by the death data reconciliation exercise. Maharashtra has recorded over 1.06 lakh deaths till now. He further added, “we are transparent in showcasing the data gathering and presentation so that the entire picture is clear.” Planning for the third wave effectively, needs transparency about the data of the second wave, according to the experts.