Mumbai Has Crossed 3rd Wave Peak, Says Task Force Doc as Daily Covid Cases Dip for 4 Consecutive Days

Mumbai’s Covid-19 cases continued to dip for the third consecutive day with 10, 661 fresh infections on Satuday even as the city recorded the highest single-day toll since July 29 last year. Mumbai had reported 16,420 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, 13,702 cases on Thursday and 11,317 on Friday, thus showing a steady decline.

State government’s Covid-19 task force member Dr Shashank Joshi on Saturday said the peak has been reached in Mumbai. “The peak has possibly gone. We are witnessing the start of the decline at the moment. However, we should see the situation for at least a week before making an announcement,” BMC executive health officer Dr Mangala Gomare was quoted by Times of India as saying.

Maharashtra also witnessed a slight dip in cases, 42,462 new coronavirus infections, 749 less than Friday, besides 23 deaths, as per the state health department. However, a week-on-week comparison shows a different picture. While Mumbai saw 1,02,409 cases in the week between January 2 and 8, the caseload dropped to 96,869 in the next week ending January 15. Maharashtra, however, shows an increasing trend wherein 1,87,665 cases were recorded in the week between January 2 and 8, and the caseload rose to 2,91,984 in the next week.

BMC additional commissioner Suresh Kakani said fresh cases might go below 10,000 from next week. “Cases should come down to four digits very soon. Recovery from Omicron is quick,” he said. Kakani also said during his visit to Nair Hospital, which is near Mumbai Central Station, most patients said they were on minimal medicines for treating their fever.

Several doctors, however, express concern about the increasing death toll in the city. A doctor from Nair hospital told Times of India that the number of deaths have increased to seven or more in the last week as compared to one or two deaths on many days over the last few months.

On Saturday, Mumbai’s death toll crossed double digits for the first time in five months. Deaths usually increase in the fortnight preceding or following the peak. In the Delta wave, cases peaked in April while deaths peaked in May.

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