11,194 deaths in 120 days!!!.This has been the tragic Covid-19 saga that has unfolded in Maharashtra, ever since the coronavirus claimed first life in the State on March 17, when a 63-year-old man succumbed to the pandemic at the Kasurba Hospital in Mumbai.
With the total number of Covid-19 triggered deaths having risen to a staggering 11,194 on Friday evening, an average of 93 (93.28) died per day in the state during the last 120 days. Initially restricted to major urban areas, the pandemic has now spread to 36 districts, including the hinterland districts of Gadchiroli, Chandrapur and Gondia in eastern Maharashtra.
In terms of deaths, Maharashtra with 11,194 deaths accounts for 43.32 per cent of the total 25,602 deaths in the country. On the infection front, the state with 2,84,281 positive cases, accounts for 28.37 per cent of total 1,00,3832 infected cases in the state. The mortality rate, which had at one stage on April 9 touched 6.34 per cent that incidentally was the third highest in the country, has now come down to 3.94 per cent as against the country’s average of 2.55 per cent.
With the total number of patients discharged from various hospitals after full recovery since the second week of March this year touched 1,58,140. The recovery rate in the state stood at 55.63 per cent. The mortality rate in the state is 3,94 percent. The state health authorities has pegged the number of “active cases” in the state at 1,14,648.
Of the 11,194 total deaths reported in the state till Thursday evening, Mumbai – which is the worst Covid-19 affected city in the state – has accounted for 5523 deaths (49.33 per cent). In terms of infections, Mumbai with 97950 positive cases has accounted for 34.45 per cent of the total 2,84,281.
Maharashtra has come a long way since invoked the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and framed 'The Maharashtra Covid-19Regulations, 2020' and March 13 March 14 respectively. During the first phase of lockdown i.e March 31, the state recorded 10 deaths and 302 patients.
Till the second lockdown, by April 15, the state notched 187 deaths with 2,916 cases, comprising Mumbai's 114 deaths and 1,896 patients.
During the third phase of lockdown till April 30, the state recorded 459 deaths with 10,498 patients.
By July 16 when the easing of lockdown was underway, Covid-19 had spread its deadly tentacles to all 36 districts in the state, but only one district – Chandrapur – has remained ‘death-free’ so far.
In what has come as a silver lining in the cloud, Mumbai’s Dharavi slum has been a success story. It was this Asia’s largest slum that the Brihanumbai Municipal Corpoation and the Maharashtra government successfully adopted “chase the virus” at Dharavi slum in north-central Mumbai where the authorities have contained the spread of virus to that extent that Asia’s largest slum reported just one fresh case on April 10-11. Being densely populated (2,27,136 persons/ sq. km), Dharavi had 491 cases in April 2020 with a 12% growth rate and a case doubling period of 18 days. The proactive measures adopted by BMC reduced the COVID-19 growth rate to 4.3 per cent in May 2020 and further to 1.02% in June. These measures also ensured an improved case doubling time to 43 days in May 2020 and 78 days in June 2020.
Several challenges presented themselves to BMC in Dharavi where 80% population depends on community toilets. BMC adopted a model of actively following four T’s – Tracing, Tracking, Testing and Treating. This approach included activities like proactive screening. While 47,500 people were covered by doctors and private clinics in house-to-house screening, about 14,970 people were screened with the help of Mobile Vans, and 4,76,775 were surveyed by BMC health workers.