Mumbai...

The positivity rate in the state has risen multi-fold over the past few weeks. It was 27.45% on Monday, up from 22.49% a month ago on May 22 and 6.06% on April 22. The positivity rate in Mumbai, too, has been at par with the state rate. From 8.67% on April 21, the positivity rate has increased to 27.9% on May 21 and 27.5% on June 21.

Maharashtra has, so far, conducted 7.87 lakhs tests, including 2.92 lakh in Mumbai alone.

Dr Avinash Supe, former KEM dean and member of the expert committee appointed by the state to recommend steps to curb the spread said, “As per the ICMR guidelines, tests are being performed on the symptomatic cases and hence the rate naturally ought to be high. When the tests are done for all contacts, the positivity rate is low.”

When asked if the high positivity rate is an indication of community transmission, Dr Supe said, “It is a controversial subject, some epidemiologists say it’s already begun, some say no. The possibility is high, but it is a matter of research by scientists and experts,” He said that though the case fatality rate is high, it is still within limits and barring a few areas the situation in Mumbai is improving.

The positivity rate is the percentage of tests that turn out positive for coronavirus. The authorities said that since they have been testing only symptomatic patients, the rate is high. However, experts also pointed out that the high positivity rate also indicates that the state is only testing sick patients and not casting the net wide to know if the virus is spreading within communities.

Of the 248 fatalities reported on Tuesday, 65 were in Mumbai, 42 in Solapur, 18 in Nashik and 15 in Aurangabad.

605,141 people are currently home quarantined, while 26,572 are under institutional quarantine. State’s recovery rate, however, improved to 50,09% as 69,631 patients recovered till Tuesday. the earliest. It will also be used to know the prevalence of the pandemic among masses in hotspots and in western and eastern suburbs, where currently the growth rate is higher comparatively.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the BMC said, “While efforts to prevent coronavirus infection in Mumbai are succeeding, more aggressive measures are being taken without any hesitation and as a part of ‘Mission Universal Testing’. The BMC has decided to procure one lakh antigen testing kits that gives results in just half an hour. Corporate houses and private companies have also been advised to test their employees by purchasing rapid testing kits, as per the recent approval of the government.”

In the context of procuring rapid antigen kits, the BMC statement added, “The procured kits will be used in all civic and government hospitals as well as treatment centres. This will speed the process of preventing infection by testing suspected cases immediately. We have also requested 35 large private hospitals in the Mumbai municipal corporation area to purchase and use these government -approved antigen test kits.”

The decision was taken by municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, in a video conference called along with senior BMC officials. A BMC official who attended the meeting said, “This decision was in a way taken to conduct more aggressive testing. It is a decision to curb the spread considering we plan to open up gradually after more relaxations in existing lockdown norms are announced by the state government.”

Meanwhile, the state health department on Monday had said, patients with severe coronavirus symptoms and comorbidities, and pregnant women, can be tested using rapid antigen testing kits by the municipal corporations and councils. likely to be less complicated in the Gogra Post-hot Springs and the Galwan Valley sectors, where there are no real issues about the alignment of the LAC.

The disengagement will have to be “equal, mutual and proportional,” said Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former director general of military operations (DGMO).

“The disengagement will be a long-drawn process because of the mistrust that has set in after the Galwan Valley clash. A lot of verification through different means will be required at every stage of disengagement to make sure that the PLA has retreated,” added Bhatia, who served as the army’s DGMO during 2013-14. The June 15 Galwan Valley skirmish in eastern Ladakh resulted in 20 deaths on the Indian side and the PLA suffered 43 casualties, according to Indian officials, but Beijing has not confirmed the fatalities. A Chinese spokesman on Tuesday dismissed such reports as “fake news”.

Disengagement in the Finger Area on the north bank of Pangong Tso will be tricky in comparison with Gogra Post-hot Springs and the Galwan Valley sectors where limited disengagement had begun after the first meeting between senior Indian and Chinese commanders on June 6, said former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd).

He was referring to the first meeting between delegations led by Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, commander of the Lehbased 14 Corps, and Major General Liu Lin, commander of the South Xinjiang military region. During that meeting, the two sides reached an understanding to implement a de-escalation plan to ease rising tensions along the contested border, but tensions peaked in the aftermath of the June 15 skirmish. It was the first deadly conflict between Indian and Chinese soldiers along the LAC in 45 years.

“The Finger area is where the real problem lies as the Chinese soldiers have dug in their heels there. It will be the most challenging part of the proposed disengagement,” said Hooda.

The army is concerned about the PLA’S presence in the Finger Area, especially the Chinese activities between Finger 4 and Finger 8 over the last seven weeks. Chinese military positions in the Finger Area restrict the scope of the Indian Army patrolling areas that New Delhi considers its territory, according to a security official aware of the developments.

He said the Indian Army would have to be extremely vigilant during the disengagement process, given what transpired in the Galwan Valley; the disengagement will have to be monitored by senior commanders to ensure things do not go awry; and a diplomatic dialogue will have to progress simultaneously.

While the modalities for disengagement were discussed at the meeting between senior commanders, implementing the plan would require several rounds of talks between commanders on the ground, a second security official added.

At the June 22 meeting between the corps commanders, India sought an assurance from the Chinese side on ending aggression along the border, and the thinning of Chinese military deployments in “depth areas” on their side of the disputed border. China had deployed up to 10,000 troops in these areas with the military buildup including fighter jets, helicopters, tanks, artillery guns, missile systems and air defence radars. India has matched the neighbour’s military moves “Neither India nor China are likely to immediately thin their deployments in rear areas, given how volatile the disputed border has been,” the second security official added. Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Tuesday arrived in Leh, the headquarters of 14 Corps in Ladakh, on a twoday visit focused on conducting a security review of the sensitive sector. Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria made a low-key visit to Ladakh last week to review the Indian Air Force’s preparedness in the area.

CHINA HAD DEPLOYED UP TO 10,000 TROOPS IN THESE AREAS WITH THE MILITARY BUILDUP INCLUDING FIGHTER JETS, HELICOPTERS, TANKS, ARTILLERY GUNS, MISSILE SYSTEMS AND AIR DEFENCE RADARS. INDIA HAS MATCHED THE MOVES. “NEITHER INDIA NOR CHINA ARE LIKELY TO IMMEDIATELY THIN THEIR DEPLOYMENTS,” THE OFFICIAL SAID.